Herbert E. Ives coin catalog and card index, 1940 - 1953

Biographical Note

Herbert E. Ives was born in Philadelphia on July 21, 1882. His father, Frederic Ives, was a distinguished scientist who had invented techniques for color photography and the half-tone process which made it possible to reprint photographs in magazines and newspapers. The younger Ives attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his bachelors degree in 1905, and Johns Hopkins University, where he earned his doctorate of philosophy in 1908. Upon graduation, Ives held a series of positions in industrial research, but his greatest successes came during his tenure at Bell Laboratories, which he joined in 1919 after serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I, where he did early work in aerial photography. It was during his years at Bell that Ives became known as one of the world's leading electron-optical physicists. Ives joined the ANS as an associate member in April 1924. By 1925, he had been elected a Fellow. In 1937, Ives was named a Patron of the ANS because of his gift to the Society of twenty-two medals awarded to his father for his scientific accomplishments. Ives was first elected to the ANS Council in January 1934 and remained on the Council until his death in November 1953. In January 1942, Ives was elected the 14th president of the ANS, succeeding Stephen H.P. Pell. Ives' numismatic interests focused on three types of gold: English nobles, Venetian ducats, and Florentine florins. Ives served as president through 1946 and he died on November 13, 1953. Upon his death, he bequeathed to the ANS his extensive collection of gold coins.