Emery May Norweb and R. Henry Norweb

Emery May Holden Norweb (1895–1984) and Raymond Henry Norweb, Sr. (1894–1983), were outstanding examples of the sort of trustees and benefactors who are essential to the long-term success of any non-profit organization. Emery Norweb inherited a significant collection of American coins from her father, Albert Holden. R. Henry Norweb was a professional diplomat who served in several countries in Europe and Latin America between 1917 and 1948, including as Ambassador to Peru, Portugal, and Cuba.

With a shared interest in numismatics, the Norwebs built impressive collections together in several areas, including United States coins (both colonial and federal), Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman coins, English coins and tokens of the seventeenth century, Peruvian coins, and Canadian tokens and medals. They generously gave various portions of these collections to the ANS, to the Smithsonian Institution, and to the British Museum. The ANS collection benefited from their generosity in all of these areas, with some notable gifts including a Brasher doubloon, an aureus of Allectus, an Anglo-Saxon thrymsa, Admiral Boscawen’s medal for the capture of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, and many notable emergency coins of the English Civil War.

The Norwebs were also the first husband-and-wife pair to serve as ANS trustees. Ambassador Norweb served on the Society’s governing Council (predecessor of the present Board of Trustees) from 1960 to 1978, including several months of service as Secretary in 1966, and Mrs. Norweb was the first woman to serve on the Society’s Council, from 1968 to 1978. Their dedication and generosity put them in the forefront of the ANS leaders of their generation.

For more about the Norweb family and their numismatic collections, see the promotional book published to accompany a sale of their United States coins.