The American Numismatic Society 2017 Gala
On Thursday, January 12, 2017, over 150 friends of The American Numismatic Society gathered to honor Anthony J. Terranova, the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society, and the Newman Numismatic Portal with the Trustees’ Award at the Annual Gala at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
Anthony Terranova, a noted collector, dealer, and researcher in numismatics, joined the Society 40 years ago. He was elected Fellow in 1992, became a Life Fellow in 1995, and has been a member of the Augustus B. Sage Society since 2006. He has greatly enhanced the ANS collections with important donations to the numismatic cabinet, and with many books, archives, and auction catalogues to the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Library, as well as with many generous donations. Known for his honest and fair dealings, encouragement, and engaging personality, the Society was delighted to acknowledge his exemplary devotion and commitment to numismatics through the presentation of the Trustees’ Award by ANS Board President, Sydney Martin.
Kenneth Edlow, Chairman of the ANS Board, presented the Trustees’ Award to the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society and the Newman Numismatic Portal, accepted by Mrs. Linda Newman Schapiro and Mr. Leonard Augusburger, respectively.
The Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP), an online numismatic resource, is sponsored by a grant from the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society, and works with the ANS on a scanning project that enables greater access to American numismatic research material on both the ANS Digital Library and Newman Portal websites.
Mr. Q. David Bowers, the evening’s emcee, provided an inviting and entertaining atmosphere for the attendees who enjoyed dinner, music by the Astrid Kuljanic quintet, and a lively auction led by the engaging Melissa Karstedt of Stack’s Bowers Galleries. Thanks to the generosity of many dedicated friends, the 2017 Gala raised approximately $172,000 in funds that are much needed for the Society’s many projects.
Past recipients of the Trustees’ Award include such notable numismatists and donors as Ms. Shelby White and Mr. Leon Levy, Mr. Jamie Stewart, Mr. Kenneth L. Edlow, Mr. George Kolbe, Mr. Q. David Bowers, Mr. Chester L. Krause, Mr. Donald G. Partrick, Mr. Harvey Stack, Mr. Victor England, Jr., Mr. Ira Goldberg, Mr. Larry Goldberg, Mr. Harlan J. Berk, Mr. Roger S. Siboni, Mrs. Marian Scheuer Sofaer and the Honorable Abraham D. Sofaer, Mrs. Elizabeth Forbes Hazard Scott and Mr. Stanley DeForest Scott, and Mr. and Mrs. John W. Adams.
Anthony Terranova is a widely admired coin dealer and a specialist in early American coinage whose interest in collecting began as a teenager in Brooklyn with classic United States series. He is well known among early American collectors, not least for the invaluable input generated by his research. He is the recipient of the American Numismatic Association’s 2011 Farran Zerbe Memorial Award for distinguished service and the Professional Numismatist Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is a member of the New York Numismatic Club. The Anthony Terranova Collection of Counterstamped Coins sold at auction with Stack’s Bowers.
Administered through Washington University Libraries in St. Louis, the Newman Numismatic Portal has contracted with Internet Archive for the scanning operation at the ANS Library. Internet Archive is a non-profit organization dedicated to digital preservation of all media. The NNP, sponsored by a $2 million grant from the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society to the Washington University Libraries, began operations in December 2014. It has digitized over 170,000 pages of ANS documents alone to date.
The ANS Library’s entire run of early American auction catalogs, which include those of Frossard, Woodward, Chapman, Elder, and other notable names in the field, were first to be scanned. Unique archival collections such as dealer and collector correspondence, housed in the ANS Library’s Rare Book Room, will also be scanned so they can be access on a large scale.
Every year the American Numismatic Society raises critical revenue through Gala ticket sales, program advertisements, sponsorships, contributions, and the proceeds from a live auction. These funds are used to further the Society’s mission of supporting research and education in numismatics.
For information, please contact Catherine DiTuri at 212-571-4470, ext. 117, membership@numismatics.org, or visit the ANS website.
The American Numismatic Society, organized in 1858 and incorporated in 1865 in New York State, operates as a research museum under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is recognized as a publicly supported organization under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) as confirmed on November 1, 1970.
