The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is an organization founded in 1891 by George Francis Heath. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics (the study of coins) along educational, historical, and scientific lines, as well as to enhance interest in the hobby.
The ANA has more than 24,000 individual members who receive many benefits, such as discounts, access to website features, and the monthly journal The Numismatist. The ANA's Colorado Springs headquarters houses its administrative offices, library, and money museum. The ANA received a federal charter from the United States Congress in 1912.
A board of governors is in charge of the ANA. Numerous advisory committees help to operate it properly. The ANA has a Young Numismatists program intended to promote interest among youth. The ANA has held annual conventions throughout the nation in most years since 1891, with two per year since 1978. The Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award is bestowed upon the most dedicated members. The ANA also maintains a Numismatic Hall of Fame.
History
Dr. George F. Heath of Monroe, Michigan, gained knowledge of world history by studying his collection of coins. The obscurity of his community was an obstacle towards obtaining certain specimens, and made meeting fellow numismatists difficult. In 1888, he printed, published and distributed a four-page leaflet, NUMISMATIST, in which he listed his coin needs, advertised duplicates for sale, and discussed numismatic topics.
The nascent publication found many friends among other isolated collectors. As Heath's subscription list increased, a need for a national organization of numismatists was evident. The February 1891 edition of The Numismatist printed a question, "What is the matter with having an American Numismatic Association?" The collection includes a complete set of three dollar gold coins, including the unique 1870-S specimen, a complete type set of U.S. gold coin designs from 1834 to 1933, and a collection of pattern coins from the United States Mint. In April 2022, the museum announced that the foundation was auctioning off the collection, with the proceeds going to various Dallas-area charities.
The museum also offers changing exhibits about money in history, art, archeology, banking and economics, and coin collecting.
Dr. George F. Heath Society
In September 2022, the Association announced the launch of the Dr. George F. Heath Society, a donor recognition guild "devoted to supporting the mission of the ANA and its programming needs, while expanding, educating and inspiring the collecting community".
Board of governors
The ANA is run by a nine-member board of governors composed of the President, Vice-President, and seven Governors, each elected by ANA members in odd-numbered years. Governor candidates must have been ANA members for at least three years. President and Vice President candidates must have served at least one term as a Governor. Total service on the Board is limited to 10 years. The ANA also has a YN Dollars program in which YNs earn YN Dollars for different activities. They can spend these YN Dollars at the ANA Summer Convention at the annual YN auction or monthly auctions. The Young Numismatist of the Year award has been given by the ANA every year since 1968. Many former winners of the award are now prominent numismatic professionals, or have distinguished themselves in other areas. Finally, the ANA hosts an annual literary contest for 3 age groups, elementary-middle school, middle-high school, and 18-25. First place winners will receive $500 in cash, $500 credit to Whitman, and a plaque. The National Money Show and the ANA World's Fair of Money are the brands for shows that have been held on an Annual Basis by the ANA. The National Money Show is traditionally held in the Spring while the World's Fair is held in the Summer.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!National Money Show (spring unless otherwise noted)
!World's Fair of Money (summer)
|-
| 2028
|
|Chicago
|-
|2027
|Virginia Beach, VA
|Chicago
|-
|2026
|Savannah, GA
|Pittsburgh, PA
|-
|2025
|Atlanta
|Oklahoma City
|-
|2024
|Colorado Springs, CO
|Rosemont, IL
|-
|2023
|Phoenix, AZ
|Pittsburgh, PA
|-
|2022
|Colorado Springs, CO
|Rosemont, IL
|-
|2021
|Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Originally scheduled for Phoenix)
|Rosemont, IL
|-
|2020
|Atlanta, GA
|(Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, originally scheduled for Pittsburgh)
|-
|2019
|Pittsburgh, PA
|Chicago, IL/Rosemont, IL
|-
|2018
|Dallas
|Philadelphia
|-
|2017
|Orlando
|Denver
|-
|2016
|Dallas
|Anaheim
|-
|2015
|Portland
|Chicago
|-
|2014
|Atlanta
|Chicago
|-
|2013
|New Orleans
|Chicago
|-
|2012
|Spring: Denver; Fall: Dallas
|Philadelphia
|-
|2011
|Spring: Sacramento; Fall: Pittsburgh
|Chicago
|-
|2010
|Fort Worth
|Boston
|-
|2009
|Portland
|Los Angeles
|-
|2008
|Phoenix
|Baltimore
|-
|2007
|Charlotte
|Milwaukee
|-
|2006
|Atlanta
|Denver
|-
|2005
|Kansas City
|San Francisco
|-
|2004
|Portland
|Pittsburgh
|-
|2003
|Charlotte
|Baltimore
|-
|2002
|Jacksonville
|New York
|-
|2001
|Salt Lake City
|Atlanta
|-
|2000
|Fort Lauderdale
|Philadelphia
|-
|1999
|Sacramento
|Chicago
|-
|1998
|Cincinnati
|Portland
|-
|1997
|Cleveland
|New York
|-
|1996
|Tucson
|Denver
|-
|1995
|Atlanta
|Anaheim
|-
|1994
|New Orleans
|Detroit
|-
|1993
|Colorado Springs
|Baltimore
|-
|1992
|Dallas
|Orlando
|-
|1991
|Dallas
|Chicago
|-
|1990
|San Diego
|Seattle
|-
|1989
|Colorado Springs
|Pittsburgh
|-
|1988
|Little Rock
|Cincinnati
|-
|1987
|Charlotte
|Atlanta
|-
|1986
|Salt Lake City
|Milwaukee
|-
|1985
|San Antonio
|Baltimore
|-
|1984
|Colorado Springs
|Detroit
|-
|1983
|Tucson
|San Diego
|-
|1982
|Colorado Springs
|Boston
|-
|1981
|Honolulu
|New Orleans
|-
|1980
|Albuquerque
|Cincinnati
|-
|1979
|
|St. Louis
|-
|1978
|Colorado Springs
|Houston
|-
|1977
|
|Atlanta
|-
|1976
|
|New York
|-
|1975
|
|Los Angeles
|-
|1974
|
|Miami
|-
|1973
|
|Boston
|-
|1972
|
|New Orleans
|-
|1971
|
|Washington, D.C.
|-
|1970
|
|St. Louis
|-
|1969
|
|Philadelphia
|-
|1968
|
|San Diego
|-
|1967
|
|Miami
|-
|1966
|
|Chicago
|-
|1965
|
|Houston
|-
|1964
|
|Cleveland
|-
|1963
|
|Denver
|-
|1962
|
|Detroit
|-
|1961
|
|Atlanta
|-
|1960
|
|Boston
|-
|1959
|
|Portland
|-
|1958
|
|Los Angeles
|-
|1957
|
|Philadelphia
|-
|1956
|
|Chicago
|-
|1955
|
|Omaha
|-
|1954
|
|Cleveland
|-
|1953
|
|Dallas
|-
|1952
|
|New York
|-
|1951
|
|Phoenix
|-
|1950
|
|Milwaukee
|-
|1949
|
|San Francisco
|-
|1948
|
|Boston
|-
|1947
|
|Buffalo
|-
|1946
|
|Davenport
|-
|1945
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1944
|
|Chicago
|-
|1943
|
|Chicago
|-
|1942
|
|Cincinnati
|-
|1941
|
|Philadelphia
|-
|1940
|
|Detroit
|-
|1939
|
|New York
|-
|1938
|
|Columbus
|-
|1937
|
|Washington, D.C.
|-
|1936
|
|Minneapolis
|-
|1935
|
|Pittsburgh
|-
|1934
|
|Cleveland
|-
|1933
|
|Chicago
|-
|1932
|
|Los Angeles
|-
|1931
|
|Cincinnati
|-
|1930
|
|Buffalo
|-
|1929
|
|Chicago
|-
|1928
|
|Rochester
|-
|1927
|
|Hartford
|-
|1926
|
|Washington, D.C.
|-
|1925
|
|Detroit
|-
|1924
|
|Cleveland
|-
|1923
|
|Montreal
|-
|1922
|
|New York
|-
|1921
|
|Boston
|-
|1920
|
|Chicago
|-
|1919
|
|Philadelphia
|-
|1918
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1917
|
|Rochester
|-
|1916
|
|Baltimore
|-
|1915
|
|San Francisco
|-
|1914
|
|Springfield
|-
|1913
|
|Detroit
|-
|1912
|
|Rochester
|-
|1911
|
|Chicago
|-
|1910
|
|New York
|-
|1909
|
|Montreal
|-
|1908
|
|Philadelphia
|-
|1907
|
|Columbus
|-
|1906
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1905
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1904
|
|St. Louis
|-
|1903
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1902
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1901
|
|Buffalo
|-
|1900
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1899
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1898
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1897
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1896
|
|NO CONVENTION
|-
|1895
|
|Washington, D.C.
|-
|1894
|
|Detroit
|-
|1893
|
|Chicago
|-
|1892
|
|Pittsburgh
|-
|1891
|
|Chicago
|}
Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award
The Chester L. Kraause Distinguished Service Award, (formerly the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award) is the highest honor conferred by the ANA. It is given in recognition of numerous years of outstanding, dedicated service to numismatics. The criteria for the nominee should be that the individual is considered someone who has rendered numerous years of outstanding service to the ANA as well as the field of numismatics. An additional qualification is that the nominee should be a former Medal of Merit and Glenn Smedley Memorial Award recipient. The award is limited only to members of the ANA.
- For a list of winners, please see Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award
Hall of Fame
To enshrine the most important numismatists of all time, the ANA established the Numismatic Hall of Fame at its Colorado Springs headquarters in 1964. The Hall's constitution and bylaws were drafted that year, and the first inductees enshrined in 1969 and the next group in 1970, with subsequent honorees inducted every two years thereafter. The Hall was the brainchild of Jack W. Ogilvie, a Hollywood film writer and editor who served as ANA historian from 1950 to 1970.
Inductees by year
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name
!Year Inducted
|-
| Edgar H. Adams (1868–1940)
|1969
|-
| George J. Bauer (1870–1961)
|1969
|-
| Frank G. Duffield (1867–1954)
|1969
|-
| George F. Heath (1850–1908)
|1969
|-
| Edward T. Newell (1886–1941)
|1969
|-
| Wayte Raymond (1886–1956)
|1969
|-
| David C. Wismer (1857–1949)
|1969
|-
| Howland Wood (1877–1938)
|1969
|-
| Farran Zerbe (1871–1949)
|1969
|-
| George H. Blake (1858–1955)
|1970
|-
| Henry Chapman (1860–1935)
|1970
|-
| Sylvester S. Crosby (1831–1914)
|1970
|-
| Lewis M. Reagan (1904–1961)
|1970
|-
| Moritz Wormser (1878–1940)
|1970
|-
| Ole P. Ecklund (1873–1950)
|1972
|-
| Albert R. Frey (1858–1926)
|1972
|-
| Barclay V. Head (1844–1914)
|1972
|-
| John M. Henderson (1870–1942)
|1972
|-
| Lyman H. Low (1845–1924)
|1972
|-
| Waldo C. Moore (1874–1953)
|1972
|-
| Stuart Mosher (1904–1956)
|1972
|-
| Burton H. Saxton (1876–1958)
|1972
|-
| Agnes Baldwin Brett (1876–1955)
|1974
|-
| John W. Haseltine (1838–1925)
|1974
|-
| Joseph H. Hooper (1835–1910)
|1974
|-
| B. Max Mehl (1884–1957)
|1974
|-
| Howard Newcomb (1877–1945)
|1974
|-
| William Philpott Jr. (1885–1971)
|1974
|-
| Benjamin P. Wright (1857–1922)
|1974
|-
| Frederick C.C. Boyd (1874–1960)
|1978
|-
| Victor D. Brenner (1871–1924)
|1978
|-
| David M. Bullowa (1912–1953)
|1978
|-
| Lee F. Hewitt (1911–1987)
|1978
|-
| J. Henri Ripstra (1881–1961)
|1978
|-
| Richard S. Yeoman (1904–1988)
|1978
|-
| Herbert M. Bergen (1897–1988)
|1982
|-
| Elston G. Bradfield (1906–1977)
|1982
|-
| J. Douglas Ferguson (1901–1981)
|1982
|-
| Abe Kosoff (1912–1983)
|1982
|-
| Robert McLachlan (1845–1926)
|1982
|-
| Glenn B. Smedley (1902–1987)
|1982
|-
| Louis S. Werner (1894–1982)
|1982
|-
| Sheldon S. Carroll (1914–1998)
|1984
|-
| William T.R. Marvin (1832–1913)
|1984
|-
| Leonel C. Panosh (1893–1967)
|1984
|-
| J. Norman Shultz (1893–1988)
|1984
|-
| Eva B. Adams (1908–1991)
|1986
|-
| S. Wolcott Freeman (1906–1967)
|1986
|-
| Robert Friedberg (1912–1963)
|1986
|-
| Eric P. Newman (1911-2017)
|1986
|-
| Margo Russell (1919-2015)
|1986
|-
| John S. Davenport (1907-2001)
|1988
|-
| Maurice M. Gould (1909–1975)
|1988
|-
| M. Vernon Sheldon (1902–1982)
|1988
|-
| Chester L. Krause (1923-2016)
|1990
|-
| John Jay Pittman (1913–1996)
|1992
|-
| Q. David Bowers (born 1938)
|1994
|-
| Clyde Hubbard (1916-2020)
|1994
|-
| Aubrey E. Bebee (1906–1992)
|1996
|-
| Kenneth E. Bressett (born 1928)
|1996
|-
| Adam Eckfeldt (1769–1852)
|1996
|-
| George D. Hatie (1910–1997)
|1996
|-
| Harry W. Bass Jr. (1927–1998)
|1998
|-
| R.W. Julian (born 1938)
|1998
|-
| Oscar H. Dodson (1905–1996)
|2000
|-
| Robert L. Hendershott (1898–2005)
|2000
|-
| Edward C. Rochette (1927-2018)
|2000
|-
| Russell Rulau (1926-2012)
|2000
|-
| Amon G. Carter, Jr. (1919–1982)
|2002
|-
| William Ewing DuBois (1810–1881)
|2002
|-
| Bill Fivaz (born 1934)
|2002
|-
| James Ross Snowden (1809–1878)
|2002
|-
| Adna G. Wilde, Jr. (1920–2008)
|2002
|-
| Clifford Mishler (born 1939)
|2004
|-
| Catherine Bullowa-Moore (1919-2017)
|2006
|-
| George J. Fuld (1932-2013)
|2006
|-
| Robert Lovett, Jr. (1818–1879)
|2006
|-
| Mathew Rothert (1904–1989)
|2006
|-
| Neil Shafer (1933-2023)
|2008
|-
| William Walter Coulthard Wilson (1869-1924)
|2012
|-
| William C. Henderson (1916–1989)
|2012
|-
| Al C. Overton (1906–1972)
|2012
|-
| Alan Herbert (1926–2013)
|2013
|-
| Beth Deisher (1946–)
|2013
|-
| Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli (1914–1982)
|2014
|-
| Ludger Gravel (1864–1933)
|2014
|-
| David Schenkman (1939-)
|2015
|-
| James Edward Charlton (1911–2013)
|2015
|-
| Ralph A. Mitchell (1903–1991)
|2016
|-
| Byron F. Johnson Jr. (1931–1988)
|2016
|-
| Raymond W. Dillard (1925-2020)
|2017
|-
| Joseph N. T. Levick (1828-1908)
|2018
|-
| Arthur M. Fitts III (1936-)
|2019
|-
| Augustus B. Sage (1841-1874)
|2020
|-
| Barbara Gregory (1954-)
|2021
|-
| D. Wayne "Dick" Johnson (1930-2020)
|2021
|-
| Charles T. Steigerwalt (1858-1912)
|2022
|-
| Jeremiah Colburn (1815-1891)
|2022
|-
| Joseph E. Boling (1942-)
|2023
|-
| James Mease (1771-1846)
|2024
|-
| Kenneth L. Hallenbeck (1931-)
|2025
|-
| David W. Lange (1958-2023)
|2025
|}