The last hundred years have seen dramatic change and unprecedented growth in the coin collecting hobby. This has been a century of revolution, not merely evolution, in the numismatic field -- a time of transformation more fundamental and far-reaching than the hobby had experienced in all its previous centuries put together.

Many individuals have contributed to this process. Collectors, dealers, scholars, researchers, publishers, publicists, catalogers, chroniclers, conservators guarding tradition, innovators blazing new trails -- all have played pivotal roles in ushering our hobby from its sheltered, almost reclusive past into a brave new world where it reaches out to the masses and they reach back.

Is there a man -- or a woman -- of the century, a person whose contributions stand out above all the rest? Is there a Numismatist of the Century?

The question is an intriguing one, and surely a timely one as we rapidly approach the end of the 20th century and the start of not just a new century but a whole new millennium. It's also an invitation to contentiousness -- for judgments of people's importance, like evaluations of beauty, tend to be primarily in the eye of the beholder.

Still, a little controversy isn't a bad thing. And this one might even get people -- including COINage readers and visitors to the Coin Universe Web site -- thinking and talking and coming up with candidates of their own.

To start the ball rolling, I discussed the idea with seven prominent members of the numismatic community who are thoughtful, articulate students and observers of the coin collecting scene. I then asked them to select the person or persons who, in their opinion, had the greatest impact in fostering the advancement of the hobby during the 20th century.

The panel consisted of David T. Alexander, historian of the American Numismatic Association; Q. David Bowers, a prominent coin dealer and author; Robert W. Julian, a highly respected scholar and researcher; Clifford Mishler, then president of Krause Publications, a leading numismatic publishing firm; Donn Pearlman, a former broadcast newsman with deep roots in the hobby; Margo Russell, who served for more than two decades as editor of Coin World; and Scott A. Travers, a well-known dealer, author and consumer advocate who at the time of the survey was vice president of the ANA.

Some of the participants limited their selections to just a few names, even selecting a single "Numismatist of the Century." Others felt more comfortable using a broader brush and choosing groups of honorees as Numismatists of the Century, plural form. Either way, their choices -- much like their approaches -- are quite diverse and highly thought- provoking.

Rather than compiling a "Top 10" list by toting up the "scores" or numbers of mentions amassed by the nominees, I've shone a special spotlight on those rated No. 1 by any panelist and then arranged the others by group or, in some cases, in alphabetical order.

Many of the nominees appeared on multiple lists, of course -- some on all the lists. Only selected comments are given in each case, though, for obvious reasons of space.

Who’s No. 1?

"Q. David Bowers, hands down."

That was Donn Pearlman's terse tribute in naming his fellow-panelist as the No. 1 numismatist on his list.

"No one has done more to promote numismatic education than Dave Bowers has done through his books and newspaper and magazine articles. No one has combined so many talents: He's not just a prolific writer, but also a leading dealer and auctioneer. And no one has given so freely of his time and resources to promote pure collecting. Whether it's a $5 coin or a $500,000 coin, he always emphasizes the importance of being a knowledgeable collector.

"On top of everything else, he's a hobby leader, having been president of both the ANA and the Professional Numismatists Guild."

Bowers, who began dealing in coins in his early teens, has been a dealer now for nearly half a century and remains one of the hobby's busiest, most successful and most conspicuous dealers as chairman of the board of Bowers and Merena Galleries in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. He has written dozen of books, and his present and previous firms have conducted many of the most important coin auctions ever held.

Scott Travers, too, rates Bowers very highly. But in viewing the century as a whole, he gave his first-place nod to B. Max Mehl, a Fort Worth, Texas, dealer who promoted the hobby extensively from the 1930s through the 1950s in ads that he placed in Sunday supplements, on the radio -- and even on matchbook covers.

"I consider B. Max Mehl the Numismatist of the Century," Travers said, "because he did more to popularize the hobby than anyone else we've seen. My mentality is to judge a person's impact by the number of people he or she brings into the hobby. And Mehl did more than anyone else to increase awareness of coins among the general populace.

"If you're asking who is the scholar of the century, then clearly it's Q. David Bowers," Travers went on. "He's the all-around century man, because he has done everything -- been a major dealer, organized landmark auctions, served as a volunteer, conducted important research, written more books than anyone else and also, in the process, brought new people into the hobby."

Many of Mehl's advertisements offered to pay $50 -- a hefty price at the time -- for any 1913 Liberty Head nickel he was offered. He was well aware that only five examples had emerged and that no more were likely to turn up. But he used this gimmick to attract new customers -- and, in the process, developed new collectors for the hobby as a whole from among the public at large.

Clifford Mishler was hesitant to place a single name atop his list. But, upon reflection, he cast his vote for R.S. Yeoman, the man who wrote the "Red Book" and "Blue Book" and devised coin folders for the Whitman Publishing Company during a career that began in the early 1930s.

"Dick Yeoman put catalogs and a system of housing coins into the hands of the everyday American public," Mishler said. "In doing so, he played a key role in popularizing the hobby.

"The books and albums he devised were far less expensive than the alternatives available at the time, and Dick and Western Publishing had the merchandising ability to get them into the public sector, which other people had never been able to do.

"Dick Yeoman really brought the coin collecting hobby to grass-roots America."

The Red Book -- A Guide Book of United States Coins -- is among the best-selling non-fiction books of all time, with many millions of copies having been sold since it made its first appearance in 1946. Yeoman, who died in 1988, also was active in organized numismatics, serving on the ANA Board of Governors at one time and attending many coin shows over the years.

David Alexander stopped just short of settling upon a single Numismatist of the Century. He made it clear, however, that Wayte Raymond, a top dealer and publisher from the 1930s into the 1950s, would be among his finalists -- and might very well be his ultimate selection.

"Wayte Raymond," he said, "was one of the all-time great coin dealers. Besides that, he was the godfather of quality numismatic publishing in this century: His catalogs of U.S. coins and coins of the world were outstanding.

"He would be an unknown in terms of the general public perception of people now living, but he had an enormous seminal effect on the whole hobby at a time when he was doing a job that nobody else even thought to do -- namely, quality publishing which did not return a profit but launched a tremendous surge of interest and activity in numismatics."

Raymond was a major New York City coin dealer for decades before his death in 1957. His Standard Catalogue of United States Coins & Tokens has been described as the Red Book of its day, and he issued world coin catalogs as well. He also published The Coin Collector's Journal, a leading periodical of the time -- and, for good measure, he designed and sold the popular National Coin Albums.

"This guy," Alexander declared, "was one of those primordial forces that we just don't have anymore."

Margo Russell elected not to pick a single Numismatist of the Century. She did, however, come up with a yardstick before compiling a list of leading candidates.

"I went to Webster," she said. "Even though I have my own definition of 'numismatist' in my head, I wanted to see what the dictionary says.

"According to Webster, a numismatist is 'a specialist in or collector of coins, medals, paper money, etc.' And then I added my own ingredient: dissemination of knowledge, which I think is so important. With that as a guideline, I then made up my list."

Bowers and Yeoman both made Russell's list. Her other selections and comments were as follows:

• Josiah K. Lilly and Louis Eliasberg Sr. "They spent their lives assembling nearly complete U.S. coin collections."
• Walter Breen. "A brilliant numismatic researcher, author and cataloger who occupies a unique niche as a numismatic authority."
• Eric P. Newman. "He has devoted his life to prolific scholarly numismatic investigations and shares his findings in a series of important books and papers on both coinage and paper money."
• Dr. Vladimir and Elvira Clain-Stefanelli. "They created the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, including transfer of the United States Mint material."
• Edward T. Newell. "He presided over the American Numismatic Society during its important growth years (1916-1941) and gave thousands of Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins to the society."

Q. David Bowers didn't choose one person as Numismatist of the Century, but did have two co-nominees as "showmen of the century."

"The two numismatic showmen of the century," Bowers said, "were Farran Zerbe and B. Max Mehl. They promoted numismatics in somewhat different ways, but both were major figures in expanding public interest in the hobby.

"Zerbe became interested in merchandising coins in the early years of the century, and got the concession to sell the commemorative gold dollars at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. He later distributed the commemorative coins for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. And he put together a Moneys of the World exhibit, which he set up at banks and eventually sold to the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. Zerbe did a lot in the hinterlands, beating the bushes to stir up interest in coins.

"B. Max Mehl, who started in 1903, was a mail-order par excellence and tended to stay at home. But, like Zerbe, he was a promoter -- the only difference being that he did his promoting through ads in Sunday supplements and commercials on the radio. Mehl was the one who called the 1804 dollar 'The King of American Coins.' He liked to use superlatives, and he did a terrific job of getting out the word to the general public. I guess you could call him the numismatic equivalent of P.T. Barnum -- and I mean that in a very nice sense."

In the area of numismatic scholarship, Bowers' two top picks were Walter Breen and John J. Ford Jr.

"In numismatic research," he said, "I think by any accounting Walter Breen is the person who devoted his life most completely to the arcane or esoteric aspects of coins, often merging them with philosophy and surrealism and politics and classic studies and everything else that his multi-cellular mind could come up with. In the process, he brought to the front a lot of numismatic research, a lot of information from the archives that hadn't been known before. Beyond that, he went on to analyze and come up with ideas and tie things in, such as minting procedures and the like. Walter definitely is very high on the list as one of the most important people in the century.

"John Ford put out what I consider to be the first really historically authoritative United States coin auction catalogs," Bowers went on. "The catalogs he prepared for New Netherlands Coin Co. of New York City, starting in the early 1950s, were the first to list not only the name, rank and serial number of the coins, so to speak -- that is, the date, mint mark and grade -- but also information about their history. John introduced a lot of people, including me, to numismatic research, and I think the coin business, especially the coin auction business, is much different today because of John."

Although he, too, opted not to place any single person at the apex of his list, Bob Julian made it clear that fellow researcher Breen would rank very close to the top.

"I would put Walter in the first rank," Julian said. "He was a scholar with enormous numismatic knowledge who wrote important books and disseminated information widely. Are his reference works flawed? Yes -- but so are everybody else's. In the long term, the great mass of things he wrote and published provided a tremendously valuable basis for other people."

Chester L. Krause, founder of Numismatic News and the now-sprawling Krause Publications empire, also gets high marks from Julian.

"Chet Krause is a collector -- and a good one," he remarked. "I don't think most people know that, but he is; he's a very strong collector. He's a publisher, of course, and a very important one. And he's also a scholar and researcher; although he doesn't get credit for it, he was heavily involved in the early days in writing those standard catalogs that Krause put out.

"He's a very important figure on the numismatic scene, and has been one for a long period. Obviously, Krause Publications has had a great influence on the hobby -- and if it hadn't been for Chet, it wouldn't have happened. So he belongs in the very first rank."

Echoing Margo Russell, Julian also cited two numismatic scholars closely identified with the ANS -- Eric P. Newman and Edward T. Newell.

"Eric Newman belongs in the first rank," he said, "because he's a well-known collector, a well-known writer and a well-known researcher and scholar. He also has been a benefactor to numerous hobby organizations, particularly the ANS, and has been very active in organized numismatics.

"Edward Newell was an outstanding scholar and collector who did enormous work, almost all in the ancient field. I'd count him first-rank because of his exceptional knowledge and ability, as well as his collecting and writing. He had a superb collection and a superb library, and he supported the ANS with both money and personal involvement. I give him very high marks."

Complete Lists

After careful reflection, Clifford Mishler came up with a list of 10 individuals who, in his opinion, have done the most to advance the coin hobby during the 20th century.

Although he placed R.S. Yeoman in the No. 1 position, Mishler elected not to rank the others in any particular order.

"I would put Q. David Bowers on my Top 10 list," Mishler said, "just because of his great way with the word as far as the hobby is concerned.

"I certainly would put B. Max Mehl on the list because of all of the exposure that he gave the concept of coin collecting.

"I would put Wayte Raymond on my list because he did so much to popularize the hobby through his catalogs and albums, in addition to simply selling coins.

"Obviously, I would put Chet Krause on the list because of his pioneering efforts in many areas of the hobby.

"I would probably include Louis Eliasberg because of the publicity his collection had for many years when that collection was active.

"I guess I would put Farran Zerbe on the list for all his promotional efforts in the early years of this century, in addition to his involvement with the ANA.

"I would put Walter Breen on my list because of his many research efforts. He had serious personal problems, it's true, but I think you have to separate the personal side of the man from the numismatic side.

"I would probably put Abe Kosoff on my list, because he played such a prominent role in the transition from the old days to the modern days of the today. [Kosoff was a longtime coin dealer, first in New York City and later in Southern California. He also was a founder of the PNG, co-editor of the ANA grading guide and a popular columnist.]

"For my tenth pick, I would choose Bob Julian. In a quiet and unobtrusive way, Bob has probably been responsible for more true scholarship in this field than anyone else, including Walter Breen."

Donn Pearlman had no trouble selecting Q. David Bowers to be No. 1 on his list. But he found the going rougher after that, and acknowledged that it's difficult to pick just a few nominees from among so many candidates.

"There have been a number of individual collectors with great accomplishments, and some of them certainly would rank among the greatest numismatists of the century," Pearlman said.

"On one end of the spectrum, you had someone like Virgil Brand, who was really an accumulator but nonetheless acquired many major rarities. Brand had over 300,000 coins, but didn't seem to have a method to his collecting. On the other extreme was Louis Eliasberg Sr., who set out to collect one of everything made by the U.S. Mint and accomplished his goal.

"There also have been researchers who belong on such a list," Pearlman went on, "and in that category I would include Walter Breen and William H. Sheldon.

"Despite Walter Breen's problems in his personal life, he certainly would have to be among the top 10 in considering the Numismatist of the Century. His research was simply that important. Unfortunately, his problems outside of numismatics have in retrospect overshadowed much of the work he did for the hobby.

"Dr. Sheldon's area of interest and involvement was rather narrowly defined, compared to some of the others we're considering on the list. But certainly he was a major force in a very popular area of collecting -- namely, early coppers. He had a narrow focus, but a significant focus, so he'd have to be considered as one of the major contributors to 20th- century numismatics. The gist of his theory was appropriated by others in formulating the 1-to-70 grading scale for investment-type coins, which is certainly far afield from the way he used it himself. Then again, the Nobel Peace Prize is named for someone who earned his fortune making dynamite."

Yet another category with important candidates, Pearlman suggested, is that of popularizers and promoters -- and in this group, he paid special tribute to B. Max Mehl, with honorable mention to R.S. Yeoman.

"Mehl deserves great credit," he said, "for creating widespread public awareness of coins. He gave a tremendous boost to the commercial side of numismatics through his advertisements offering to buy 1913 Liberty nickels. He had an ulterior motive, of course; this was a way to sell his literature and his coin-buying lists. But, in the process, he gave rare coins enormous exposure.

"Dick Yeoman promoted the hobby in a very different way; his was an educational role, even though it had a commercial aspect. But he, too, spread the story of numismatics far and wide."

Scott Travers went back to the first half of the century in naming B. Max Mehl to top his list. But he plucked yet another of his top nominees right from the current scene by entering the name of David Hall, the well-known California coin dealer who founded the Professional Coin Grading Service in 1986 and continues to run the company today.

"I'd have to put David Hall on my list," Travers said. "Just as Max Mehl changed the industry in the 1930s and set its course for future generations, David Hall is a modern pioneer and century man -- and he probably has set the course of the industry for the NEXT century with his innovations at PCGS. He's probably the single most powerful person in the coin field today -- and looking ahead to the new millennium, you'd have to say David Hall belongs on any list of the most important people in numismatics."

Bowers, too, made special mention of Hall.

"Without doubt, David Hall belongs on any list of Numismatists of the Century," he said, "because he reinvented the grading system and introduced the encapsulation of certified coins. This was the equivalent of changing from the horse and buggy to the automobile. Some people say it's a good change, some people say it isn't. But irregardless of how you view it, David Hall's enthusiasm and innovations and those of his associates formed a turning point in numismatics as we know it now, and profoundly influenced it in a manner that nobody could ever have envisioned."

Travers also cited A.M. "Art" Kagin, an old-time dealer who goes back to Mehl's time but is still active today in the generation where Hall and PCGS loom so large.

"Art Kagin has been a dealer for well over half a century -- and a very important dealer, at that," Travers said. "The sheer numbers of coins that have passed through his hands are almost beyond reckoning. As a true old-time dealer, he has worked with some of the greatest collectors of the century, and that kind of experience can't be overestimated. His name recognition is unchallengeable, and he has cultivated a great many collectors with his irreverent, irascible humor."

Fellow-panelists Julian, Pearlman and Russell likewise deserve strong consideration, Travers said.

"Bob Julian," he said, "is really a pioneer. He's an all-around century man, and he's also a contradiction in terms -- an unorthodox yet conventional researcher. Bob has probably made more headway into the archives of the Smithsonian and the U.S. Mint than any other researcher. He's a walking encyclopedia of early research data on U.S. coinage, and I consider him an irreplaceable jewel on the numismatic crown.

"Donn Pearlman has wrought dramatic changes in the public perception of modern coin collecting. He has probably done more in the last half-decade to change the way the coin field promotes itself than the industry as a whole did for itself in the entire century up to that time. He has cultivated contacts with editors and publishers and producers across the country and throughout the world, familiarized coin dealers with how to deal with the media and given the public at large a well-balanced view of both the perils and pitfalls of coin collecting.

"Margo Russell has shaped the lives of many numismatists. Her influence has been widespread, elegant and, in many cases, understated. She has pointed the way for many aspiring numismatists, many of whom became established numismatists -- including me."

David Alexander's list includes several figures from the earlier years of the century. In addition to Wayte Raymond, Alexander also went back in time to nominate Thomas Elder, a major New York City coin dealer; Joseph and Morton Stack, patriarchs of the New York family coin firm that remains an important force today; and Col. Edward Green, a flamboyant collector whose heyday was the 1930s and '40s.

"Thomas Elder was certainly one of the most influential professional numismatists of the century," Alexander declared. "He was not only a major dealer in coins but also a prolific issuer of medals: He issued more private medals than any other American that ever lived. He also participated vigorously in numismatic debates of his day, such as the removal of the letters V.D.B. from the Lincoln cent. He was a multifaceted man whose dimensions in the hobby were truly awesome.

"Joseph B. and Morton Stack were leaders in the formulation of modern coin auction practice. They helped to create the mold -- the now generally accepted manner of cataloging and conducting multifaceted numismatic auctions.

"Col. Edward Green was eccentric, even by our standards, and he was also colorful. At the same time, he was a major collector whose very flamboyance made him loom even larger in his time. His ownership of all five 1913 Liberty Head nickels and the publicity he generated for those coins served to add further romance to their tale and thereby advance public interest in the hobby."

More recently, Alexander said, special recognition is due to pioneers in the numismatic publishing field, notably J. Oliver Amos, founder of Coin World, and Chet Krause.

"J. Oliver Amos was neither a collector nor a dealer," he observed, "but he certainly had an impact -- and a positive one -- on the hobby as the man who introduced Coin World and served for many years as its publisher. Chester Krause did likewise with Numismatic News. Who has had more influence in shaping the development of the numismatic world, as we know it today, than these pioneer publishers."

Like others on the panel, Alexander paid tribute to B. Max Mehl.

"If there was ever a popularizer of coin collecting, it had to be Max Mehl," he said. "Some found him obstreperous, but he did marvelous things. Mehl was certainly not a scholar, not a profound, learned individual, but he was a major mover -- a man who did more to popularize the buying of coins than anybody else in that part of the century. He had this incredible ability to filter awareness of coins into the minds of the most unlikely people through the popular media.

"A few years ago," he continued, "William H. Sheldon surely would have been named on such a list. He has fallen into disfavor because of adverse publicity, and some regard him now much like Benedict Arnold or Judas Iscariot. But you can't overlook his importance in the field of early American coppers, both as a collector and as author of Penny Whimsy -- and as the developer of the Sheldon scale of numbers from 1 to 70, which ironically forms the basis of the grading system today for investment coins, a field totally foreign to this man who was consumed with pure collecting."

Others on the Lists

Though prominent collectors did turn up on all of the lists, they tended to be mentioned in a subordinate way, lower in the rankings than movers and shakers. To some extent, this seemed to reflect a feeling that merely collecting coins -- even in a superlative way -- is somewhat one-dimensional and doesn't advance the hobby as much as more broadly directed pursuits such as writing, publishing and even conducting research.

One major collector whose name did appear on several panelists' lists -- more for such other pursuits than for his fine collection--was John Jay Pittman.

"John Pittman was a marvelous numismatist who collected privately and quietly," Bowers said. "He had a connoisseur's eye in an era when very few people did. But at the same time, he had a public persona as a speaker and an ANA official and on a selective basis as an exhibitor. John kept his aces in his vest pocket and wouldn't show them; he liked to maintain some mystique. But in his day, he was undoubtedly the most traveled collector in existence. When it came to visiting coin shows or foreign mints or being Johnny-on-the-spot, literally and figuratively, John was always there."

Bowers' various auction firms have handled some of the most important coin collections ever assembled, and he has strong impressions of the people who put them together. Here are some of his thoughts on these great collectors, in the context of their inclusion among the Numismatists of the Century:

"Virgil Brand probably out-collected anyone in his era. He had all the money he needed to buy anything he saw, and he also was a consummate student who ate, slept and breathed coins -- probably to the detriment of anything else he may have done in his life. He was a very intelligent man, a very kind man and certainly the super-collector of his era."

"Louis Eliasberg Sr. did something no one else has ever done before or since: He put together a complete collection of all U.S. coins, including date and mint mark. That alone would earn him a high place as one of the greatest numismatists of the century. But he also gets high marks for making his collection available for exhibits, including one at the Smithsonian which probably was seen by more than a million people -- making it the biggest numismatic exhibit in the history of the world."

"Emery May Norweb combined a great amount of grace and savoir-faire with numismatic smarts. She was a real lady, but she was also a first-rate collector in a hobby that was -- and is -- dominated by men. She knew what she wanted and went after it with a connoisseur's eye."

Turning from collectors to dealers, Bowers went all the way back to the turn of the 20th century to expand his list with the names of the Chapman brothers, who operated flourishing coin businesses -- both together and separately -- during that era in Philadelphia and New York City.

"Henry and S. Hudson Chapman actually straddled the 19th and 20th centuries," Bowers said. "They started in business in 1878 and their glory days continued until 1921, when the Jenks Sale took place. But when this century started, they were riding the crest of the coin business. They were THE auctioneers of choice, and their sales were among the most important of that era. Their partnership ended in 1906, and after that they went their own ways, but they continued to be successes in their own right. They were very important figures in the early years of this century."

Edward C. Rochette was serving at the time of the survey in an acting capacity as executive vice president of the ANA. Some members of the panel believe he deserves a more permanent spot, however -- on the list of the century's greatest numismatists.

"Ed Rochette was executive director of the ANA for 20 years, probably during the most pivotal period of that organization's existence," Bowers said. "Prior to Ed Rochette, the ANA was operated pretty much out of one person's briefcase -- that of Lewis M. Reagan of Wichita, Kansas -- and it was loosely knit. Under Ed's guidance, the ANA set down roots in its home and headquarters in Colorado Springs and instituted major new programs, such as the ANA Summer Seminars. I think by any accounting, Ed deserves high marks for all these things."

Mishler agrees. "For whatever good the American Numismatic Association has been to the numismatic fraternity over the past 35 years," he said, "Ed has been the most important element of the ANA. Lord knows what the ANA would be today if it wasn't for him." Mishler himself was nominated for the list because of his long service as an editor and executive at Krause Publications, his co-authorship (with Chet Krause) of the Standard Catalog of World Coins, his espousal of hobby causes in Washington and his active participation in organized numismatics.

"Cliff Mishler has made an outstanding contribution to the hobby for many years," Julian said. "On top of everything else, he's a dedicated collector -- and a very good one."

Are there other candidates for the list?

Plenty.

Researchers Don Taxay, Carl W.A. Carlson and Arlie Slabaugh ... paper-money specialist Gene Hessler ... coin dealers David Akers and Harry J. Forman ... medal and token expert George Fuld ... collector-philanthropist Harry Bass ... "Red Book" editor Kenneth E. Bressett ... COINage publisher James L. Miller -- all were cited by one of more members of the panel.

Some of the panelists mentioned coin designers such as James Earle Fraser and his wife, Laura Gardin Fraser ... Victor David Brenner ... Augustus Saint-Gaudens ... and Adolph A. Weinman. These gifted artists gave Americans some of their loveliest coins.

Likewise, chief engravers from the U.S. Mint made some lists, with Frank Gasparro and Elizabeth Jones setting the pace.

One panelist cited President Theodore Roosevelt -- who, after all, was the person most responsible for bringing about dramatic improvement in U.S. coinage art during the first two decades of the century.

How would your list differ? Would you have included someone -- or ones -- that we missed?

Write and let us know. If enough people do, we just may revisit this subject in a future issue of COINage or future Coin Universe posting.

After all, we get to pick a Numismatist of the Century only once every 100 years.