Stack’s Bowers Galleries Announces Retirement of Legendary Numismatist Q. David Bowers

Costa Mesa, CA – After over seven decades in the hobby, Stack’s Bowers Galleries announces the well-deserved retirement of founder Q. David Bowers. Since the 1950s, numismatics has benefitted immensely from Dave’s unsurpassed expertise, deep passion, and enthusiastic involvement in the coin hobby. There is not a single collector, dealer, or numismatic organization that does not know the name Q. David Bowers, understand the significance of his career, and appreciate his enormous contributions to numismatics. Brian Kendrella, Stack's Bowers Galleries president, stated: “Dave has greatly impacted numismatics over the past seven decades and will continue to do so for many years to come. He has been a wonderful mentor to many of us, and his leadership and guidance have been invaluable. We wish Dave the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

Greg Roberts, CEO of Stack’s Bowers Galleries, said, “Dave has been a colleague and mentor to me for over 40 years. He is a true numismatic genius and friend. I wish him the very best in this next chapter.”

Dave became interested in numismatics as a teenager in 1953, collecting Lincoln cents and putting them in a Whitman folder. Soon his interests widened, and he expanded his collection, earning money to pay for it by becoming a “vest pocket dealer” in 1954. The rest is history! In 1955, Dave attended his first American Numismatic Association Convention and issued his first printed catalog with coins illustrated and for sale. This set the trend for hundreds of other publications to come. In 1957, he formed the Rittenhouse Society with others interested in research – Eric P. Newman, Ken Rendell, Dick Johnson, Walter Breen, Ken Bressett, and George Fuld; the society continues with annual meetings today.

“Even though it has been my job for over 70 years, I have truly felt that I have never worked a day in my life. It has given me great joy to have served many clubs and professional organizations and to have written countless books and columns that shared my love for this great pursuit,” remarked Dave. “Even for someone who enjoys writing as much as I do and has rarely been at a loss for words, it is difficult to express how much I’ve loved every minute of it.”

In 1964, Dave Bowers published his first book, Coins and Collectors, which became an overnight success and was reprinted, eventually selling tens of thousands of copies nationwide. This set the stage for over 70 books Dave would write, including The History of United States Coinage (for the Johns Hopkins University); Virgil Brand: The Man and His Era; Abe Kosoff: Dean of Numismatics; Louis E. Eliasberg: King of Coins; The Norweb Collection: An American Legacy; the three-volume History of the American Numismatic Association; the two-volume Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia; Commemorative Coins of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia; American Coin Treasures and Hoards; Adventures with Rare Coins; More Adventures with Rare Coins; The Treasure Ship S.S. Brother Jonathan; A California Gold Rush History Featuring the Treasure from the S.S. Central America; The Treasure Ship S.S New York; America’s Greatest Treasure Ship: The S.S. Central America, The Second Treasure-Finding Journey; the Whitman Encyclopedia of United States Paper Money, a long list of Whitman Publishing Company books (including the Bowers series which focused on numerous collecting specialties), and many more. Along the way, Dave won more “Book of the Year” awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild than any other author in history.

Dave supervised the handling of many important collections, as well as the research, writing, and production of the catalogs, presenting them, again earning more awards and distinctions such as “Catalog of the Year” than has any other. The list of famed collections showcased by Dave and his firms is long and spans his 70+ year career. The Garrett Collection was sold from 1979 to 1981, while the 1980s also saw sales that included important coins from the Virgil Brand Collection and the collection of Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb. In 1982, Dave and his company were chosen to handle the gold portion of the Eliasberg Collection, while sales in 1996 and 1997 featured the copper and silver portions, with the world gold coins being presented in the early 21st century. In a series of sales in the late 1990s, Dave’s firm brought the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection to the market, and the 1999 auction of the Childs Collection included an 1804 dollar, which sold for over $4 million, a world record price for any coin at the time. Dave has always been passionate about all facets of bringing a collection to market, from numismatic writing and research through marketing and final presentation, and even as an auctioneer on the podium.

Aside from his successful business ventures, Dave served as president of the Professional Numismatist Guild from 1977 to 1979 and president of the American Numismatic Association from 1983 to 1985. He was a numismatic director for Whitman Publications, LLC, and the research editor for The Guide Book of United States Coins, the most used price reference in American numismatics. Dave served as selectman for his adopted home town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, from 2010 to 2021, and wrote and published three volumes of the History of Wolfeboro.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the many friends who made up our staff over the years,” commented Dave. “Some have unfortunately passed away, but many are still carrying the numismatic torch at Stack’s Bowers Galleries. My hope is that my enthusiasm has been contagious, and they are enjoying this work as much as I did. I am forever grateful for their work ethic, friendship and camaraderie.”

Dave can be contacted through the Wolfeboro office by sending a letter to him at SBG, PO Box 1804, Wolfeboro, NH  03894, or by email to ckarstedt@stacksbowers.com or abowers@stacksbowers.com.