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?" A follow-up statement was included: "There is nothing like the alliance of kindred pursuits to stimulate growth and interest."
On October 7 and October 8, 1891, five men—Heath, William G. Jerrems, David Harlowe, J.A. Heckelman and John Brydon—holding 26 proxies, met in Chicago and with 61 charter members. The result was the founding of the American Numismatic Association. Since that meeting in October 1891, the American Numismatic Association has expanded to become the largest non-profit numismatic organization of its kind in the world. Heath then introduced the idea of a numismatic convention, where members could make personal contact with other numismatists. The first meeting was held in 1891. From then, it was hosted annually until 1895, and then in 1901 and 1904. After the 1907 convention in Columbus, Ohio, it was decided to hold annual meetings thereafter.
On June 16, 1908, Dr. Heath suddenly died. Farran Zerbe, then president, assumed the task of editing and publishing THE NUMISMATIST, and soon purchased the publication from Heath's heirs. In 1911, through the generosity of W.C.C. Wilson of Montreal, Canada, THE NUMISMATIST was purchased from Zerbe and presented to the ANA and since that period, the magazine has been owned and published monthly by the ANA.
National prominence was attained by the Association on May 9, 1912, when the Association was granted a Federal Charter, signed by President William H. Taft. An amendment to make the Charter permanent and allow for a larger Board of Governors was introduced in 1962. This was presented by Congressman Wilbur Mills and Senator John L. McClellan, both of Arkansas. This amendment was passed by Congress and signed by President John F. Kennedy on April 10, 1962.
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“History has neither the venerableness of antiquity, nor the freshness of the modern. It does as if it would go to the beginning of things, which natural history might with reason assume to do; but consider the Universal History, and then tell us,—when did burdock and plantain sprout first?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“When the coherence of the parts of a stone, or even that composition of parts which renders it extended; when these familiar objects, I say, are so inexplicable, and contain circumstances so repugnant and contradictory; with what assurance can we decide concerning the origin of worlds, or trace their history from eternity to eternity?”
—David Hume (1711–1776)