From a May 17, 2017 email to members of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG):

Harvey Stack writes:

Catherine Bullowa-Moore, a very highly respected Philadelphia coin dealer for six and one-half decades, passed away peacefully May 15, 2017. She was 97 years of age and was originally fromLarchmont, New York. She was likable, charming, engaging and very interested in educating people about the joys of numismatics. She was particularly fond of talking to youngsters about coins becauseshe felt they represented the future of the hobby.

I first met Catherine in 1966, I believe, at a coin show in downtown Chicago. I was a teenager with very little money to spend, and I let her know that. She graciously spent time visiting with meand even let me have a coin on "memo" since I did not have enough money with me to pay for it (at the time I did not even know what "memo" meant!). I was taken aback, since we had just met and didnot really know each other, but she said "that's OK, I trust you." That left an indelible mark and led to a friendship that has endured for more than half a century. She is one of the reasons I am inthis profession today.

After marrying David Bullowa, one of America's premier professional numismatists, Catherine was thrust into the rare coin business when David died unexpectedly in October 1953 after only 1-1/2years of marriage. Although approached by numerous dealers who wanted to purchase the business name and location, Catherine was determined to make a career of it herself. "Determined" is a good wordto describe Catherine. She was independent, strong-willed and extremely capable and was admired by many for having these traits.

She had acquired a love of coins from her late husband and, in his memory, decided to continue the business. Keep in mind that, at the time, there were only a handful of female coin dealers in theentire country so this presented quite a challenge for the young lady who had majored in zoology at Connecticut College.

Catherine loved to read and made good use of David's extensive numismatic library. She studied not only United States coins and currency, but foreign and ancient coins as well. It was not longbefore she was a self-taught expert in several aspects of numismatics.

In 1959, Catherine married Earl E Moore, an autographs and manuscripts specialist. Their union was to last 41 years. They were frequent attendees at coin shows and conventions throughout thecountry and both of them enjoyed the camaraderie and interactions with old friends that these opportunities afforded.

Through the years, Catherine held membership in numerous professional and hobby- related organizations. Among them were the American Numismatic Society (ANS) of which she was a Life Fellow and towhich she contributed generously; the Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) of which she was a Fellow; the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN); the American Numismatic Association(ANA) in which she held Life Membership #355; and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) where she had Senior Member status. She was also a founding member of the Professional Numismatists Guild(PNG), and one of only a handful of individuals to have been given Life Member status (#3) by the organization.

Catherine received many awards and accolades throughout her illustrious career, and one she was quite pleased to receive was the PNG's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. She alsoreceived their Art Kagin Numismatic Ambassador Award in 2013.

One achievement of which she was particularly proud was to have been chosen in 1965 as a member of the United States Assay Commission. Names were submitted by the Director of the Mint to the WhiteHouse where the final choices were made. Members would check random samples of the previous year's coinage for weight and purity and membership in the Commission carried with it a great deal ofprestige. She also was a member of the Old Time Assay Commissioners' Society and enjoyed that immensely.

Catherine's rich legacy and fond memories remain with countless people she has come in contact with throughout her long and illustrious career in numismatics. She will be greatly missed by herfamily, as well as by numerous friends and associates.

Catherine Bullowa was a class act, and a tribute to her profession. She always had time to talk coins with anyone who stopped by, and because of her many years in the profession, she had somefascinating stories to tell.

I recall in one of her many 'CoinHunter' mail bid sales, in June of 1993, she had a significant listing of half dimes (approximately 150 pieces), listed as "Wonder HalfDimes". I was the successful bidder on a few of these coins, particularly an AU-55 1832 LM-6/V11, listed at the time (before publication of the Logan/McCloskey reference) as an R4, and listed asan R6 by Jules Reiver in 1986, and a condition census piece to this day.

I was curious about who might have been the consignor of these half dimes, wondering if they might be remnants of the long-lost Daniel W. Valentine collection. I once asked her who might have beenthe consignor, and being the professional she was, she declined to reveal the consignor's identity. She then asked me why I wanted to know, and I told her that I wondered if they had anyconnection to the Valentine collection. She smiled, and said that she could provide me with some interesting information about the consignor and the Valentine collection.

She said that her late first husband, David Bullowa, knew the consignor well, and the consignor was a friend of Valentines, and they often traded examples of half dimes. She was confident thatsome, perhaps many, of the coins in this consignment, were once owned by Dr. Valentine. She was intrigued by my interest in the history of the coins, and gave me as much information about them as herprofessional ethics would allow. I still have several pages of notes on her comments about the coins and consignor.

I will miss her smiling face, her candor, and her many stories about the history of the hobby. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her. May she rest in peace.

To read the complete discussion thread, see:
Catherine Bullowa Passed Away(https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/981124/catherine-bullowa-passed-away)

The year was 1953 when Catherine E. Bullowa, ASA began the process to become Accredited Senior Appraiser. She had gained a love and admiration for coin collecting from her late husband DavidBullowa who owned a shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When David passed away in 1953, Catherine had a choice: sell the shop or run the business herself. She decided to move forward with both herlove of coins and the memory of David. "I took over. Started. Tried. And it worked! I've been doing it ever since."

Catherine studied at Connecticut College before embarking on her appraising career. And the major? Not one you'd expect. "I was a Zoology major at Connecticut College and graduate din 1941. That'show I knew how to grade coins, from looking at things through a microscope and a magnifying glass."

Her most memorable sale was an unlikely coin she bought off of a collector in 1965. She had purchased the entire collection and sold them off, piece by piece, but for some reason kept one coin. In2004, the coin sold at auction for a little over $1M. "I was ready to faint. I didn't even know how to write a million! But Ron Guth was the auctioneer and he helped me."

Ron Guth writes:

To read the complete articles, see:
A Century of Living History: Catherine Bullowa, ASA (http://www.appraisersnewsroom.org/?p=1113)
Icon of American numismatics passed away(http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/Icon-of-American-numismatics-passed-away/4?&id=4712)

To read the Pogue sale lot description, see: The D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part II Lot #2042(http://old.stacksbowers.com/BrowseAuctions/LotArchive.aspx?AuctionID=6073&Lot=2042)

To read her online obituary, see:
Catherine B. Moore(http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/catherine-moore-obituary?pid=1000000185407800)