Last week Charles Foster was mentioned in the article about Ray Williamson and M. W.Hanchett. This week Foster gets his turn for an article. In 1949, he made a bold prediction aboutSheldon grading.

Foster was born at Monte Vista, Colorado, on May 16, 1907. He was the son of CharlesWorchester Foster (1877-1918) and Anna Pearl Rankin Foster (1879-1928).

He was married in Monroe, New York, to Katherine Griswald Wallace (1907-1980). on April 5,1928. They had a son and a daughter.

Foster joined the American Numismatic Association on June 1, 1930, as member 3723. Hesubmitted a paper at the 1930 ANA Convention which was published in the December 1930issue of The Numismatist. In 1931, Paul M. Lange of Rochester resigned as ANA Librarian. Atthe time the ANA cabinets were at the Rochester Museum. Charles W. Foster had been amember for less than a year when he was appointed to take Lange's place and served asLibrarian and Curator from 1931 to 1937. He was also the librarian for the RochesterNumismatic Association. In 1947 he converted to ANA life membership as LM-171.

Foster was employed as an electrical engineer with Eastman Kodak Company and StrombergCarlson. He retired about 1950.

In 1932 he assisted with the formation of the Syracuse Numismatic Association. He was a founder ofthe Empire State Numismatic Association, club secretary, past president, show promoter andnewsletter editor. In 1961, they named their best-in-show exhibit award for Foster.

Foster served as president of the Rochester Numismatic Association in 1934. The RNA honoredhim with the 23rd in their series of annual medals. He made frequent presentations and exhibits atclub meetings. In 1957 the club gave him an honorary life membership.

He was author of A Historical Arrangement of United States Commemorative Coins in 1936.Issue price was $1.00 and 5000 copies were published by the Rochester Museum of Arts andSciences.

Foster can be added to the list of those who placed exhibits at public places. In 1943 he exhibitedcolonial paper money at a local bank. He also showed Civil War tokens and Confederatecurrency at the Brighton branch of the public library.

In 1944 he sent out Christmas cards with an image of an 1833 $5 note of Howard Banking Co, ofBoston. It had a picture of Santa and reindeer. (Does any E-Sylum reader have an example toshare?)

Foster conducted a mail auction on November 5, 1949. The first 395 lots were presented intraditional format. This was followed by an offering of United States large cents. Theintroduction included these comments:

Raymond H. Williamson mentioned the Foster sale in an article in Penny-Wise in 1981. Hecommented, "I am particularly aware of this one inasmuch as I did the cataloguing for CharlesFoster." Thus the "prominent young Cent Collector" mentioned by Foster was forty days olderthan Foster.

During this time, Foster lived in Rushville, New York, (Population 465) and Williamson lived inSyracuse.

Foster suffered a heart attack around 1950 and retired from his regular job to become a coindealer. He was known as "The Suitcase Dealer." He offered "Suitcase Specials" in his fixed pricelists during 1950 to 1956 and ads in The Numismatist and The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine.

Foster had an extensive collection of American coins, foreign coins and currency. This wasincluded in the Federal Coin Exchange auction October 13, 1956. The second part of the sale,dated October 16 1956, featured the Foster collection. Some of the items I noted were anuncirculated Washington Roman Head cent, a gold Norse-American medal, a high-grade U. S.type set, his reference collection of Lesher dollars, lots 1230 through 1287 and Bryan Money lots1304 through lot 1378.

Foster died at home on December 26, 1959. He is buried with his wife at Overackers Cemeteryin Middlesex, New York.

Charles William Foster, Jr. (1828-1904) was Governor of Ohio 1880 to 1884 and U. S. Secretaryof the Treasury 1893 to 1894. He was the great-great grandson of Ebenezer Foster (1710-1769).Charles Worchester Foster (1907-1959), the coin dealer, was the great-great-great-great grandsonof Ebenezer Foster (1710-1769).Where else but The E-Sylum could you get that obscure piece of numismatic trivia?

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MILTON WALDO HANCHETT (1822-1904)(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n15a15.html)