David W. Lange was a popular writer and friendly face at the NGC table during the ANAconventions. He was born in San Francisco on August 29. 1958. He graduated from San MateoCollege and was employed as a senior design drafter for Pacific Gas and Electric from 1980 to1994.

Dave began collecting coins in 1965 and was active with numismatic organizations in the BayArea. He served as president of the Liberty Numismatic Society and the Pacific CoastNumismatic Society in 1988 to 1989. Later he was president of the California State NumismaticSociety 1993 to 1994. In 1994 he served on (Maintain and Improve a NumismaticTreasure) which was a mayor's committee to save the old San Francisco Mint Museum. Inaddition to collecting U.S. coins series, he collected coinage of the Philippines and wrote thatchapter for the Red Book.

He wrote articles for the local clubs and was editor for The Bulletin of the Pacific CoastNumismatic Society for 1984 to 1986 and editor for The Journal of the Pacific Coast NumismaticSociety 1986 to 1988. He contributed a column on during 1984 to 1992.In 1994 he moved to New Jersey to take a position as director of research for NGC. He served aspresident of the New Jersey Numismatic Society during 2000 to 2001. He moved with thecompany to Sarasota, Florida.

He married Alba Iris Acosta on August 18, 2001. They issued a commemorative token statingthat they were married in Parsippany, New Jersey. The actual location was Mountain Lake, NewJersey. The Patrick Mint struck 1000 of the tokens. Later 99 remainders were slabbed by NGC.The couple was divorced in 2012.

Articles in The Numismatist caught the attention of editor Barbara Gregory who recruited Langeto write a regular column for The Numismatist, His column ran from February1988 to December 1989, followed by January 1990 to December 1992.After a break he returned with during April 1996 to June 2002 and from July 2002 until August 2022. He also contributed occasionally to the column.

Dave was an instructor at the ANA Summer Seminar for several years teaching a course on

Lange wrote ten books on numismatic topics.

Lange's special interest was in coin boards, folders and albums and the people who producedthem. He formed a publishing company, PennyBoard Press™ to publish a series of books.

He also published a quarterly newsletter, Coin Board News.

Lange received honors from several numismatic organizations. He was named a NumismaticNews Numismatic Ambassador in 1994. The ANA presented their Lifetime Achievement Award to him in 2009. He was named the ANA Numismatist of the Year in 2017. In 2017 NGC issued a sample slab congratulating David on the award. The Numismatic Literary Guild awarded him their highest honor, The Clemy Award in 2018.

He was on the Coin World list of The Most Influential People in Numismatics 1960-2020 and again in 2022. He was a member of The Rittenhouse Society and Mensa.

Lange had a bout with cancer that he survived but was unable to survive a reoccurrence. He wasin hospice care and died at home in Bradenton, Florida, on January 16, 2023.

Lange was one of the world's leading coin experts, an author of numerous books, a recipient of some of the highest honors in numismatics and an integral member of the NGC team.

Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) is deeply saddened by the passing of its longtime Research Director, David W. Lange. One of the world's leading experts on coinage, he passed away on Monday, January 16, 2023, following a battle with cancer.

"Dave was a talented numismatic researcher and writer, with a great wit," said Mark Salzberg, Chairman of the Certified Collectibles Group. "There aren't many who could stand next to him in his field, and we are endlessly fortunate that he chose to work at NGC. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy that not only touches the NGC family but the entire numismatic community."

"Dave was the quintessential numismatist, and he was one of those rare individuals who could express his incredibly vast and comprehensive knowledge eloquently via the spoken or written word," commented Rick Montgomery, NGC President and Finalizer. "His body of work will be referenced for years to come, and his legacy will be found in the dedication and passion discovered in those works. His was a talent that will be sorely missed in numismatics."

"Fortunately, Dave gave us a large corpus of articles and books both to remember him and to learn from. Even when writing about technical matters, his writing is so elegant and fluid as to seem effortless. This was due to a combination of his natural talent and his true mastery of the subject," said Scott Schechter, NGC Chief Numismatist and Finalizer. "When re-reading his works, those of us who knew him personally get the extra benefit of hearing, in his own voice, snippets of his sharp wit and clever humor judiciously peppered throughout. He made a great contribution to US numismatics and left a legacy that will surely grow."

"I had the good fortune of working with Dave for over 20 years. He loved good conversation, and we all loved his stories and witty humor - Yes, he could be very funny!," said David Camire, NCS President and NGC Finalizer. "Professionally, he was in a league of his own, an extremely knowledgeable and prolific writer who contributed greatly to numismatics. Dave was a good friend, whom I will miss."

"Though he was a towering figure in numismatics, I especially cherished Dave Lange as a person," shared David Vagi, NGC Ancients Director and Finalizer. "He was caring, honest, generous, hard-working and fun. His sense of humor was tremendous and will be sorely missed. We are fortunate that Dave loved coins and that he dedicated his professional life to them, for our field is greatly enriched by his many and lasting contributions."

To read the complete article, see:
In Memoriam: David W. Lange, NGC Research Director(https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/11191/david-lange-memoriam/)

George Kolbe writes:

Bob Van Ryzin writes:

American Numismatic Association Executive Director Kim Kiick writes:

Newman Numismatic Portal Project Coordinator Len Augsburger writes:

John and Nancy Wilson write:

Numismatist David McCarthy said,

Doug Plasencia has worked alongside David at NGC since 2011. He looks back at his friend with great fondness.

CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan worked with David on a number of issues, including the Numismatic Literary Guild's (NLG) annual writer's competition. Charles remembers that David was someone whose work mostly flew under the radar.

To read a CoinWeek article, see:
Numismatist David W. Lange Has Passed Away(https://coinweek.com/people-in-the-news/in-memoriam/numismatist-david-w-lange-has-passed-away/)

To read a COIN World article, see:
David W. Lange, 64, dies following struggle with cancer(https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/david-w-lange-64-dies-following-struggle-with-cancer)