Newman Portal Launches Numismatic Notables

Newman Portal announces a new video series, Numismatic Notables, produced by Lianna Spurrier, which will feature interviews with important personalities in the field of numismatics. Our first interviewee, John Adams, was interviewed by Len Augsburger and Joel Orosz on February 19, 2021, and brings a lifetime of collecting experiences beginning with David Bullowa, the Philadelphia dealer, and continuing to the present day. Along the way Adams has written a number of now-standard works including United States Numismatic Literature (vols. I-II), Comitia Americana and Related Medals, and Medallic Portraits of Admiral Vernon.

Adams reflects on numismatic characters of all stripes, including John Ford, Doug Smith, William Sheldon, and others. Adams was the only person to ever confront Sheldon on the matter of the large cents stolen from the American Numismatic Society, a conversation recounted by Adams in this interview. Adams has played a leadership role in many numismatic organizations and opines on the role of institutions within numismatics, including the American Numismatic Society and Massachusetts Historical Society. Adams is further active in the Medal Collectors of America and the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, and offers thoughts on the importance of social engagement within the collector community.

Link to Numismatic Notables: John Adams on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/599709