The American Numismatic Association (ANA) Dwight N. Manley Library is perhaps the largest numismatic lending library in the world, possessing more than 128,000 books and other items. A rare piece of history was donated to the library at the ANA President’s Reception, which took place during the World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the reception, Margaret Groninger donated her late-husband James G. Groninger’s set of Gerard Van Loon’s Beschryving der Nederlandsche Historipenningen to the ANA library.
Even though it was published all the way back in the first half of the 18th century, the first edition of this four-volume reference set remains a standard for researchers and collectors of Dutch medals. This set covers commemorative medals produced by the Netherlands during the period of 1555 through 1716 and includes a written description of each medal, engraved images, and commentary by Van Loon. Groninger also donated an English translation of the Dutch text by Robert Turfboer.
“Jim Groninger was a consummate student of numismatics from the time he was a paper boy for the Pittsburgh Press,” shared Ms. Groninger. “This sparked his interest in collecting U.S. coins and later broadened to collecting foreign coins, especially those relating to his Dutch heritage and links to Groningen. The study of numismatics was a lifelong passion of Jim’s and he would have been delighted to know that his work will now be available for posterity.”
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The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging the study and collection of coins and related items. The ANA helps its members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of educational and outreach programs, to include its museum, library, publications, conventions and webinars. For more information, call (719) 632-2646 or visit money.org.
