Harvey Stack to Participate in Cataloging Stack’s Bowers ANA Rarities Night Auction With Q. David Bowers and David Hall
Stack’s Bowers Galleries announced today that Harvey G. Stack and his son Lawrence R. Stack are coming out of retirement to rejoin the firm now known as Stack’s Bowers Galleries, following a two-year hiatus from professional numismatics. Stack’s Bowers also announced that Harvey Stack, considered to be a numismatic legend, will join with two more titans of the industry, Q. David Bowers, Stack’s Bowers chairman emeritus, and David Hall, president of Collectors Universe, to catalog the ultra high-end Rarities Night Auction, the feature official auction event presented by Stack’s Bowers Galleries at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Chicago this August.
“The value of this addition of Harvey and Larry Stack to the Stack’s Bowers team is simply beyond measure,” said Greg Roberts, CEO of parent corporation Spectrum Group International, Inc. “Harvey’s lifetime of experience has greatly influenced this industry, and he brings with him a remarkable sense of integrity and reliability that further enhance his extraordinary skills. And like his father, Larry was raised in numismatics and learned from the masters of the field, building his own reputation as a specialized leader in the industry.”
Harvey is the son of Morton M. Stack and nephew of Joseph B. Stack, who formed Stack’s rare coin business in 1933, where Harvey worked as a full-time staff member for 62 years, from 1947 until his retirement in 2009 as chief manager of business affairs. During those six decades, Harvey personally conducted more auction sales than anyone in the numismatic industry, and he appraised and cataloged countless numismatic rarities and was responsible for the sale of some of the most spectacular collections in history, such as the Anderson Dupont Collection, the Davis-Graves Collection, and the Harold S. Bareford Collection.
A member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) for more than half a century, Harvey has been a staunch supporter of the organization through the years, including contributing to the building of its Colorado Springs headquarters, which houses the Stack’s Gallery endowed by the family and bearing its name. He was also directly involved with the first ANA Grading Guide and has received the Association’s Medal of Merit, and in 1997 he was named the ANA Numismatist of the Year in recognition of 50 years of service to the coin collecting hobby. Harvey served as president of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) from 1990-91, after serving on its board for more than 10 years, and he effectively defended PNG and the industry from proposed Federal Trade Commission regulations which he felt were inappropriate for responsible professional numismatists. He was honored by his peers with the coveted PNG founders’ award in 1993 and again in 1998 for an unprecedented second time. In addition, Harvey is a Fellow of the American Numismatic Society and an active member of the International Association of Professional Numismatists and Royal Numismatic Society, and he serves as a lifetime member of the prestigious Smithsonian Society.
A venerable advocate for the hobby, Harvey appeared before the Treasury Department in 1967 to assist in the repeal of gold coin import regulations unfairly impacting coin collectors, and in 1973 he was the sole industry representative to appear before Congress advocating passage of the Hobby Protection Act. In 1976 he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Assay Commission, the last sitting of the oldest citizens’ commission which had assured the integrity of the nation’s coinage for nearly two centuries. In 1996, Harvey addressed the U.S. House Banking Committee to propose the State Commemorative Quarters series to enhance the U.S. Coin Commemorative program, help reacquaint the public with American history and geography, and encourage savings, which resulted in what is considered to be the most successful commemorative program in history – when the program ended in 2008, the U.S. Mint estimated that 147 million people were collecting State Quarters.
Larry Stack, Harvey’s son, joined the family firm in 1973, having learned much of the business from his own study, dealing and family experience. He is personally responsible for the development of many important and noteworthy collections and brought several significant collections to Stack’s, including the John J. Ford Jr. Collection, as well as the Dallas Bank Collection, and the world record sale of the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the legendary 1933 St. Gaudens Double Eagle that realized an astonishing $7.59 million (the two latter sales in partnership with Sotheby’s).
An experienced collector, Larry has formed major collections of French Ecus, Five-Franc pieces, and Ecus d’Or, and his in-depth collection of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon coins ranks high among the finest ever assembled. His Renaissance medals collection is now one of the standard reference works for the field. In the U.S. field he is a serious student of U.S. Colonial coins, U.S. Gold, and Type coinage. He is a member of PNG, IAPN, ANA, ANS, The Royal Numismatic Society, British Numismatic Society, and of major U.S. state and regional organizations, including the Central States Numismatic Society (CSNA) and Florida United Numismatists (FUN).
“It is a tremendous honor for Stack’s Bowers Galleries to welcome Harvey and Larry Stack back on the team,” said Chris Napolitano, president. “Their combined knowledge of numismatics is immeasurable, and their history is so rich in the traditions of the hobby. With this momentous addition of Harvey and Larry, alongside Q. David Bowers and our incredible Stack’s Bowers staff, I would say this is one of the most talented and experienced numismatic teams ever assembled.”
Stack’s Bowers Galleries next auctions are the Official Auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo taking place June 13-18, 2011, and the Official Auctions of ANA Chicago World’s Fair of Money and ANA/PNG Pre-Show, scheduled for August 12-20, 2011, with a consignment deadline of June 20 for U.S. material. As a special opportunity, Q. David Bowers, Harvey Stack and David Hall will be reviewing and cataloging the exclusive ANA Rarities Night Auction lots, and providing video discussions of the coins.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a division of Fortune 500 Company Spectrum Group International, Inc., was launched in January 2011, combining the extraordinary histories of Stack’s, the oldest rare coin auction and retail company in America, with Bowers and Merena Auctions, one of the world’s pre-eminent auctioneers of rare coins and paper money. The two companies unite to share a combined legacy that spans more than 100 years, and includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable collections to ever cross an auction block – the John. J. Ford, Jr. and Louis E. Eliasberg collections, the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, and the Norweb Collection, to name just a few. Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the legendary 1933 St. Gaudens Double Eagle which realized an astounding $7.59 million (sold in partnership with Sotheby’s). The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices in New York, New Hampshire and Hong Kong. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including the ANA World’s Fair of Money pre-show and convention auctions, and the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expos in Baltimore, three times yearly, and Philadelphia.
