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Kenneth Bressett

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Kenneth Bressett
Bressett at the 2022 National Money Show
Born (1928-10-05) October 5, 1928 (age 96)
Keene, New Hampshire, U.S.
Occupation(s)Numismatist, author
Years active1947-present

Kenneth Edward Bressett (born October 5, 1928)[1] is an American numismatist. He has actively promoted the study and hobby of numismatics for over 75 years. His published works on the subject cover a wide range of topics and extend from short articles to standard reference books on such diverse areas as ancient coins, paper money, British coins and United States coins.

Career

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Early Career (1937-1955)

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Throughout his career he has worked as an author, editor and publisher of books and products for coin collectors.

Bressett first became interested in coins in 1937[2] when his neighbor gave him a coin each from China and Belgium. He began collecting coins in earnest while he was a clerk in a grocery store in 1943 and through high school. Bressett attended Dresser Business School in 1947[1] and later studied graphic arts at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the American Numismatic Association in 1947 and attended their convention in Boston the following year. From 1949 until 1959 Bressett worked as a printer and compositor for Sentinel Publishing Company.[1] In 1950, he organized the first coin club in New Hampshire.[3] Between 1948-51 he served in the New Hampshire National Guard.[4]

In the 1950s, he began photographing coins, including the 1804 dollar, several coins from the collection of Louis E. Eliasberg, and many large cents used by William Herbert Sheldon in Penny Whimsy. During that time, he discovered 12 new varieties of colonial coins.[5]

The Red Book and Middle Career (1956-2002)

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Bressett began free-lance editorial work on Red Book in 1956. He went to work for Richard S. Yeoman at Whitman Publishing in Racine in 1959.[6] He wrote several books while at the publishing house and in 1962 became the editor of the Whitman Red Book and Blue Book.[7] From 1964 to 1968 Bressett was the Editor and Publisher of the Whitman Numismatic Journal.[8] In 1971, following Yeoman’s retirement, he became editor of the Red Book. In 1976, he wrote a variety catalog of Vermont coppers, where he introduced the Bressett numbering system for the series. This system is still the standard for the series today.[9]

From 1986-2002, he wrote the column “Consumer Alert” for the ANA’s magazine The Numismatist.[10] Bressett was on the American Numismatic Association Board of Governors from 1989 to 1994, serving as Vice President and then as President from 1995 to 1997.[1][11] During his time as president, he wrote a monthly column for The Numismatist.

Bressett coined the term "double die" to refer to the 1955 doubled die cent.[12][13]

Post-Red Book Work (2018-present)

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Bressett retired from full-time editing in 2018 and is now listed as “editor emeritus”.[14] In 2021, he released A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book, an in-depth look at the history behind A Guide Book of United States Coins.[15]

In March 2022, Bressett released a new book, Bible Lore and the Eternal Flame.[16] At the National Money Show in Colorado Springs that same month, his collection of ancient and British coins was auctioned off.[17] He celebrated his 75th (Diamond) anniversary as a member of the ANA in September 2022.[18]

In March 2024, Bressett launched a new monthly column for the American Numismatic Association's website, called "Money Musings".[19][20]

Other Numismatic Work

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Bressett worked as a consultant for the F. Newell Childs collection that later sold at auction for over $8 million.[21]

In 1966, he was appointed to the U.S. Assay Commission by President Lyndon B. Johnson,[22] and in 1996 was made a member of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee.[8] He served on the commission from 1996 to 2003, and promoted the 50 State Quarters program.[23]

He first taught at the ANA Summer Seminar in 1975, where he has also taught the subject to hundreds of students through courses at Colorado College and other places. In 1980, Bressett left Whitman to work for A. M. Kagin in Des Moines, Iowa. From 1982 to 1988 he worked at ANA as Director of ANACS. In 1986, he dove with Mel Fisher in Florida for the treasure of the sunken Nuestra Señora de Atocha.[2] From 1983 to 1988 he also served as Director of Coin Authentication and Educational Programs for the American Numismatic Association.

Numismatic Ambassador

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For several years, he promoted the Peace 2000 project around the world.[24]

Awards and honors

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Bressett has received numerous awards in recognition of his service and dedication to numismatics, including election to the National Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1996[25] the American Numismatic Association Medal of Merit, and the 1998 Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award (jointly awarded to both him and his wife Bert).[22] He received a Clemy Award from the Numismatic Literary Guild in 1983, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, was named Numismatist of the Year in 2004, received the American Numismatic Society’s Distinguished Service Award in 2016, and the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award for Numismatic Writing in 2018.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Red Book, Whitman Publishing created a silver dollar-sized medal featuring Bressett and R.S. Yeoman that was included with a commemorative edition of the 2006 Red Book. The medal was limited to 500 pieces in nickel-silver, included in a Red Book-style envelope. Bressett received a unique .900 fine gold example at the 2006 World’s Fair of Money in Denver.

In 2010, the American Numismatic Association named one of their Young Numismatist Literary Awards after Bressett, where articles submitted by people ages 18-22 can win awards and numismatic books.[26]

In 2021, he was named one of the "Top 10" in Coin World's "Celebrating 60: The Most Influential People in Numismatics 1960-2020".[27]

Books written or edited

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  • Money of the Bible
  • Let's Collect Coins
  • Basics of Coin Grading for U.S. Coin
  • Buying and Selling United States Coins
  • United States Coin Price Trends
  • Collectible American Coins
  • Collecting U.S. Coins
  • The Fantastic 1804 Dollar
  • A Guide Book of English Coins
  • Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins
  • A Guide Book of United States Coins
  • The Handbook of United States Coins
  • Guide Book of United States Currency
  • Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins
  • Whitman Guide to Coin Collecting: An Introduction to the World of Coins
  • Milestone Coins: A Pageant of the World's Most Significant and Popular Money

Personal life

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In 1950 he married Bertha "Bert" Britton. They had four children, Philip (1951), Richard (1954-2020) and Mary (1955) and Mark[28] before her death in 2012.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Kenneth Edward Bressett - Biography". wustl.edu. EPNNES & Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b Roach, Steve. "Editor's Q&A: Ken Bressett has done it all in the world of numismatics". Coin World. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Bressett, Kenneth (December 1995). "From Your President". The Numismatist. 108 (12): 1446.
  4. ^ Bressett, Kenneth (2021). A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book. Pelham, Alabama: Whitman Publishing. p. 227.
  5. ^ Bressett, Kenneth (2021). A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book. Pelham, Alabama: Whitman Publishing. p. 231.
  6. ^ Garrett, Jeff. "Ten Questions for Numismatic Legend, Ken Bressett". CoinWeek.com. Coin Week. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  7. ^ "Kenneth Bressett named first Editor Emeritus of the Red Book". expo.whitman.com. Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Bressett, Kenneth". PPLD.org. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Vermont Coppers 1785-1788: Introduction". coins.nd.edu. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. ^ Bressett, Kenneth (2021). A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book. Pelham, Alabama: Whitman Publishing. p. 287.
  11. ^ "ANA PRESIDENTS 1891 TO THE PRESENT". Money.org. American Numismatic Association. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. ^ Bowers, Q. David. "HURRICANE DIANE AND THE 1955 DOUBLED DIE CENT". coinbooks.org. The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ^ Roach, Steve. "Market Analysis: MS-65+ 1955 Lincoln, Doubled Die Obverse cent brings $124,875". coinworld.com. Amos Media Company. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Jeff Garrett Pays Tribute to Kenneth Bressett "Red Book" Editor Emeritus". Whitman.com. Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "R.S. YEOMAN AND HIS REMARKABLE RED BOOK". coinbooks.org. The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  16. ^ Bulfinch, Chris. "Ken Bressett to meet and greet at ANA National Money Show". coinworld.com. Amos Media Company. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  17. ^ "CNG Brings Bressett Collection to Auction at ANA Money Show". coinweek.com. CoinWeek, LLC. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  18. ^ "ANA Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Kenneth Bressett's Membership". ngccoin.com. Numismatic Guaranty Company. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  19. ^ "The American Numismatic Association Teams Up with Numismatic Legend Ken Bressett for Monthly Reading Room Column". money.org. USCoinNews. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  20. ^ Bressett, Ken. "Money Musings". readingroom.money.org. The Reading Room. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  21. ^ Stack’s Bowers. "Classic US Coins – The Sultan of Muscat-Watters-Brand-Childs-Pogue 1804 Dollar". Coinweek.com. CoinWeek, LLC. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  22. ^ a b "NGC Licenses Official Red Book Logo for Labels; Ken Bressett to Autograph". NGCcoin.com. Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  23. ^ "2001 Annual Report" (PDF). USMint.gov. United States Mint. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  24. ^ Bressett, Kenneth. "Peace 2000 Worldwide Program Articles and Ephemera File". archive.org. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  25. ^ "Numismatic Hall of Fame Past Inductees". American Numismatic Association. American Numismatic Association. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  26. ^ "New Categories and Prizes Announced for ANA YN Literary Awards". money.org. American Numismatic Association. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  27. ^ Coin World: Celebrating 60-The Most Influential People in Numismatics 1960-2020. Amos Media (Coin World). 2021. p. 77.
  28. ^ Bressett, Kenneth (2021). A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book. Pelham, Alabama: Whitman Publishing. p. 225.
  29. ^ "Bertha Bressett Obituary". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved August 26, 2018.

Sources

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  • The Guide Book on the Official Red Book of US Coins, by Frank J. Colletti, 2009, Whitman Publishing.
  • The Guide Book of United States Coins, 2011, Whitman Publishing and Ken Bressett as provided.
  • The Handbook of United States Coins.
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