NOW Articles Written By Members

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Is There A Twenty Cent Piece We Can Add To A Collection

Capped Bust Half Dollars: A Numismatic Legacy

U.S. Innovation Dollars: Our Most Under-Collected Coin?

My 2023 ANA Summer Seminar Adventure

An Icon Goes On

In defense of the American Women's Quarters

A look back in numismatic history – the Hicksville Silver Dollar Hoard

The proofs so few of us collect: Jefferson Nickels

A look back in numismatic history – a story too good to be true

Kilroy promotes war bond sales

Just passing through a short-lived bank

Influence of our Inductors

NOW Convention Medals

What’s in a Name?

The Kewaunee Line Encased Coin Folder

Walhalla

Aug. Ziesemer - Maverick

Lyman C. Draper: Collector, Historian, Genealogist

Troubled Journey

 

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Former United States Assay Commissioner, Numismatic author, NOW President, and NOW NEWS Editor Larry Spanbauer passed away on September 4th at the age of 75. He was born on November 1, 1942 in Oshkosh, WI and lived there his entire life.

Larry was one of the leading counterfeit experts in the 1970’s. In 1975 he self-published the book, ‘Colonial Copies, Private Mint Replicas, Modern Counterfeits of United States Coins’. He wrote the “Focusing on Fakes” column for Numismatic News (1976 – 1978). In 1976 he was appointed to the United States Assay Commission by President Gerald Ford. In 1979 he and co-author Virgil Hancock wrote the ‘Standard Catalog of United States Altered and Counterfeit Coins’, published by Durst. The first catalog of its type and very useful for the time, however, Larry became disenchanted with the publisher and the process and he ultimately retreated from the hobby. He became a leading scholar and memorabilia expert of Oshkosh, Wisconsin history.

Larry’s interest in numismatics started in 1967 when his grandmother showed him her large accumulation of old coins. He went on to serve as president of both the Oshkosh Coin Club and the Numismatists of Wisconsin, also as the editor of our quarterly magazine, NOW NEWS. During the early seventies he turned his interest from genuine United States coins to the spurious variety, selling or trading most of his genuine coin collection to obtain the counterfeit pieces necessary to help facilitate the publishing of his first book.

I became acquainted with Larry perhaps 20 years ago when we would see each other at the annual Oshkosh Coin Show. I began helping set up the shows and Larry would occasionally set up a display of Oshkosh memorabilia, sometimes non-numismatic, but his tables were always fascinating for Oshkosh residents. Larry loved to educate people about the town’s past.

In 2012 he wrote the book ‘Oshkosh Neighborhood Taverns’ and in 2015 he wrote a book about the ‘Oshkosh Cigar Industry’, and he set up a four-table display on the subject at the coin show, including piles of wooden cigar boxes from the 1800’s. Some of the cigar company’s owners were prominent Oshkosh businessmen that had their hands in other projects that struck tokens for various reasons – these tokens were also on display to tie in the numismatic angle.

At the 2016 show, Larry set up a display commemorating the 40th anniversary of the last Assay Commission, of which he was a member. There were his letters of appointment, photos, documents of recognition, and of course his medal. Again, his tables were inundated with interested people. Larry was understandably proud of his appointment.

I was lucky enough to collaborate with Larry on a number of small articles for NOW NEWS, and he would occasionally call me when he had an interesting piece to perhaps write about. I enjoyed going over to his home and spending hours looking over his meticulously arranged and organized notebooks, articles, documents, coins, and tokens. A couple years back he decided to part with most of the coins and tokens, simply putting them in a rummage sale. He afforded me the chance to get first dibs on a number of items which I hold dear.

Larry was just a super-nice, genuine man of integrity, generosity, and spirit, and he will be sorely missed. -Jeff Reichenberger

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