DAVID CASSEL WISMER (1857-1949)

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V20 2017 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 20, Number 12, March 19, 2017, Article 13

John Lupia submitted the following information from his Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatic Biographies for this week's installment of his series. Thanks! As always, this is an excerpt with the full article and bibliography available online. This week's subject is Pennsylvania dealer and author D. C. Wismer. -Editor

D.C. Wismer in Numismatist May 1939, 379

David Cassel Wismer (1857-1949), was a second generation American, born at Hilltown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on March 25, 1857, son of Christian Wismer, Jr. (1817-1902), and Mary Cassel Wismer (1814-1903). His great-grandfather Jacob Wiesner Wismer (1684-1787) was born in Germany, came to America with his wife and son Christian Wismer (1771-1852), and died in 1787 at the age of 103 years at Deep Run [Bedminster Township], Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

He applied for membership in the ANA in November 1892, and was ANA Member No. 127 in December 1892.

Ben G Green auctioned some of the D. C. Wismer collection in his 7th mail auction on October 24, 1903.

Wismer Pennsylvania Banknotes title page

From June 1922 to November 1936 he wrote an extensive series of articles "Descriptive List of Obsolete Paper Money," spanning between 1,000 to 1,200 pages, describing 18,721 notes and approximately 700 illustrations of bank notes.

From April 1929 to May 1931, he published a series of articles on New York obsolete paper money in The Numismatist.

In 1948 he was awarded the ANA 50 Year Gold Medal and was awarded Honorary Regular member No. 36.

He was Honorary Life Member No. 26 of the Philadelphia Coin Club, and Fellow No. F-10 of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society.

He died of heart failure on May 31, 1949. He was found dead in bed at his home 23 East Broad Street, Hatfield, Pennsylvania. He was ninety-two years of age. He was survived by his wife Anna and four of their children : Horace Roberts Wismer (1884-1949) of Quakertown; Leroy of Lansdale; Walter Roberts Wismer (1890-1950) of Norristown; and Mrs. Edward Osmun. He was cremated on June 3, 1949, at Chelten Hills Crematory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Wismer Estate sold his collection at auction through New Netherlands 33rd - 36th auction sales, April 13, 1951 - January 26, 1952.

Wismer's multiple works on obsolete paper money were seminal references in their day, and paved the way for the later books published by the Society of Paper Money Collectors, Haxby, and Whitman. He was also a pioneer in writing about Civil War tokens. His Varieties of Dix Civil War Tokens of the Year 1863 (Hatfield: D. C. Wismer, 1922) is rare and important. -Editor

To read the complete article, see:
WISMER, DAVID CASSEL (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/wismer-david-cassel)