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The E-Sylum: Volume 11, Number 36, September 7, 2008, Article 11

ON PHARMACIST-NUMISMATISTS

In last week's item about collector Will Neil, I asked who could name three other numismatists whose profession was pharmacy. Why three? I dunno - I just made that part up, but figured there MUST be AT LEAST three. -Editor
Nick Graver writes:
Pharmacist-numismatists would have to start with fellow Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society member Chick Ambrass.
As an E-Sylum reader, Chick Ambrass was one of my picks. Any other pharmacists among us? Nick also correctly picked former American Numismatic Association President Alden Scott Boyer. -Editor
Pete Smith writes:
I have an unfair advantage. I have a copy of my book, American Numismatic Biographies in digital format. It is quite easy to search for the term pharmacist or pharmacy. These six people owned, operated or worked in pharmacies:

  • Alden Scott Boyer
  • Robert Coulton Davis
  • Lewis Feuchtwanger
  • George Francis Heath
  • Henry H. Leiter
  • William Elliot Woodward
I realize Lewis Feuchtwanger and Henry Leiter were not numismatists, but they are in ANB. Another former pharmacist in ANB that I didn't mention is Hubert Humphrey.


David Gladfelter and Joe Boling both suggested Byron Johnson. He isn't in Pete's American Numismatic Biographies. Should he be? I asked Joe Boling for more background on Byron and he writes:
Byron was a pharmacist by trade and an avid and omnivorous collector. His collection was sold by Bowers and Merena 26-28 Jan 1989. There is a biography of him in the catalog. The catalog does not say when he was an ANA governor, nor when he was ANA chief judge, but I know the former was while I was living in Seattle 1971-76, and the latter was sometime after that. His library was bought by Tom Sheehan.

From reading the bio for Byron, I see that another numispharmacist was B. F. Miles.


Showoff John N. Lupia III writes:
I can name nine:
  • Robert Coulton Davis (1813-1888),
  • Georg(e) Ludwig Ulex (d. 1883)
  • William Forrester Dunham (1857-1936) ANA member no. 361
  • Isaac Hands Gibbs, charter member of the ANS in 1858.
  • Isaac John Greenwood, resident member of the ANS since January 12, 1859.
  • William Elliot Woodward, coin dealer
  • Harlow Elliot Woodward (1851-), son of William Elliot Woodward, who was not only a druggist in Boston but continued his father's business trading as W. E. Woodward Company, at 40 Bromfield Street, Boston, Massachusetts until about 1895.
  • Alfred Bower Taylor(1824-1898), 1015 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. An apothecary who manufactured bottled perfumes and toilet waters. He was a founder and served as the recording Secretary of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia.
  • Dr. S. J. Caswell, MD (1847-), 616 George Street, Rockford, Illinois. ANA member no. 417




Kolbe 2008007-27






Wayne Homren, Editor

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