DAVID LANGE'S NUMISMATIC LEGACY

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V26 2023 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 26, Number 11, March 12, 2023, Article 15

Jeff Burke submitted this article on the late Dave Lange. Thank you. -Editor

David Lange was a longtime ANA Summer Seminar instructor. I first met Lange at the 2011 Summer Seminar one day at breakfast, and enjoyed a number of conversations over meals with him as the week progressed. I was intrigued to learn that he had worked as a design drafter for Pacific Gas and Electric Company for fourteen years before being hired at NGC. I also liked hearing about how much pleasure he took in assembling circulated coins from the Indian Head cent, Lincoln cent, Buffalo nickel, Mercury dime, and Liberty Walking half dollar series to have a coin collection like the one that he had in childhood.

It was quite a thrill to talk with David about some of his books I had read, including his History of the United States Mint and Its Coinage, The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents, The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels, and The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes! Lange's books were of tremendous help to me in selecting key date coins to purchase in these series, and my copies of them are filled with underlined sections and notations.

Fast forward to twelve years later. Our January 16, 2023 New Jersey Numismatic Society (NJNS) meeting at Library of the Chathams began with a sad note when Dr. Michael Fey told us that David Lange had passed away earlier that day. Michael and David had become friends when David moved from California to New Jersey in 1994, to start a position as Director of Research at NGC. David helped Michael develop a passion for collecting Philippine coins. Lange joined the NJNS in 1995, serving as the organization's Secretary from 1997 to 2000 and President in 2000 to 2001. Lange received the Charles F. Nettleship Award for Service to the NJNS in 2001. He relocated to Florida in 2004 when NGC moved to Sarasota.

Recently, from October 2021 to July 2022, David had joined our NJNS monthly meetings by Zoom and relished showing us his latest U.S. type coin acquisitions during show-and-tell. Lange was having so much fun and expressed tremendous satisfaction in being able to acquire high grade U.S. type pieces, mint state U.K. selections, and coins that he always coveted during childhood! David gave intriguing presentations on The Similarities and Differences of U.S. and U.K. Coinage at our October 2021 meeting and The Case for Variety Attribution in Certified Grading at our November 2021 gathering. Lange also gave us updates on his passion for coin board collecting. Fortunately, I had also read his Coin Collecting Boards of the 1930s & 1940s, so I was familiar with the lingo of that numismatic specialty.

I remember David Lange as a kind, thoughtful, humble, and brilliant numismatic researcher, writer, and author. He had a rare ability to share his passions for coins and coin boards in a straightforward, infectious way that enabled numismatists to delight in learning more about our hobby. He will be missed.