EDWIN VINCENT PAUL QUAGLIANA (1921-2007)

The Winter 2024 edition of The Asylum had my article, “An Incomplete Listing of Coin Columnists.” I got a note mentioning one who had been overlooked.

Edwin Vincent Paul Quagliana was born in Farnham, New York, on April 19, 1921, the son of Charles Quagliana (1881-1966) and Bertha Maud Robinson (1890-1975). Charles was a canning factory foreman.

At Albion High School, class of 1939, Edwin was a football player, president of the camera club and editor of the Clarion-Echo weekly.

In 1940 he entered Hamilton College and played tackle on their football team. His schooling was interrupted when he was drafted in 1942. He served briefly in the Coast Artillery and received a medical discharge.

After military service, he was employed by Bell Aircraft Corp. In 1946 he worked for the frozen foods division of Birdseye.

He was married to Anne Marie Brunetti (1921-2004) in Albion, New York, on October 15, 1946. They had three children: Peter, Joan and Mary.

Quagliana was employed as a bacteriologist with Genesee Brewing Co. in Rochester. He returned to school part-time and received a B. S. from The University of Rochester in 1959. Later he was employed with Eastman Kodak Co as an analytical chemist in their industrial laboratory.

Ed joined the ANA in July 1962 as ANA member R-45954.

Quagliana was an active member of The Rochester Numismatic Association in the 1950s. He was elected treasurer in 1959 and president for 1962-63. He appears on one of their presidential medals. Later he was club curator 1963-66. He was an advisor for the Rochester Junior Numismatic Association and named an honorary life member.

Quagliana was hired by The Franklin Mint in 1972 as public relations and sales representative. He was named director of collector relations in 1980. He attended eastern coin shows and made many public appearances promoting the company. He retired in 1982.

Quagliana held several offices with local and regional numismatic organizations. In 1974 he was named by the ANA as Outstanding Adult Advisor of the Young Numismatists. In 1983-85 he was first vice president and in 1986-88 he was elected president of the Great Eastern Numismatic Association. He was also president of the Philadelphia Coin Club in 1985, and the Empire State club. In 1985 he was named a Numismatic News Numismatic Ambassador. In the lates 1990s he was a promoter for the West Chester Coin Club.

Quagliana served on the board for the Token and Medal Society (TAMS) twice. He collected medals of distinguished Italian Americans.

In the early 1990s, Ed contributed a coin column to the Daily Local News of West Chester, Pennsylvania. He also attended the local coin club. One star-struck young numismatist attending was John Kraljevich. That column earned Ed the 1993 NLG Maurice M. Gould Memorial Award.

He wrote a weekly coin column. “Youth in Numismatics,” for Coin World beginning in 1974. He also had a column in Suburban and Wayne Times that received an NLG award in 1988.

In 2000 he was named The Outstanding Numismatist in Central Pennsylvania nominated by the West Chester Coin Club.

Ed died in Albion, New York, on May 21, 2007. He is buried with Anne in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Albion.

Selections from his library were sold at auction by Frank and Laurese Katen on February 1, 1986.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web