CHARLES WORCHESTER FOSTER (1907-1959)

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 16, 2025, Article 10

E-Sylum Feature Writer and American Numismatic Biographies author Pete Smith submitted this article on Charles W. Foster. Thanks! -Editor

Last week Charles Foster was mentioned in the article about Ray Williamson and M. W. Hanchett. This week Foster gets his turn for an article. In 1949, he made a bold prediction about Sheldon grading.

Foster was born at Monte Vista, Colorado, on May 16, 1907. He was the son of Charles Worchester Foster (1877-1918) and Anna Pearl Rankin Foster (1879-1928).

He was married in Monroe, New York, to Katherine Griswald Wallace (1907-1980). on April 5, 1928. They had a son and a daughter.

Foster joined the American Numismatic Association on June 1, 1930, as member 3723. He submitted a paper at the 1930 ANA Convention which was published in the December 1930 issue of The Numismatist. In 1931, Paul M. Lange of Rochester resigned as ANA Librarian. At the time the ANA cabinets were at the Rochester Museum. Charles W. Foster had been a member for less than a year when he was appointed to take Lange's place and served as Librarian and Curator from 1931 to 1937. He was also the librarian for the Rochester Numismatic Association. In 1947 he converted to ANA life membership as LM-171.

Foster was employed as an electrical engineer with Eastman Kodak Company and Stromberg Carlson. He retired about 1950.

In 1932 he assisted with the formation of the Syracuse Numismatic Association. He was a founder of the Empire State Numismatic Association, club secretary, past president, show promoter and newsletter editor. In 1961, they named their best-in-show exhibit award for Foster.

Foster served as president of the Rochester Numismatic Association in 1934. The RNA honored him with the 23rd in their series of annual medals. He made frequent presentations and exhibits at club meetings. In 1957 the club gave him an honorary life membership.

Historical Arrangement of United States Commemorative Coins book cover

He was author of A Historical Arrangement of United States Commemorative Coins in 1936. Issue price was $1.00 and 5000 copies were published by the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences.

Foster can be added to the list of those who placed exhibits at public places. In 1943 he exhibited colonial paper money at a local bank. He also showed Civil War tokens and Confederate currency at the Brighton branch of the public library.

In 1944 he sent out Christmas cards with an image of an 1833 $5 note of Howard Banking Co, of Boston. It had a picture of Santa and reindeer. (Does any E-Sylum reader have an example to share?)

Foster conducted a mail auction on November 5, 1949. The first 395 lots were presented in traditional format. This was followed by an offering of United States large cents. The introduction included these comments:

"The work was done by a prominent young Cent Collector (who prefers to remain anonymous at this time). He could do it on an impartial basis without prejudice either way, He has used Dr. Sheldon's new work on Large Cents as a basis and has gone beyond it in an effort to arrive at a satisfactory evaluation by a percentagewise discount for blemishes mutilations, etc.

I firmly believe that Sheldon's Method of Quantitative Grading and this method of percentage discounting for blemishes is the coming procedure and sooner or later will be applied to all United States Coins."

Raymond H. Williamson mentioned the Foster sale in an article in Penny-Wise in 1981. He commented, "I am particularly aware of this one inasmuch as I did the cataloguing for Charles Foster." Thus the "prominent young Cent Collector" mentioned by Foster was forty days older than Foster.

During this time, Foster lived in Rushville, New York, (Population 465) and Williamson lived in Syracuse.

Foster suffered a heart attack around 1950 and retired from his regular job to become a coin dealer. He was known as "The Suitcase Dealer." He offered "Suitcase Specials" in his fixed price lists during 1950 to 1956 and ads in The Numismatist and The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine.

Foster had an extensive collection of American coins, foreign coins and currency. This was included in the Federal Coin Exchange auction October 13, 1956. The second part of the sale, dated October 16 1956, featured the Foster collection. Some of the items I noted were an uncirculated Washington Roman Head cent, a gold Norse-American medal, a high-grade U. S. type set, his reference collection of Lesher dollars, lots 1230 through 1287 and Bryan Money lots 1304 through lot 1378.

Foster died at home on December 26, 1959. He is buried with his wife at Overackers Cemetery in Middlesex, New York.

Charles William Foster, Jr. (1828-1904) was Governor of Ohio 1880 to 1884 and U. S. Secretary of the Treasury 1893 to 1894. He was the great-great grandson of Ebenezer Foster (1710-1769). Charles Worchester Foster (1907-1959), the coin dealer, was the great-great-great-great grandson of Ebenezer Foster (1710-1769). Where else but The E-Sylum could you get that obscure piece of numismatic trivia?