Numismatic Bibliomania Society cofounder and U.S. numismatic literature dealer George Kolbe has passed. His partners David & Maria Fanning published this announcement yesterday. -Editor

I was saddened to hear this news, but also glad to have been able to meet and know a giant in our field of numismatic literature. My first American Numismatic Association convention was the 1980 Cincinnati show where I attended a crowded presentation by bibliophile John J. Ford Jr., an event sponsored by the newly-formed NBS. Along with my local Pittsburgh friend John Burns, that event and my subsequent membership in NBS ignited my lifelong interest in numismatic literature.

Over the years I looked forward to meeting George at major coin shows and visiting him at his home in Crestline, CA. on a few occasions. One time while in L.A. for a business conference George organized a wonderful evening with NBS co-founder Jack Collins and fellow literature dealer John Bergman. And while returning from our Hawaiian honeymoon in 1997, my bride Dee and I visited George and his wife and later toured around the Lake Arrowhead area. I believe the last time we got together in person was at the NBS tour of Dan Hamelberg's library in 2019.

I reached out by email in early January. He said all was well, and regarding my recent Kolbe & Fanning consignment he wrote, "Very nice library. I bid on several lots - bought 1 or 2." I can't think of a nicer thing for a bibliophile to hear, from the nicest and most knowledgeable bibliophile of our time. That made my day. Curious, I just had to ask what he'd bought, and he wrote, 'A Hickcox and 1 or 2 others." My original 1858 copy of John H. Hickcox's An Historical Account of American Coinage had been a dream acquisition for my library, and one of my favorites. It was great to know George also appreciated its significance. That made my day all over again. Our last exchange was in March when I forwarded him a draft of an E-Sylum piece about Bonanza Press, a small California-based publisher that published numerous numismatic books in the early to mid 1970's.

Here's more information from the 2019 announcement of his ANA Lifetime Achievement Award. -Editor

"It is hard to comprehend the loss of George Kolbe, and we will feel the impact of his absence for a long time. Simply put, George is one of the reasons we are all here today doing what we do. Numismatic literature was an afterthought for many years, with miscellaneous accumulations appearing here and there, and only the occasional offering of something more significant, such as the 1967 New Netherlands sale (no. 59) of the F.C.C. Boyd library. George changed all that by dedicating his professional career to the discipline, a bold bet that said to the collecting world, the literature of this hobby is compelling in its own right, and I'm going to prove it. Prove it he did, with a long string of publications filled with scholarship and pearls of amusement for the careful reader. Only a toothpick and a piece of cheese are needed, he wryly observed of one volume, with overly tight binding that suggested its use as a mousetrap.

"George, along with Jack Collins, spearheaded the formation of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society with an informal gathering at the 1979 ANA convention, followed by the publication of the first issue of The Asylum in 1980. The NBS provided a platform for researchers and collectors to explore the world of numismatic literature and to create the social connections that greatly enhance the collector experience. Today, the forty-plus years of The Asylum back issues provide a wide-ranging view of the field while at the same time delivering original research on more targeted topics. This is what we call multiplying – although George was necessarily occupied with a commercial enterprise, he understood the importance of setting the stage so that others could contribute to the scholarship of the field.

"We are drawn into collecting by the artifacts themselves, but over time we understand that the greatest value of the hobby is not its history or objects, but the fellow travelers we come to know in our journey. George was ever generous with his knowledge, but more importantly he was one of the people who brought me into the circle, and for that I will be ever grateful. In 2017, David and Maria Fanning published a tribute to George, Fifty Years of Numismatic Bookselling. Such tributes tend to arrive after someone passes, but we can be thankful that George was able to hear firsthand from those fellow travelers whose lives he impacted. Here's hoping that we can make the same sentiments known to all those who are similarly close to us."

"Sorry for the news that George Kolbe has passed away. I was a customer from the very start. I purchased an item with the invoice number 2. Also many items from his auctions. The numismatic literature world will miss him."

"George brought class and brilliance to numismatics. He was a giving person, always happy to share knowledge, generous in sharing his time with all who asked. I warmly remember times with him and John Bergman, another great person we lost too soon, and listening to them go back and forth about literature and stories of the past. We are all fortunate he passed the baton to David Fanning, who has been nothing less than amazing as our leading numismatic bibliophile."

"George was one of the greats in the hobby. I well remember the treacherous drive up to his mountain lair - which sounds like it should be for an evil villain! But instead it was to examine books that were in his current auctions, and often I had the chance to buy things that hadn't received any bids for whatever the opening price was set at. George and Jack Collins were instrumental in getting me interested in numismatic literature, and it is sad that both are now gone."

"I'm so sorry to hear this. He was so knowledgeable and friendly over the 50 years I knew him. I had a few wonderful visits to him in the mountains."

"We were very saddened to hear of the recent passing of George F. Kolbe in a post from his numismatic bookseller partner David Fanning. The passing of this numismatic auctioneer and bookseller is a great loss for our hobby. George started his business in 1967 and in 2010 joined David Fanning and the firm name was Kolbe and Fanning. George retired from the firm in 2023. David and his wife Maria carry on the name Kolbe and Fanning.

"George was one of the best auctioneer / booksellers who ever lived. He was also an author, speaker, researcher and exhibitor. He was very honest and well respected in the industry. George set up at many conventions, had auctions and price lists for the many years he had his own business. This trend continued when he joined with David Fanning. From when he had his own firm and later along with David Fanning, they sold many famous numismatic collectors' libraries. We are happy to have just about all their auction catalogs in our library.

"We have known all auction or bookseller firms that were in business since 1969. Most of them are now out of business. George was in the top one percent of all of them who were ever in business. We don't think anyone knew more about numismatic books then George did. He could answer any question on any numismatic book that was in existence. When our paths crossed, we always had cordial and friendly conversations.

"George received the ANA Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 1995 and in 2016 their Lifetime Achievement Award. He belonged to many important coin club and was a life member of the ANA and a Fellow of the American Numismatic Society. In 2005 he received their Trustees' Award. In 1979 George and Jack Collins formed the Numismatic Bibliomania Society which continues today, https://www.coinbooks.org/. We have great memories of George and send our love and prayers to his family."

"I can't begin to count the number of times that I have looked up information in George's catalogs, or relied on it to buy a book or write a story. He kept in touch by phone and email, always helpful and kind. He regularly published his own research, once taking up nearly an entire issue of The Asylum (quarterly journal of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society) with a story about the library of Martin Folkes.

"In retirement, George founded another literary organization, the Attinelli Fellowship, named in honor of publisher of the first American numismatic bibliography. Its purpose is social, and its annual dinners are where bibliophiles from all over gather to talk about literature important to them, and to have a fun time.

"Let me commend to all George's 2012 volume, The Reference Library of a Numismatic Bookseller, and his firm's 2019 illustrated catalog of the sale at auction of that reference library. I collect people as well as books, and I am touched by the kind inscription George wrote in my copy of his book. In the catalog is my favorite photo of George holding an artistically bound copy of that book. Let's just say that he is radiating joy. It's contagious.

"Go well, George."

"When George published his library volume 13 years ago his cover letter to me noted we are both fortunate to have been around when a small window of opportunity opened to allow us to do exactly what we wanted. Far too humble and I would add that George built that window and then opened it for several of us. His contributions to numismatics cannot be measured."

"The passing of George Frederick Kolbe is a great loss to the numismatic fraternity. He helped make learning about the hobby easier for all current collectors. I say this as someone who started collecting numismatic literature by 1960. George and I became friends because of the founding of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. At the time I was already a friend of his friend co-founder of the society Jack Collins.

"I cannot even remember when I first met George, but do remember that he used to issue catalogs of numismatic literature under the name G. Frederick Kolbe. Because of this, when we first spoke to each other he went by George Kolbe I would call him G. Frederick.

"George became one of the few people I ever shared rooms with at ANA conventions (to save money!). When I went on a family trip to visit one of my childhood friends in L.A. in the early 1990's, George invited me, my wife and daughter to visit him and his wife Linda in Crestline. We spent a wonderful day and stayed overnight at the house that was pictured on the cover on one of his auction catalogues.

"I will miss my many calls with George that continued until his untimely passing. We talked about our families, trips we took, but always ended with a what is new in numismatics question.

"George was lucky to have been married to two wonderful women. After the passing of Linda, he married Betty who spent some wonderful times with him and was there for him at the end.

For me a friend has passed but for numismatics George was thoughtful enough to make sure his legacy lives on through the Numismatic Bibliomania Society and his numismatic literature company, now known as Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers."

"When I started seriously collecting numismatic literature in 1982, George Frederick Kolbe was America's leading numismatic bookseller. Over the decades following, George helped me build a respectable numismatic library. He assured the continuation of his great firm by bringing David Fanning into partnership in 2010, and continued to be a mentor for us all. Even after he retired a couple of years ago, he still served, as the French would say, as an eminence gris for the entire hobby. I cannot remember a time in numismatic bibliomania without him, and going forward without his immense presence seems unthinkable. A fond farewell to a pioneer, advisor, scholar, friend, and master of the bon mot, numismatic and otherwise."

George always referred to The E-Sylum as "The Big E." Here are some related images and articles we've published over the years. -Editor