DEAN G. OAKES (1936-2026)

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V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 13, 2026, Article 5

"Dean Oakes, Iowa City, Iowa, has died at the age of 89. Higgins Foundation board member since 1974, and served as president from 1999-2017."

Sorry to hear the news. Here's Pete Smith's entry in his book, American Numismatic Biographies; the photo is courtesy George Cuhaj, who took it at the 2024 Central States show. -Editor

Born in Jefferson in rural Emmet County, Iowa. Graduate of the University of Iowa in 1961. Married to Evelyn Feddersen in 1958. They have two sons and two daughters.

He began collecting coins in 1949. In 1962 he formed A & A Coins, Inc. with Ben Marlenee and Roger Schnittjer. By 1965 he had become sole owner and sold the store in Iowa City in 1978. PNG member 1fter 1966. Oakes bought out Hickman and Waters in 1972. He joined partner John Hickman in 1972 to conduct sales of currency under the name of Hickman-Oakes. They conducted 38 auction sales from 1976 through 1989.

Oakes was a founder of the Iowa City Coin Club. He has served as president of the Iowa Numismatic Association. He served as a governor of SPMC in 1981 to 1999. as treasurer in 1986-1993, vice president 1993 to 1995 and as president 1995 to 1997. He was a board member of the Higgins Foundation after 1974 and president 1999 to 2017.

He collected half cents, large cents, and national bank notes. He had the finest known collection of Iowa obsolete notes. Selections were sold at auction by Lyn Knight in October 2025 and the Dean Oakes Family Collection was sold by Stack's Bowers in February 2026.

He also collected old cars and was the founder of the Antique Car Museum of Iowa.

Author of Iowa Obsolete Notes and Scrip in 1982. It was one of the series published by the SPMC. Author with John Hickman of Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes published in 1982. Co-Author of Standard Guide to Small-Size U.S. Paper Money 1928 to Date. In 2021 he was inducted into the SPMC Hall of Fame.

To read the complete article, see:
Dean Oakes (https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/PersonDetail/1477)

Dean Gordon Oakes was born at Christmastime in 1936. He was raised by Joe and Evelyn Oakes on a farm in rural Emmet county, where he learned to appreciate livestock and the land, and to be capable, thrifty, and resourceful. Dean was always curious, with wide-ranging interests. He was fascinated with history seemingly from birth and collected historical artifacts and stories throughout his entire life. In particular, Dean enjoyed cars. He learned to drive on the "putt-putt" go-cart his father made for him (using a washing machine motor) to travel the two miles to and from his country school, dog trotting alongside. Dean was six.

After high school, Dean attended Iowa State University, where he began dating his high school classmate, Evelyn. They married in 1958 and moved back to rural Iowa to farm for several years before completing their education at the University of Iowa. While at the U, Dean and two friends decided to open a coin shop, which began his second career, as a numismatist. Dean continued to work as a farmer and numismatist throughout his life. But his wide ranging interests, his keen entrepreneurial sense, and his impressive work ethic contributed to success for Dean in a remarkable range of endeavors. He has been the owner of the Oakes Family Century Farm and has been involved in real estate development in Johnson County and elsewhere. He served on the board of the Iowa State Historical Society for decades. He also established the Antique Car Museum of Iowa and is co-founder of the Museum of Money in Okoboji Iowa.

His professional accolades are many, including awards for outstanding contributions to the field of paper money collecting, awards for specific collections, and literary awards for his books about national bank notes. He is a past president of the Iowa Numismatic Association. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Numismatists Guild in 2025 and was admitted to the Society of Paper Money Collectors Hall of Fame in 2021.

However, all who knew him knew the real foundation and center of Dean's life was not his work, but his faith in Jesus Christ and his love and care for his family. He was a three time elder at St. Andrew Presbyterian church. He served on the board of Young Life in Iowa City for many years, and has given generously to support charitable Christian organizations locally and around the world.

He was a man who defied easy categorization. Equally at home in coveralls and business suits, in boardrooms, banks, and barns, Dean enjoyed getting to know people from all walks of life and from anywhere in the world. And while he was a serious and successful businessman, he was a caring and often whimsical husband, father, and grandfather. He loved life, from traveling around the world to walking down the hill to feed Horace, his bull. His children and grandchildren love to tell stories about Dad/Grandpa's latest exploits, and there were always new stories to tell. He was unfailingly generous but also didn't believe in needless waste. No pop can went unretrieved if Dean Oakes saw it. He was comfortable with who he was and acted accordingly. He was a character, in all the best ways one can inhabit that term.

Dean believed in doing work that was useful and interesting, and in working hard. He was known for being honest and fair in his business dealings, seeking to make mutually advantageous deals. He was always self employed, and astounded his medical team when they discovered he was still going to the office or meetings several days a week in his last months of life. Dean refused to tell his trainer at the gym how old he was, lest the trainer think he was less capable than he was. He worked hard to stay active and in shape, and yet when he got sick, he practiced his belief that we should not worry about tomorrow, as scripture advises us, but do our best to enjoy each day we are given.

Dean's growing family has been his greatest joy, especially since he was an only child. He is survived by his much beloved wife of 67 years, Evelyn, and their four children and their spouses.

To read the complete article, see:
Dean Oakes 1936 - 2026 (https://gayandciha.com/tribute/details/5406/Dean-Oakes/obituary.html)

Evelyn, Dean and son Scott Oakes visit with William Jenson at the Krause Publications office in Iola, 1965. Photo courtesy George Cuhaj.

Image courtesy of the Numismatic Portraits formed by Krause Publications at the Iola Historical Society via George Cuhaj

"I am deeply saddened to share that Dean Oakes, a giant in the numismatic community since 1952, has passed away.

"Dean was a dedicated collector, dealer, and student of currency. His collecting interests began in Iowa and expanded to U.S. National Bank Notes, Type Notes, and Small Size currency, and later included Philippine replacements, Panama, and Brazil.

"Generous with his time and expertise, Dean contributed to the Small Size Catalog, the National Banknote Project, The Iowa Obsolete Book, and served for many years with the Higgins Museum and the Iowa Car Museum.

We will see his fingerprints on the world for generations to come."

"I would like to share my favorite Dean story. It goes to the heart of what a consummate gentleman Dean was. In 1987 when the Professional Currency Dealers Association was being formed I asked Dean if he would be one of the founding members, he declined immediately. Several years later, when the PCDA was off to a great start I again invited Dean to join. Again he immediately declined. This time I asked him why, as everyone else involved in currency dealing had joined. Well, one of the founding PCDA members was extremely casual in his dress style and often wore baggy gray sweat shorts to conventions. Dean said that he would never be a part of an organization that had a member who attended shows in his underwear."

"I first met Dean when my wife and I sat with Dean and Evelyn and Austin Sheheen and his wife at the 1971 SPMC breakfast at the Washington ANA show. Despite the fact that I was comparatively new to the hobby, both Dean and Austin were incredibly gracious in their welcome. In the years that followed, in every business transaction between us, we never had reason to disagree. Dean was a true gentleman, in the finest sense of the word, and he will be sorely missed."

"I attended the funeral Friday. Words of heartfelt nostalgia were shared by five or six close lifetime associates. It was very moving... one of my most memorable funeral experiences. In the mail I picked up yesterday morning there was a note and collectible enclosure from Dean, posted on March 18th, and now a forever keepsake!"