2026 ANA LITERARY AWARD WINNERS

The American Numismatic Association's (ANA) 2026 literary awards – recognizing articles published in the 2025 volume of its official magazine, The Numismatist – were presented during the Member Awards and Donor Celebration at the Pittsburgh World's Fair of Money® on August 27. The Numismatist was launched by ANA founder and first editor Dr. George F. Heath in 1888. This year marks its 139th volume.

The Heath Literary Award, introduced in 1949, acknowledges outstanding articles published in the preceding 12 months.

• First place goes to William Eckberg for "Pattern Enigma" (November 2025). The author will receive $250, an engraved nickel-silver medal, and a certificate.
• Russ Bega earned second place ($100, an engraved bronze medal, and a certificate) for "Counterfeit, He Wrote" (August 2025).
• In third place (engraved bronze medal and a certificate) is David Schenkman for "The Greenduck Story" (February 2025).

The Wayte and Olga Raymond Memorial Literary Award, endowed in 1978 by the late John J. Ford Jr., is presented for articles that display original and comprehensive research in U.S. numismatics.

• William R. Eckberg received first place ($400 and a certificate) for "Silver Center Cents" (January 2025).
• Second place ($200 and certificate) goes to Joel J. Orosz and Lance Humphries for "A Misattribution Rectified" (December 2025).
• Frank W. Garmon Jr. and Dylan Frederick received third place (certificate) for "Pratt's Perspective: The Art of the Indian Head Gold Pieces" (February 2025).

Founded by an anonymous donor, the Catherine Sheehan Literary Award for Paper Money Studies includes $50 and a certificate for first place.

• David D. Gladfelter took the top prize for "Back Talk: Comments Found on the Flip Side of New Jersey Obsolete Notes" (March 2025).
• Second place (certificate) goes to Rick Melamed for "Fractional Imitations" (December 2025).
• Ray Williams received third place (certificate) for "In Search of Ensign Anthony Morris" (April 2025).

The Prue and Arthur Fitts Literary Award for Ancient and Medieval Coinage Studies recognizes literary excellence in those fields.

• Mark Fox received first place ($250 and a plaque) for "For 'New' Ancient Mints" (January 2025).
• Earning second place (certificate) is Benjamin D.R. Hellings for "Total Recall" (March 2025).
• Ken Bressett received third place (certificate) for "Tally Stick Money of Medieval England" (March 2025).

Honorable mentions for this year include "The Redfield Hoard: 50 Years Later" by Jeffrey A. Johnson (November 2025) and "Coinage in Flux: Reconnecting Original & Modern Hobo Nickels" by Jonathan Marker (June 2025).

All feature articles published in The Numismatist automatically are considered for the Heath Literary Award; likewise, all qualifying articles are evaluated for the Raymond, Sheehan, and Fitts Awards. For information about submitting manuscripts for review and possible publication, visit money.org/the-numismatist/submission-guidelines.

2026 Young Numismatist Literary Award Winners The 2026 ANA Young Numismatist (YN) Literary Awards were announced during the ANA's annual Summer Seminar banquets. The three award categories are generously funded by Whitman Publishing and named after authors dedicated to educating the next generation of numismatists.

The Bill Fivaz Young Numismatist Literary Award honors writers who are aged 8 to 12. This year's first place recipient was John Swindling for "The 1975-1976 American Freedom Train and Its Medals." No selections were made for second and third place.

The Q. David Bowers Young Numismatist Literary Award honors writers who are aged 13 to 17. This year's first place recipient was Miles Tichner for "Frauds, Fakes, and Fire: The Incredible Story of the Bank of Weston." Cameron Scheirer placed second with "Beggars' Badges," and Jackson Hancock took third with his paper "The Ottoman Lira: Coinage of a Dying Empire."

The Kenneth E. Bressett Young Numismatist Literary Award is given to writers between the ages of 18 and 22. This year, first place was won by Nate Leonauskas for "The Ancien Régime's Morgan Dollar: The French Écu." Second place was awarded to Rene Alvarenga for "The Young Numismatist: The Next Generation." Mark Edwards received third place for "The Young Collector's Dilemma: Why the Rare Coins Market Needs a New Marketplace, and Why I Built One."

The first-place winners received a $500 cash prize, plus a $500 voucher with which to build a personal library of numismatic books produced by Whitman Publishing. Second- and third-place winners received book vouchers for $200. To learn more about this program, visit money.org/american-numismatic-association-awards.

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