THE ENDERS LEGACY

Charles Enders, Jr. and his c1886 Price List

David Enders Tripp corresponded with Eric Newman in 2002. In a December 16, 2002, response, Eric commented, "Your middle name reminded me that you might have numismatic genes in your DNA." At the time, David was not aware of the family connection.

Eric provided a copy of an Enders price list and David provided an old family letter and they both came from 15 Sheriff Street in New York City. In fact, the numismatic DNA runs through at least five generations of the family.

As the first American generation, Charles Enders (1842-1905), the father of Charles Enders, Jr, was not a numismatist. He came to America from Bavaria around the middle of the nineteenth century and settled on a New York fruit farm. He was married to Katherine Schultz (1845-1928). The family lived at 15 Sheriff Street from about 1876 to 1893. Their son Charles was the oldest of fifteen children including two named William, two named Christian, four named George and two named Frank. The reuse of names indicates that six sons died as infants. The 1870 census listed his profession as "Huckster." At the time the term had no negative connotation. It was an appropriate way to describe a fruit peddler.

In the second generation, the biography of Charles Enders, Jr. was published in the August 30 issue of The E-Sylum. Enders was a coin dealer for about a decade.

In the third generation was Howard Crosby Enders (1892-1973). He served with the American Expeditionary Forces in England and France during the First World War. He graduated from Colgate University in 1915. He was a professor of business administration at Rutgers University and sales manager of the Alexander Hamilton Institute, Inc. in New York.

He was married to Ada Beatrice Jursch (1893-1985). They had two children, Ruth and Howard. Howard Crosby Enders was the grandfather of David Enders Tripp.

Howard and Ada had a fourth-generation daughter, actress Ruth Beatrice Enders (1920-1999) who married Paul Tripp (1911-2002). Paul was a film and television actor and writer. He is noted for creating "Tubby the Tuba." Paul and Ruth were the hosts of pioneering educational children's TV shows. They were the parents of children's book author Suzanne Enders Tripp (Jurmain) and David Enders Tripp.

 

Fifth generation Tripp is a numismatic consultant, researcher and writer. He has worked on many of the most famous collections to come to auction in the past fifty years including Garrett, Brand, Hunt, Athena funds, Bloomfield, Zabriskie, SS Central America, Dallas Bank, Huntington, Pogue, and both auctions of the 1933 double eagle. He is the author of Illegal Tender: Gold, Greed and the Mystery of the 1933 Double Eagle, published in 2004. He became an expert witness in the Langbord case. Tripp served on the inaugural class of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

David recalled that his grandfather encouraged him to collect coins and was thrilled when David got his first job as head of Sotheby Parke Bernet’s coin department. Tripp was also encouraged by his uncle, Howard Charles Enders.

David is married to Susan Turner Gerwe. She was a curator and Director of Collections at Johns Hopkins University and worked with the Garrett collection at Evergreen House.

Howard and Ada also had a fourth-generation son, Howard Charles Enders (1925-2001). He was married to Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Hanlon (1927-2022). During the Second World War, he served in the Army. He was another graduate of Colgate University. He was Public Relations Director for RCA Corp., in New York City. Howard was the uncle of David Enders Tripp and grandfather of Jack McNamara.

Howard and Betty had a fifth-generation daughter. Diane Enders was a secretary for Boswell Engineering and married to John Stephen McNamara, an electrician for Honeywell.

They were the parents of sixth-generation Jack McNamara. Jack worked at Stack's for seven years. He is a co-founder of Rare Collectibles TV in 2014 with Rick Tomaska. Jack has been on the Coin World list of Most Influential People in Numismatics. Jack is married to Patricia Cocco McNamara.

Jack credits his grandfather, Howard Enders, with influencing his interest in numismatics. Jack and his brother played a bingo game with their grandfather using wheat cents.

Jack is a member of the PNG, and a lifetime member of the ANA.  He has contributed to Whitman's Red Book, Blue Book, and Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins as well as numerous auction catalogs including the John J. Ford Jr. Collection.

When I worked for a coin dealer, I shipped hundreds of proof and mint sets to Dave's Collectible Coins in Athens, Michigan. The business began in 2003 with proprietor David Allen Enders (1957-2026). I wrote to him in 2023 and asked if he was related to Charles Enders, Jr. He was not aware of a connection. I can trace his Enders family line back to 1729 in Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, and there is no connection. His great-great-grandfather Phillip came to New York in 1849.

Enders also did business as FAS Coins, Inc. which stood for father and son. It opened for business in 2008 with David and Derrick Enders. There may be more numismatists in the next generation.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CHARLES ENDERS, JR. (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n35a10.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web