Essays In Appreciation
Kenneth Bressett (Essays) is Past President of the American Numismatic
Association and is Editor of the annual A Guide Book of United States Coins. He
resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A Tribute to Harry Bass
Kenneth Bressett
Knowing Harry Bass was a rare privilege. There was no one else quite like him,
and probably none who will ever quite take his place. He was unique in the numismatic
world for his untiring dedication to the study and collecting of coins and paper
money. Above all was his willingness to share his wealth of knowledge and research
with others that made him so admired among his many friends.
The Harry Bass collection of U.S. gold coins is world renown as a resource of information
about the die varieties and die states of those early coins. His collection of U.S.
paper money and patterns are equally impressive, but it is the ease with which researchers
can access these collections that marks Harry Bass as one of the great numismatists
of this age.
His involvement with computerization of records led him to recording the holdings
of not only his own collections, but also those of the American Numismatic Society,
in New York City. He also worked tirelessly in recording the library and book references
for both the Society, and the American Numismatic Association, in Colorado Springs.
Harry Bass' work was famous for making information available to others through various
Internet and web sites. It Is a legacy that will last forever and keep him always
in our minds and hearts.