HBF Coin Collection to Shine at ANA Money Museum

The Numismatist
December, 2000

Bass Collection to Shine at ANA Money Museum

A new, technologically enhanced exhibit area being created at the ANA Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will showcase the finest specimens from the most comprehensive collection of America's gold coins, patterns and paper money, assembled by the late Harry W. Bass, Jr. of Dallas, Texas.

"The extraordinary Harry Bass was the ultimate numismatic connoisseur," says ANA Museum Curator Robert W. Hoge. "An ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame enshrinee, Harry Bass devoted more than three decades to acquiring and studying the specimens he selected, and his magnificent collections became the finest of their kind."

The ANA, which currently is in the midst of a $3 million remodeling of its Money Museum and Library will present the 500-plus pieces that constitute the Bass Core Collection (to be exhibited on long-term loan) in a vault-like setting. Visitors will pass through metal-grille doors to experience the audio and computer-assisted displays that will tell the story of the coins and draw attention to some of the most interesting pieces in the collection. Fiber optic lighting will illuminate the material, while a touch of a button will cue oral descriptions. An overhead image band will wrap the room with references to numismatic history, views of mints, the story of gold, the minting process, the work of engravers, and much more.

Audio tours will be available, providing both an overview that facilitates a general understanding of the collection and an in-depth study that delves into the details of Bass' analysis of the coins he collected. All the Bass artifacts are being digitally scanned so they can be viewed in the remodeled ANA Library, giving researchers the opportunity to study the high-resolution images in even greater detail.

"Harry Bass' astute and dedicated approach to numismatics made him unique in his knowledge and achievements," Hoge says. "He brought both a systematic understanding and appreciation of minute detail to the discipline."

Of paramount importance in the collection is a set of virtually all known die varieties of early (1795 to 1834) United States gold coin denominations, in the finest condition. Also included in the Bass holdings are:
• The only complete collection of $3 gold pieces, including the unique 1870-S
• A complete collection of U.S. gold coin types of all periods and designs from 1834 to 1933
• A spectacular grouping of rare U.S. pattern coins
• The foremost collection of 1896 silver certificates - the "Educational Series" of U.S. paper money ($1 through the proposed $50 denominations) - that includes vignettes, progress and trial proofs, as well as the uncut first sheets of the actual $1, $2 and $5 notes.

An active collector and quintessential philanthropist, Bass was a life member of the ANA for more than 30 years. He was awarded the ANA's Medal of Merit in 1989 and was inducted into the Association's Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1998. He also served as a councilor and president of the ANA's sister organization, the American Numismatic Society.

Bass' interest in numismatics began in the mid 1960s. He joined the ANA in 1966 and spent a year studying the subject before he began collecting. Soon after entering the field, he defined his goal - to collect United States-issue gold coins from 1795 to 1933, with special attention to die varieties of early U.S. gold. He made many important numismatic discoveries while creating the most complete collection ever assembled, including many one-of-a-kind specimens.

"The ANA is honored and grateful to have its museum selected by the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation as the perfect new home for this incredible exhibit," Hoge says.

Bass encouraged, promoted and participated in the exchange of information among dealers and collectors, setting up his foundation for charitable and educational endeavors, numismatic research and community development. Among other projects, the foundation developed and funded the Numismatic Indexes Project (NIP) -- a computer-based, searchable index of a variety of numismatic publications, including the ANA's The Numismatist.

The Harry W. Bass Foundation and the Harry W. Bass Jr. Research Foundation are financing the creation of the Bass exhibition at the ANA Money Museum. In addition, the ANA Board of Governors has launched a fund raising effort to remodel and update the 30-year museum and library facilities, as well as develop a new entrance plaza with a numismatic historical theme.