Very Late to the party: Richard Margolis RIP
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RICHARD MARGOLIS (1931-2018)
I just found out about this today. Question. Was this ever posted on CU?
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Not to my knowledge.
Edited to add: I knew him to say hello to at ANA conventions. Always a nice gentleman.
This is what I hate! Hopefully the major publications took note of his passing in November. Mr. Margolis was an important dealer/numismatist in this country. Same thing happened to Charles Hoskins, former director of ANACS and owner of the first TPGS at the International Numismatic Society. No mention of his death anywhere. When his daughter called the ANA to leave some books & records, they told her they had "never heard of the guy!" The ANA lost a treasure trove of negatives and books to sell.
I have never heard of either of these gentlemen, but I'm not necessarily "tied in" to the National Hobby and dealers. his death being unnoticed by most but important to some actually says a lot of good: Mr. Margolis evidently cared about the Hobby and gave what he could, but he was humble enough to know that in the Grand Scheme of things he wasn't really that important. having the humility necessary to pull that off is an admirable quality.
it's sort of like the Uncle you knew as a child who made a lifelong impression on you, only to be sort of ignored by the rest of the family. we carry their memory.
Was he related to Arnold Margolis?
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
No relationship to Arnie, who passed
away about 6 years ago.
Or Greg?
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Mr. Margolis was an excellent gentleman and true numismatist. The French coins that he offered for sale were always extremely nice, and often breathtaking.
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society
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V21 2018 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE
The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 48, December 2, 2018, Article 6
RICHARD MARGOLIS (1931-2018)
Dealer and author Richard Margolis has died at the age of 87. -Editor
Bill Rosenblum writes:
Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta Dick Margolis passed away recently. Among many other achievements he was one of the three founders of the New York International Numismatic Convention (along with Fritz Weber and Bill Selfridge), authored perhaps one of the most important numismatic works of the 21st century, Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta, and was one of the most prominent dealers of French and early US medals as well as other world coins and medals. When Dick set up his table at a show everyone would flock to his table to see what goodies he would bring.
Here is a New York Times obituary published December 1, 2018. -Editor
MARGOLIS--Richard, a native New Yorker and eminent numismatist who lived in New Jersey for many years, died on November 24. He was 87 years old. He was born on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 21, 1931 to Benjamin Margolis, a manufacturer of women's coats and suits and Norma (Germain) Margolis, a housewife. He leaves behind his adored wife Sara, their beloved cockapoo Cookie, his sister Maxine Margolis, brother-in-law Jerald Milanich, and nieces Nara Milanich, Nina Shea, and Sally Roberts.
A graduate of the Horace Mann School, he attended Tulane University and graduated from New York University. Richard was a principal of the N. T. Hegeman Company, a Paramus, New Jersey commercial real estate firm, founded by his maternal grandfather in 1910.
Richard caught the coin collecting bug from a friend at the age of twelve and the resulting fever raged unabated ever since. In 1952 he became interested in the numismatics of the French Revolution and Napoleon, building a collection during the next sixty-two years numbering some 3000 pieces, along with the relevant literature. He has published more than thirty articles on this specialty. In 1973 he published The Silver Crowns of France, 1641-1973 which remains a work regularly consulted by specialists in this series.
A second collection, begun years later, consists of medal and medallions of the late 18th Century, a period which includes medallic works by Jean-Baptiste Nini and Jean Martin Renaud. His magnum opus, Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta: Portrait Medallions by Jean-Baptiste Nini at the Chateau of Chaumont was published in 2015. In a review in the Journal of Early American Literature, the volume was called "the most original, scholarly treatment... of this complex subject." The reviewer wrote that the work "will likely stand for the next several hundred years as the definitive study of the masterworks of the Nini pottery at Chateau-sur-Loire. The volume is just an amazing achievement."
Richard, who became a professional coin dealer in 1958, specialized in foreign numismatics of the period from about 1500 to 1960. He carried out extensive research in the Boulton Papers at the Birmingham Reference Library (England), resulting in articles on Matthew Boulton and the Soho Mint in The British Numismatic Journal, the Colonial Newsletter, Spink's Numismatic Circular, and other publications.
Richard and his wife Sara were two of the founders in 1972, and subsequently the organizers for many years, of the New York International Numismatic Convention, an annual gathering of important numismatists which continues to this day.
To read the complete article, see:
RICHARD MARGOLIS Obituary (https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=richard-margolis&pid=190876477)
They all worked in the background along with more recognizable names and people, leaving their unsung contributions behind.
They were like all of us. A love for coins, collecting and research bounded by an inquisitive nature that bore fruit in the accomplishments they made.
My bell rings out to all of you, for your contributions to us will forever be a part of our Numismatic Souls.
Thank You.
Pete
RIP
I can only hope that my grandkids will remember "pops" safe, fondly.
bob
Glad it was covered in the E-Sylum, a top notch weekly newsletter. It is free to sign up for and is emailed weekly. It does not make you a target for any spam or cross marketing. Very well worth receiving and full of valuable and interesting news.
His obituary is printed on Pg.88 of the Jan. 2019 issue of the ANA Numismatist.
E-asylum is great and I love the website. I think it’s worthwhile to turn it into a PDF magazine. There is a website but I’ve noticed a lot of coin websites with valuable information disappearing as people pass away without a succession plan. PDFs seem to be easier to stay around than websites.