Charles Vaughan Kappen (1910-1999) Auto-biography

Zoins

In researching Charles V. Kappen, co-author of the Hibler and Kappen reference on So-Called Dollars, I just found out he lived until 1999 and was a professor at San Jose State University in California!

The following is his mini auto-biography. He seems very accomplished. I never knew he lived until so recently and participated in numismatics so much outside of So-Called Dollars.

Did anyone know him?

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/erfa_bios/164/

Charles V. Kappen wrote:
I have written many articles for magazines and newspapers.

I was editor of Calcoin News, magazine of the California State Numismatic Association, 1949‑1962.

I was a board member of the California State Numismatic Assoc., 1950‑1956; was vice president of the CSNA 1963‑1967; and president, 1967‑1969.

I served on the board of directors of the national Token and Medal Society, 1963‑1965, and on the board of the California Exonumist Society.

I was awarded one of the first two Medals of Merit by the California State Numismatic Association in 1956, and was awarded the Mishler Medal for two of my books, So‑Called Dollars, and California Tokens.

I was made a Fellow by the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society, San Francisco.

I was named Numismatic Ambassador by Krause Publications, lola, WI, in 1979. I was elected to its Hall of Fame by the San Jose Coin Club in 1985.

The Society for International Numismatics gave me its highest honor, a large silver Medal of Merit in 1988 for "outstanding numismatic research and cataloguing."

At San Jose State University, I was editorial adviser for the Spartan Daily for 22 years. I helped in obtaining charters for both Sigma Delta Chi and Kappa Tau Alpha journalism fraternities, and served as first adviser for both.

Date Completed: 7/96

Adapted from: Biographies of Retired Faculty San Jose State University 1997: A Project of the Emeritus Faculty Association of San Jose State University. San Jose, CA: The University, 1997.

tokenpro

Yes, I knew Charley for a number of years and purchased several of his minor collections of items that were outside of his main fields of interest (which were many!). He also collected trade tokens from certain towns and counties in Iowa & I was able to help him add quite a few pieces to his collection. Although ours was mainly a mail-order friendship I did have the chance to meet him several times at West Coast shows. We easily slipped into both numismatic & non-numismatic conversations as if we had been next door neighbors for years. A good man.