Catherine Bullowa Passed Away
Just heard that 96 or 97 year-old Catherine Bullowa
of Phila, Pa. passed away........(Coinhunter)
She is PNG Life Member #3 - and I believe one of
the oldest longest full time coin dealers since the
mid-1950's.
For anyone who hadn't met her, she had more energy
and spunk than anyone her age had a right to have !
A wonderful women, a pillar of numismatics, and
well-known and well-liked and very respected.
Her smile, attitude, and humor will be missed.
Comments
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She was quite a women and set up at the annual Hawaii State Numismatic Show for decades, she will be missed by all
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My Deepest Sympathies.
She sounds like she was a wonderful woman.
RIP and prayers to her family and friends.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
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My condolences.
"Who's gonna fill their shoes...who's gonna stand that tall..."
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/georgejones/whosgonnafilltheirshoes.html
oih82w8 = Oh I Hate To Wait _defectus patientia_aka...Dr. Defecto - Curator of RMO's
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Sweet woman. She had a long, rich life that is worth celebrating. RIP
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Yes, Catherine was quite a lady! I was able to spend some time with her at the ANA when it was held in Philadelphia in 2012. It was at that show when I acquired this peculiar piece from her holdings:
She will be sorely missed!
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The last remaining link to a different era of coin dealers.
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:'(
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.0 -
Roger - great point.
The last of the coin dealers from that time
period - Kosoff, Ruddy, Art Kagin, Leo Young
Lester Merkin, Dan Brown Audbrey Bebee and others.(I know I missing some names, obviously )
Retired Collector & Dealer in Major Mint Error Coins & Currency since the 1960's.Co-Author of Whitman's "100 Greatest U.S. Mint Error Coins", and the Error Coin Encyclopedia, Vols., III & IV. Retired Authenticator for Major Mint Errors for PCGS. A 50+ Year PNG Member.A full-time numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022.2 -
I didn't know of her, but glad to offer condolences in support of those who did.
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@cardinal said:
Yes, Catherine was quite a lady! I was able to spend some time with her at the ANA when it was held in Philadelphia in 2012. It was at that show when I acquired this peculiar piece from her holdings:She will be sorely missed!
I don't know what the heck this thing is but I like it ALOT. Is the writing engraved or printed in ink (can't quite tell on my monitor).
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Our Tree of Life constantly sheds its' leafs.........leaving those still attached to mourn the fallen.
Pete
"I tell them there's no problems.....only solutions" - John Lennon1 -
She seemed to be everywhere and was always pleasant when we met up. Sympathy and condolences to her family and loved ones.
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I never met her, but what a great run she had!
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Catherine was a great person. I remember the first time I met her years ago. After I introduced myself she said: "Mike, I want a coke, go find one for me." She will be missed, she was one of a kind!
Thanksgiving 2026 National Battlefield Coin Show November 27 & 28, 2026 at the Eisenhower Hotel Ballroom, Gettysburg, PA. No Early Bird passes for this show. WWW.AmericasCoinShows.com0 -
She was a lovely woman and I amways enjoyed chatting with her at various shows. Many fun memories and my love and best wishes to Catherine granddaughter who also would accompany her at shows.
Jon Lerner - Scarsdale Coin - www.CoinHelp.com0 -
Admittedly, I did not know her. I remember seeing her at many shows and conventions. In my mind, she will be remembered for the gem quality type coins that her firm auctioned in 2005. I have been told that some or all of those attention-grabbing type coins were part of her own personal collection.
"In order to understand the scarce coins that you own or see, you must learn about coins that you cannot afford." -Me1 -
sorry to hear that. my condolences to all those involved.
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Sad news. A great numismatist.
Member ANS, ANA, GSNA, TNC
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My condolences to her family. I last saw her at Balt./Whit.
Always willing to share her knowledge.0 -
Catherine was the dealer who got me started with high quality early U.S. coins. She showed me what true quality was and helped to develop my "eye" for "the good stuff. She was a great lady and a great numismatist.
So far as I know she continued the business of her first husband, David, who also a great numismatist. He wrote on of the first books on U.S. commemoratives. His passing was premature in the early 1950s, although I have never heard the cause.
Here is one of the first coins I purchased from Catherine, an 1805 dime, four berry reverse. She graded it "EF." Today it is in a PCGS AU-58 holder.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?10 -
@FredWeinberg said:
Roger - great point.The last of the coin dealers from that time
period - Kosoff, Ruddy, Art Kagin, Leo Young
Lester Merkin, Dan Brown Audbrey Bebee and others.(I know I missing some names, obviously )
A very nice lady, even when I was just a kid working for Coin WOrld.
Paul Kagin is still alive, but not active in the business.
Eric Newman sold a few coins back in the day, but I never really thought of him as a dealer.
I guess Harvey Stack is the new senior dealer, followed by Dave Bowers?Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.1 -
I'll miss Catherine. She was one of my few heroes, mostly because she loved the business too much to ever quit, no matter how difficult it was to get around and stay in the game.
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.3 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ZjAftrFaQ
A look back...............4 -
While I didn't know her...From what I am reading here I wish I had! It is wonderful she was able to seemingly enjoy her life to the fullest! I hope I am able to enjoy my life in coins as long as she did!
Rest in Peace and know many who didn't know you have Great Respect for you!
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@JBK said:
@cardinal said:
Yes, Catherine was quite a lady! I was able to spend some time with her at the ANA when it was held in Philadelphia in 2012. It was at that show when I acquired this peculiar piece from her holdings:She will be sorely missed!
I don't know what the heck this thing is but I like it ALOT. Is the writing engraved or printed in ink (can't quite tell on my monitor).
While the piece was not encapsulated by PCGS, Phil did a great job imaging it here in high resolution:
The writing is engraved into the surface of the metal.
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Very sad... She was always fun at shows
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
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This content has been removed.
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I used to seek her out at the big shows in the 80s, when I was first getting started as a dealer. I knew she would have nice coins, problem-free, and very fairly priced. We did a bunch of business. As straightforward a person as I've seen in this business. RIP.
LRC Numismatics eBay listings:
http://stores.ebay.com/lrcnumismatics0 -
RIP Catherine. I remember her patience and sound advice. ...Travel down to 16th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia and hop in the ancient elevator and ring the bell to get into the shop. She helped anyone and everyone.
This is a sad day for our hobby.
Craig0 -
Never met her, wished I had.
She is precious in the video.
My condolences."If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress1 -
Thanks for the video GoldBully.
She seems like a real nice lady.
PNG member #3 is pretty impressive.
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Rest in peace, Catherine.
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Never had the opportunity of meeting her, but I do have a coin from her personal collection.
My condolences to her family.
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I did not know her myself, but she seems like a very nice lady and an asset to the hobby, and my condolences to those who knew her. The video of her story is inspiring--thanks for posting it.
www.sullivannumismatics.com Dealer in Mint Error Coins since 2003.0 -
God bless her.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
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Catherine Bullowa was a class act, and a tribute to her profession. She always had time to talk coins with anyone who stopped by, and because of her many years in the profession, she had some fascinating stories to tell.
I recall in one of her many 'CoinHunter' mail bid sales, in June of 1993, she had a significant listing of half dimes (approximately 150 pieces), listed as "Wonder Half Dimes". I was the successful bidder on a few of these coins, particularly an AU-55 1832 LM-6/V11, listed at the time (before publication of the Logan/McCloskey reference) as an R4, and listed as an R6 by Jules Reiver in 1986, and a condition census piece to this day.
I was curious about who might have been the consignor of these half dimes, wondering if they might be remnants of the long-lost Daniel W. Valentine collection. I once asked her who might have been the consignor, and being the professional she was, she declined to reveal the consignor's identity. She then asked me why I wanted to know, and I told her that I wondered if they had any connection to the Valentine collection. She smiled, and said that she could provide me with some interesting information about the consignor and the Valentine collection. She said that her late first husband, David Bullowa, knew the consignor well, and the consignor was a friend of Valentines, and they often traded examples of half dimes. She was confident that some, perhaps many, of the coins in this consignment, were once owned by Dr. Valentine. She was intrigued by my interest in the history of the coins, and gave me as much information about them as her professional ethics would allow. I still have several pages of notes on her comments about the coins and consignor.
I will miss her smiling face, her candor, and her many stories about the history of the hobby. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her. May she rest in peace.
They that can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin8 -
I met her at a Baltimore show where she was in the audience at a seminar on Chinese fakes and I think she was 86 at he time and still looking to learn more!
ANA-LM, NBS, EAC0 -
comrade GB, thanks for the vid. Good stuff in there.
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Sorry to have missed out on meeting her. She sounds wonderful. My condolences.
Cyndie❤
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Joy Moore, Catherine Bullowa Moore's niece, is the classy redhead who pushed her around these last few years at Baltimore and helped behind her table. I got to meet a few family members, especially remembering a sharp-as-a-whip granddaughter Shari, who works at the Holocaust Museum in DC. The couple of times I saw them together, the glow between them half-choked me up.
At most Baltimore shows, I'd hit her table after she'd had some fun with the public, have her take off her neck brace and give her a neck and shoulder massage. Bearing in mind how frail she was, it was the lightest of pressures, but there was the same kind of energy flow I get with Laurie, and she came in the next morning perky until lunch. Her energy was usually lower the second afternoon, but damn it was fun to see a 95 year old "crusty old broad" outworking mustard-stained men 30 years her junior. I even hooked her up with a Reiki therapist 5 miles from her door.
A lot of people are gonna be messed up over this. There are really no words......
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Geo. Orwell4 -
GB,
Your post of the video of Catherine Bulolwa is special to all of that never knew her........but wish we had. I am reminded of the other great dealers I am missing when I do not attend great shows. My coin life should not be an island.
OINK
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Sad news
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Very sad. My condolences to her family and friends. RickO
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In 1974 first coin I ever had a dealer search for was a 1911 $20 that my room mate wanted to give his father as a "thank you" for having put him thru dental school. 1911 was his birth year.
She didn't have a shop with coins on display but just several rooms and looked more a law office than a coin shop.
She called several weeks later and friend was quite happy.BTW when he gave it to his father he said, nice, thank you, and I'll put it with my others. friend had no idea father owned any coins.
On several occasions after the sale of her 1795 dollar she maintained that there were others that existed that were as nice.. She was in her 90's and relying on memory and may have remembered coins being nicer than they were.
But, she was sharp and with her history and qualifications who am I to have doubted her.0 -
Great article about it on here: http://coinbooks.org/v20/club_nbs_esylum_v20n21.html
Fan of the Oxford Comma
CCAC Representative of the General Public
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year0 -
It is refreshing to read and be reminded of someone who commanded the respect of the giants, after they're gone.
Yet, it's still sad to lose anyone in this field.1 -
cool video goldbully.
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Walter Breen "he was a little eccentric too" -
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