Hall of Fame numismatist Neil Shafer will be presented with the American Numismatic Association’s highest honor, the 2014 Farran Zerbe Memorial Award, on Aug. 8 during the Awards Banquet at the Chicago World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Ill.
The Farran Zerbe Memorial Award is the highest honor conferred by the ANA and is given in recognition of numerous years of outstanding, dedicated service to numismatics.
“I am very pleased and honored to be given this prestigious award,” Shafer said. “Having been an ANA member for over 60 years, I have tried to contribute to the numismatic hobby in a meaningful way, and it is gratifying to know that my work has been appreciated.”
Shafer’s tireless dedication to the hobby includes being an instructor at Summer Seminar and authoring numismatic articles for major publications. He has also been a coin club officer and exhibited and judged at numerous conventions, including ANA shows, Central States and FUN. Shafer’s work with Young Numismatist and Scout programs has helped to ensure the hobby is passed on to new generations.
Shafer has won many awards for his contributions to the hobby, some of which include the ANA’s Medal of Merit (1990), Adult Advisor of the Year (1993), Presidential Award (1996), Lifetime Achievement Award (2007). Other awards he has won are the Numismatic Literary Guild Clemmy Award (2004), and the Central States Numismatic Society Elston G. Bradfield Writer’s Award (1989). In 2008, he was enshrined in the Numismatic Hall of Fame.
He is a founding member of the Milwaukee Midwest Chapter of the IBNS and is also a member of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society as well as a number of other numismatic clubs.
