Dr. George P. French is credited as being the founder of the R.N.A. He was a medical doctor who was educated locally and attended the Medical College of the University of Rochester. Dr. French practiced medicine, specializing in "female disorders" and after 24 years was not only successful in his profession but had found time to collect coins, stamps, and curios. His coin collecting interest was U.S. large cents. In the heart of the Depression, B. Max Mehl, the famous Texas coin dealer, purchased the French collection of large cents for $50,000. French's biographer claimed that the 1793 cents were valued at $5000 each at the time his collection of 832 coppers were sold. His curios included the clothes worn by Tom Thumb and Peter the Great, the world's two smallest men.

French became the first president of the fledgling R.N.A. organization which, incidentally, boasted 32 charter members. One of the first steps French made was to have the club join the American Numismatic Association and to become Branch 2. The A.N.A. was a mere 21 years old, having been founded in 1891. Branch was the designation given to clubs that joined the national organization. The honor of being Branch 1 was handed out to the Chicago Numismatic Society in 1904. However, Rochester is the oldest continuously meeting coin club in America (This fact is now under debate, and it appears the RNA may in fact be the second oldest club, still having met more times than any other). The Chicago group fell apart, disbanded and after a long period of time did reorganize and exists today.

The original charter members of the RNA consisted of many professional people, among them doctors, lawyers, architects, businessmen, coin dealers and even a sculptor. So it was no surprise when these dedicated numismatists held their first annual banquet in 1913, a two inch bronze portrait medal was presented to Dr. French, the retiring president. This tradition has continued to this day, the unbroken series of RNA Past Presidents Medals is a favorite Rochester collectible. During World War II, plastic impressions were made from the dies and presented at the annual banquet but at the war's end bronze pieces were struck.

Joseph A. Koeb, a charter member, was the club's first member-sculptor. He was one of the artisans employed by Bastian Bros., the nationally-known Rochester manufacturer of medals, badges, and political items, dating back to the Civil War. As was the practice of the time, Koeb hand cut the dies in steel for the ANA Convention badge for the 1912 Rochester Convention. As the official club sculptor, he designed the reverse common to all medals from 1912-52 and all the portraits of past presidents from 1912-21.

In 1921, another member-sculptor began hand cutting the protrait dies. He was Alphonse A. Kolb. A German immigrant, Kolb had served his apprenticeship in Europe and took menial tasks such as engraving ladies hair combs and wooden dies for wallpaper designs when he first landed on our shores. Eventually, he became an employee of Bastian Bros. where he met and worked with Koeb. One of his first assignments was to aid Koeb in the design and engraving of the dies for the 1917 ANA Convention Badge for Rochester. Again in 1928 Kolb designed and executed the dies for the pin bar and the pendant for the ANA Convention held in Rochester. For the pendant, he chose to use a replica of the rare 1787 George Clinton Cent obverse. In Kolb's declining years he suffered failing eyesight so the Rochester group had to turn to different artists for the President's medal. Alphonse A. Kolb is still a part of the award for his reverse had been retained.

The Rochester Numismatic Association has been proud to host three ANA Conventions... in 1912 at the Hotel Rochester, in 1917 at the Memorial Art Gallery and in 1928 at the Seneca Hotel. An existing photograph of the 1912 convention shoes the 47 people who attended and the number included only two women. Photos of the 1917 Convention show fewer people but many more women present. zthis is thought to reflect the all-important social aspects of very early coin collecting.

From the earliest days, the Rochester club was truely a haven for numismatists. Through the generosity of its members, a club collection was started from the very beginning and has grown to the point where the curator post is an important appointment. Although US coins are a large portion of the coin cabinet, thanks to an early gift of the Baurer-Montgomery Collection of Ancient and Oriental Coins, the cabinet represents a broad, diversified collection for real numismatists.

A library is also an attraction to membership in the organization. It is a free, circulating library except for a few fragile reference works. As curator, the late Floyd B. Newell offered slides to members to illustrate their talks on numismatics. The early slides, before simplified photography and before color, were thermoplastic impressions made by Newell be pressing heated coins into a small square of plastic. The impression was mounted and a tinted sheet of the appropriate shade of bronze, silver, or gold filter was aded to the clear plastic negative image. The results were high resolution, finely detailed slides when projected. For his outstanding contribution to numismatic education, Floyd B. Newell was awarded the Edward Newell Educational Award, Medal of Merit by the ANA in 1949.

In 1937, the club experienced a near-miss in having Congress pass a law necessary to allow the striking of a commemorative half dollar for the 250th annuversary of the Denonville Expedition. The coin would have commemorated the invasion of the French army and their Indian allies under the leadership of the Marquis de Denonville. The expedition crossed Lake Ontario from Canada and carried out a punitive assault on Genesee area Seneca Indians of the Iroquois Confederacy. The invading forces attacked the British as well as the Senecas. After torching Indian villiages, slauing British and their allied Indians, the French were forced to return to Canada. The event marked the faithfulness of the Indian allies to the British who ultimately drove the French from the New World. Whether the proposed coin suffered from an inadequate Washington lobbying effort or was a victim of over zealous issuing of the Antietam, Boone, Arkansas, Oregon Trail and Texas coins, it is hard to discern. Congress saw fit to reject the idea. The club went ahead with their support of the Denonville medal for the sponsor, the Morgan Chapter New York State Archeological Associationand struck the medal in silver and bronze. Some consider it one of Alphonse Kolb's finest works.

The Ford dealership in downtown Rochester, circa 1920.

Members of the Rochester coin group have been active on the state and national scene in numismatics. Dr. French, the club's founder, became first vice president of the ANA. George J. Bauer, third president of the RNA went on to be the 17th president of the ANA. He was an automobile dealer in downtown Rochester and president of the Genesee Motor Vehicle Company until 1917 when he became the franchised Ford Motor Car dealer.

He was a devoted collector of ancient coins and made many trips to Italy and Greece in pursuit of hoards and finds. He set out for the Farouk auction in Cairo but decided to stay in Rome when there appeared to be a threat of civil insurrection. His travel companions, Gaston DiBello and John J. Pittman want on to the auction but Bauer stayed behind and bought coins. A peasant woman, hearing that Bauer was staying ast the local hotel, brought in several large scoops of ancient Roman bronzes that her husband had struck with his plow while tilling the farmland. Back at the club, George encouraged and shared with his fellow members by offering the coins for 25 cents each... just pick one of each different ruler. Bauer is now enshrined in the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame. His son, Clement, was active in the RNA during the '50's and '60's and now George's grandson, John, is a respect numismatist in the club.

Harry H. Yawger was the 7th president of the club and the 15th president of the ANA; William "Billy" Sunday, 13th president and the only one whose portrait medal shows someone in an army uniform, served on the ANA Board of Governors; Charles W. Foster, 23rd president on the RNA was ANA Librarian.

John J. Pittman, 38th President of the RNA, is still active on the international scene (editor's note: Mr. Pittman has since passed away since the writing of this history.) He served as president of the ANA and also of the Canadian Numismatic Association, the Empire State, the Middle Atlantic and many other numismatic associations. John has been a recipient of the ANA Medal of Merit and served on the U.S. Assay Commission. Charles Ricard, 48th president of the group, was the youngest member to hold the office (editor's note: Charlie Ricard currently holds the spot as RNA Member Number 1. The youngest president of the RNA is now David Gottfried who was elected president in 2003.) Edward A. Gilroy, 49th president of the club, also held that office as the first president of the Buffalo Numismatic Association before his election to the Board of the ANA.

Edwin V. Quagliana, 51st president of the RNA held the same office for the Empire State group, the Philadelphia Coin Club and of the Great Eastern Numismatic Association. Two past presidents have been made Numismatic Ambassdors by Krause Publications for their endeavors on the national scene... Quagliana in 1984 and Pittman in 1985.

Women have always been active members in the group with Stella Osterman elevated to the presidency in 1958 and Beatrice Weaver in 1980. (Editor Note: Additionally, Jane Hanken was elected in 1989, Sheryl Zabel in 1996, Darlene Corio in 2000, and Edith Coe in 2004.)

In 1947, the RNA sponsored a Rochester Junior Numismatic Association under the leadership of Edward F. Meinhart, the 31st president of the senior group. This youth group has met independently on a monthly basis for 40 (now 57) years and has spawned many fine numismatists. Its success has been attributed to the altruistic attitude to aid and to teach on the part of at least five senior members throughout the years. In honor of the deceased Meinhart, each May a speaking contest is held and the winner's name is inscribed on a memorial plaque. The contest has been a success for so many years that that the original plaque is completely filled and additional plaques now hold names, as the tradition continues.

When the Rochester group anticipated their 1000th meeting, a medal and a wooden nickel were made to commemorate the event. The medal showed a medieval coin maker in the act of hand striking a coin. It was a pleasant design and well accepted by the coin collecting fraternity and it sold out. But it was the wooden nickel that made numismatic history. Most members purchased a quantity of the wooden nickels for five cents and distributed them to their friends to publicise the event. Many members were Eastman Kodak employees and soon the whole town knew of the coming event. The obverse was a drawing of the outline of the state of New York while the reverse stated "Good for 5 cents at the Genesee Valley Union Trust Co. East Ave. Office May 22, 23, 1958." No one dreamed that any would be redeemed but one Kodak worker accumulated 21 of the wooden nickels and arrived at the bank on May 23 just before closing to redeem them. You can imagine how confused the teller was to get a request for redemption of wooden nickels. However, Vice President, Edward F. Meinhart assured the teller that the wooden money was as good as gold. Meinhart redeemed them and stamped them paid with a blue rubber stamp. At the next club meeting the redeemed pieces were sold. The 21 is a definitive number, for Meinhart is deceased, the rubber stamp is long lost and the Genesee Valley Union Trust become a part of the Marine Midland Bank more than 20 years ago. For a long time the Rochester pieces were the only known redeemed wooden nickels!

In July 1979, RNA President Gerry Muhl worked with other club members to have the Susan B. Anthony dollar first publically issued in Rochester, the home of that great human rights activist. Mint Director Stella Hackek presented the RNA with the first publically issued mini dollar at a ceremony in the Museum auditorium. On that occasion the Club had struck its own Susan B. Anthony medal and presented silver copies to Rochester's federal representatives and Senators as well as to the Mint Director. A proof example of the medal graces an exhibit in the Woman's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, NY.

The annual banquet, at which time the past president is presented his portrait medal and the members each receive a copy, has often been a time for high jinks and shenanigans. When Robert E. Ogg was presented his medal in 1965 he was informed that he was to receive a complimentary chicken dinner. Ogg hated chicken dinners. He was also told that there was a string attached to the gift. When the master of ceremonies handed him the 20 foot long string he found a live, White Leghorn rooster strutting on the end of it! Ogg's pals had gone to the Genesee Regional Farmers Market early that morning to do their gift shopping.

At the 50th Anniversary Banquet held in 1962 at the Powers Hotel Ballroom in downtown Rochester, the list of dignitaries present included the late Monroe County Sheriff, Al Skinner. Skinner was a hulk of a man with a huge smile and a disposition to match. He had been reelected so many times the opposition party had a hard time finding candidates to run against him. Skinner stood for honesty and credibility and the boys used him that night. John J. Pittman, a local member who was "making good" and beginning to be known on the national numismatic scene was also on the dais. A free door prize was to be awarded that evening and everyone was to write his name on the back of the banquet ticket and deposit it in the appropriate box. When all the tickets were deposited someone switched boxes. The new box was filled with tickets all with John J. Pittman's name on them. When Sheriff Skinner drew the winning ticket, John Pittman was the one. And two husky lads hurried down the aisle carrying a gift wrapped dor direct from Rochester House Wrecking's lot and still inscribed "Men's Room."

The Rochester Numismatic Assication has grown with its meeting place. After the early organizational meetings in 1912 when the club met in downtown hotels, they held meetings at Edgerton park, a city recreational facility. In 1940, with the completion of the Rochester Museum of Arts & Sciences through the gifts and efforts of Edward Bausch (of Bausch & Lomb Optical), the club moved to the new facilty. Museum people considered numismatics as fine arts and welcomed the organization. And why not... Dr. Arthur Parker, Director of the Museum had already served as ANA President back in 1928.

In the early 1970's, the Museum had erected the Strausenberg Planetarium and acquired adjacent land and existing buildings. With the new look, the coin club moved from a small third floor room in the main building to a more modern and air conditioned room in the Planetarium. A generous endowment by Alphonse A. Kolb assured the club would always have a place to meet. (Editor's Note: The club still holds its meetings at the Eisenhart Auditorium - adjacent to the Planetarium. Currently, the club has over 120 members, with nearly 45 attending each meeting. The lower level facility at the Eisenhart Auditorium easliy meets our space requirements.)

In the summer of 1987 the Club issued its special silver proof 75th anniversary medal. The medal was struck by the North American Mint in Spencerport, NY and was designed and sculpted as a gift to the Club of local artist Achille Forgione. The medal showin the muse of knowledge passing on truth to a young numismatist, also commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Rochester Junior Numismatic Association. (Editor's note: Just a handy bit of trivia - that medal used the image of one of the junior members in 1987. That member, Scott Fybush, was elected president for 2001!)

The future looks promising for the club. It has an active junior organization to draw from for the future membership and leadership and, most of all, a very positive attitude toward coin collecting in this day of emphasis on investing and the controversial numerical grading system. Attendance at meetings, at the annual banquet and summertime picnics, attests to the fine fellowship and the congenial social aspects of the membership. As one member put it: "You collect more than just coins... you collect many fine friends along the way."

Here's the Strausenberg Planetarium where the RNA used to host it's meetings. Currently, we are in a facility located adjacent to the planetarium - the Eisenhart Auditorium.