Category Archives: George Kolbe

George Kolbe Retires From Numismatic Bookselling Partnership

George Kolbe, Numismatic Bookseller
George Kolbe, Numismatic Bookseller

On November 13, 2023, George Frederick Kolbe announced his retirement from the partnership of Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers. For over four decades, Kolbe has been a prominent figure in the numismatic community as both a bookseller and an author. His expertise in rare and collectible numismatic literature has made him a trusted name among collectors and scholars alike.

Kolbe’s love for numismatic bookselling began in 1967 when he published his first fixed price list of three pages. At that time, Kolbe was located in Redondo Beach, California, and sent the list to only a handful of potential customers.

As Kolbe’s career progressed, his lists became more sophisticated in terms of content and format. In 1976, he held his first auction through mail-bid sale, featuring 763 lots. The success of this auction led to three more mail-bid sales.

Finally, in 1979, Kolbe held his first public auction in conjunction with the Convention of International Numismatics in Los Angeles. This marked a significant milestone for Kolbe and solidified his position as a prominent figure in the numismatic book trade.

Over his lengthy career, George Kolbe has been associated with some 168 auctions conducting under his name or in partnership with David Fanning.

George Kolbe has sold numerous notable libraries through his auctions. These include the libraries of Harry W. Bass, John J. Ford, and the Stack Family. In addition to these, there have been 15 New York auctions co-conducted with Douglas Saville of Spink.

The inclusion of these prestigious collections in George Kolbe’s auctions further solidified his reputation as a leading authority in numismatic literature. Kolbe’s expert handling of this material also served the purpose of preserving and maintaining the knowledge and personality of the hobby as information was passed from one generation of collectors to the next.

Kolbe auctions, and later Kolbe & Fanning auctions, were highly anticipated events within the numismatic community.

David Fanning writes:

“When Kolbe & Fanning was established in 2010, it was a great honor for me to join forces with the preeminent numismatic bookseller of our day. As our partnership is ending and our firm prepares to move forward on our own, it is our honor to do so with the Kolbe name firmly attached. We are enormously grateful to George for providing us with the opportunity to go into business with him, and we send our very best wishes with him into his well-earned retirement.”

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will be holding their next auction on February 17, 2024, when they will be offering highlights from the extraordinary BCD Library on ancient numismatics. The firm’s website will remain at numislit.com.

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George F. Kolbe Library Sale of Numismatic Books Saturday, October 26

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will be offering for sale at auction the personal library formed by numismatic bookseller George F. Kolbe on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The 166-page auction catalogue will mail in about one week to clients currently on our mailing list. A PDF of the printed catalogue is available now on the […]

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George F. Kolbe Numismatic Library to be Sold in October

The personal library formed by numismatic bookseller George F. Kolbe will be sold at auction on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The sale will be conducted by Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers and will feature a printed catalogue and live online bidding. The catalogue will be available by the beginning of October, but clients are advised […]

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ANA Awards Given to Numismatists Making a Difference

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is honoring several numismatists who not only lead by example but pave new pathways within the numismatic hobby. Recognized for their dedication, hard work, passion and contributions, these recipients will be acknowledged at the World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Illinois, August 13-17. Those being recognized are: Thomas Hallenbeck for […]

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Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Ephemera Sale #3 Closes Tomorrow

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers are conducting our third Numismatic Ephemera Sale, which closes on Friday, May 18, 2018. The sale includes 100 lots of numismatic memorabilia, short sale catalogues, photographs, letters, brochures, leaflets, booklets, and so on. A few numismatic highlights include: Lot 203: A scarce early G. Frederick Kolbe numismatic literature list from […]

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Latest Numismatic Books Arrive at Kolbe & Fanning

Kolbe & Fanning have been adding new publications to our website and restocking other recent works in an effort to expand our online retail offerings of numismatic books. Recent additions include: All currently available volumes of the Monete Italiane Regionali series published by Varesi. New publications by the American Numismatic Society (ANS), including Brian Stickney’s […]

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CoinWeek News Wire for December 1, 2017: Take a Knee, Not Elon, the Red Kettle

By Coinweek …. CoinWeek News Wire for December 1, 2017 Brain Food 1.) Vasilopita – An Important Greek Celebration for New Year Vasilopita literally means St. Basil’s Cake, which contains a hidden coin baked inside. This “New Year’s Cake” is a highly esteemed Orthodox tradition worldwide, having its origins in the 4th century… 2.) History […]

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Kolbe & Fanning Introduce Medal and Exonumia Catalogue

  Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers have released our first catalogue devoted to numismatic exonumia: tokens, medals, badges, scrip and related items that pertain in some way to the coin collecting field. Examples include tokens issued by coin dealers or collectors, medals depicting prominent collectors or scholars, badges produced for coin shows, “Good For” tokens […]

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American Numismatic Society Announces 2017 Gala Honorees

The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce that on Thursday, January 12, 2017, it will honor its esteemed patron Anthony J. Terranova with the Trustees’ Award at the Annual Gala at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The distinction of the Trustees’ Award will also be conferred upon the Eric P. […]

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CoinWeek Podcast #43: Numismatic Books Old and New with Dr. David Fanning

CoinWeek Podcast #43: Numismatic Books Old and New with Dr. David Fanning Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes. Numismatic Bookseller Dr. David Fanning is this week’s guest on the CoinWeek Podcast. Alongside partner George Kolbe – a noted numismatist in his own […]

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Kolbe & Fanning Debut New Website April 27

By CoinWeek News Staff…. It was big news last week for Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers as the company officially rolled out its newly redesigned website. While the old website was compact and fairly easy to navigate, the first thing you notice when visiting the new version of Numislit.com is how expansive it seems. In […]

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Kolbe & Fanning Baltimore Book Auction a Resounding Success

Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers conducted a public auction of important numismatic books on November 1, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland in conjunction with the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center. The sale was a resounding success, bringing over 110% of estimate and setting some new records for prices. The sale featured […]

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