Chester Lee "Chet" Krause (December 16, 1923 – June 25, 2016) was an American author,
numismatist
A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...
, and businessman best known as the founder of
Krause Publications
Krause Publications is an American publisher of hobby magazines and books. The company was started by Chester L. Krause (19232016) in 1952 and published '' Numismatic News''.
In the coin collecting community the company is best known for its ...
in the 1950s.
Early life
Krause was born in the Town of
Helvetia, Wisconsin
Helvetia is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census, the town population was 649.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has ...
, in
Waupaca County, Wisconsin
Waupaca County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menomi ...
. He started collecting when he was a boy and his aunts gave him some Whitmancoin boards.
Krause served as an auto mechanic in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany from 1943 to 1946, serving under
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...
. After his discharge, Krause worked on his family's farm and worked on many construction projects.
Career
In 1952, Krause began his publishing career, publishing the first issue of ''
Numismatic News
''Numismatic News'' is an American numismatic magazine which has been in circulation since 1952.
History
''Numismatic News'' was founded by Chester L. Krause, and the first issue appeared on 13 October 1952. The publisher was by Krause Publicat ...
''. He also published the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money and Standard Catalog of World Coins, both considered among the hobby's premier resources of the time. In 1955, he expanded the company's numismatic portfolio by creating ''
Coins
A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
''. ''Numismatic News'' is still published today and is among the longest-running numismatic publications in the United States.
Krause's goal was to bring the coin collecting hobby to people in areas generally ignored by other publications and news outlets at the time, which were mainly focused in larger cities. Krause, who was a construction worker by trade, built the publications' offices, which were completed in 1957 and remained the business's home for decades. In 1971, he began publishing a line of publications for car and auto enthusiasts in an effort to diversify and expand his business. He founded the annual Iola Old Car Show in 1972.
Krause served on the American Numismatic Association board of governors from 2007 until 2010.
Honors and awards
Krause was a life member of the
American Numismatic Association
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) is an organization founded in 1891 by George Francis Heath. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics (the study of coins) along educational, historic ...
, and was awarded several awards from the ANA, including the Medal of Merit, Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 1991, Exemplary Service Award, Numismatist of the Year in 1999, Lifetime Achievement Award, the Burnett Anderson Memorial Award in 2009 and the
Farran Zerbe Memorial Award
The Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award (formerly the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award and ANA Distinguished Service Award) is the highest honor conferred by the American Numismatic Association. In June 2022, the Farran Zerbe Award was renamed the Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award in his honor.
Clifford Mishler
Clifford Leslie Mishler (born August 11, 1939) is an American author and numismatist. He has served as president of the American Numismatic Association.
Early life
Mishler was born in Vandalia, Michigan and attended Northwestern University.
C ...
spearheaded an effort to dedicate a park in
Iola, Wisconsin
Iola is a village in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,236 at the 2020 census. The village is bordered by the towns of Iola and Scandinavia. The community was named after a Potawatomi princess.
Geography
Iola is lo ...
in his honor, which opened in October 2023 in honor of his 100th birthday.
Personal life
Krause was active in many charities and organizations including Rawhide Boy's Ranch, a residential facility for at-risk youth founded by
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett Starr (January 9, 1934 – May 26, 2019) was an American professional football quarterback and head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson T ...
and his wife Cherry, the Badger State Winter Games, the Melvin Laird Center medical research facility at the Marshfield Clinic and the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes at the Children's Hospital of Milwaukee. He suffered a stroke in 2014, and died after a bad fall in January 2016.