Gene Hessler (born July 13, 1928) is an American musician and numismatist, specialising in paper money.

Biography

Hessler was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio, in 1928. After studying music in Cincinnati he travelled as a trombonist with the bands of Elliot Lawrence,

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

, Billy May, and others. He moved to NYC in 1955 and received a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1957. Hessler remained in NYC for over 30 years performing in the Broadway pit orchestras for ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...

'', ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

'', '' How to Succeed in Business'', ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

'' and many other musicals. He also worked at the Radio City Music Hall, and as a free-lance trombonist performed or recorded with Doc Severinsen,

Tommy Newsom Thomas Penn Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', for which he later became assistant director. Newsom was frequently the band's substitute dir ...

, Urbie Green and many more New York musicians. In and around NYC Hessler worked with the bands of

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, Sauter-Finegan and Richard Maltby. He also performed as an extra or substitute with the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

and the

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

under numerous conductors including Leonard Bernstein and

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...

. He travelled through Africa with a musical group in 1964 and went around the world with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1966; both were State Department tours. It was during his time on Broadway that Hessler became a serious numismatist under the mentorship of Lester Merkin, musician and numismatic dealer.American Numismatic Association blog, 25 July 2014. https://www.money.org/blog/Gene%20Hessler%20named%20the%202014%20Lifetime%20Achievement%20Award%20winner Retrieved 8 Feb 2018.

Numismatic career

He has published five books related to the history and the engravers of paper money, and has written for numerous magazines and journals, including the ''

International Bank Note Society Notaphily is the study and collection of paper currency, and banknotes. A notaphilist is a collector of banknotes or paper money, particularly as a hobby. History It is believed that people have been collecting paper money for as long as it has ...

Journal'', ''

The Numismatist ''The Numismatist'' (formerly ''Numismatist'') is the monthly publication of the American Numismatic Association. ''The Numismatist'' contains articles written on such topics as coins, tokens, medals, paper money, and stock certificates. All mem ...

'', ''

Coin World ''Coin World'' is an American numismatic magazine, with weekly and monthly issues. It is among the world’s most popular non-academic publications for coin collectors and is covering the entire numismatic field, including coins, paper money, me ...

'', and was editor of ''

Paper Money A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

'' for fourteen years. He discovered and published several previously unknown designs for U.S. currency through research at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Smithsonian Institution. He was curator of the Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum (1967-1975, while he continued working as a musician), and the St. Louis Mercantile Bank Money Museum (1986-1989). See also his correspondence with numismatist Eric P. Newman. Membership of specialist societies
Hessler is a member of the American Numismatic Association (since 1967); the American Numismatic Society (elected Fellow c.1973); the Cincinnati Numismatic Association (board member 2005–present); the Essay Proof Society (vice president 1987-1993, director 1987-93); the International Bank Note Society (director in the 1980s); and Society of Paper Money Collectors (board member 1980s-90s).

Awards and Honours

Source: * 1983 ANA Heath Literary Award * 1990 ANA Honorary Life Member * 1991 Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-in-Show Exhibit (for his exhibit of the complete works of Czech banknote designer Max Svabinsky) * 1993 ANA Glen Smedley Memorial Award * 1994 Professional Numismatists Guild Outstanding Achievement Award * 1995 ANA Medal of Merit * 1998 ANA Presidential Award * 2001 International Bank Note Society Silver Medal for Service * 2001 Middle Atlantic Numismatic Association Numismatist of the Year * 2014 American Numismatic Association's Lifetime Achievement Award * 2007 Numismatic Literary Guild Clemy

Selected publications

* 1974 ''The Comprehensive Catalog of US Paper Money'' * 1988 ''An illustrated history of U.S. loans, 1775-1898'' * 1993 ''The Engraver's Line: an encyclopedia of paper money & postage stamp art'' * 2004 ''U.S. essay, proof, and specimen notes'' * 2005 ''The International Engraver's Line: Paper Money and Postage Stamp Engravers and Their Work from the 1700s to the Euro'' * 2009 ''Hey! Mister horn blower: memoirs of a life in music and numismatics''New Book: Hey! Mister Horn Blower, by Gene Hessler, review in The E-sylum, Volume 12, Number 13, March 29, 2009, Article 2. http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v12n13a02.html Retrieved 8 Feb 2018.

References

External links

Gene Hessler on Worldcat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hessler, Gene 1928 births Living people American numismatists Manhattan School of Music alumni