Chester Lee Krause (December 16, 1923 – June 25, 2016) was an American author,

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

, and businessman best known as the founder of

Krause Publications Krause Publications is an American publisher of hobby magazines and books. Originally a company founded and based in Iola, Wisconsin, they relocated to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in April 2018. The company was started by Chester L. Krause (1923 ...

in the 1950s.

Early life

Krause was born in the Town of Helvetia, Wisconsin, 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 Menominee ...

. He started collecting when he was a boy and his aunts gave him some Whitman coin boards. Krause served as an auto mechanic in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany from 1943 to 1946, serving under George S. Patton. 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''. 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, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic 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 ...

''. Both ''Coins'' and ''Numismatic News'' are still published today and are 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, histor ...

, 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 organization's highest honor, in 1977. In June 2022, the Farran Zerbe Award was renamed the

Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service 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.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 ...

has 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 girl. Geography Iola is located a ...

in his honor, which is scheduled to open in December 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 at the University of Al ...

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krause, Chester 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Waupaca County, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin American numismatists Businesspeople from Wisconsin United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American businesspeople