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

Biography

Hessler was born in Mount Healthy, 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 Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet (TV series), The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad (TV series), T ...

, and others. He moved to NYC in 1955 and received a master's degree from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

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 theatre, musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns a confidence trick, con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and ...

'', ''

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with 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 ...

'', '' How to Succeed in Business'', '' Annie'' and many other musicals. He also worked at the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

, and as a free-lance trombonist performed or recorded with

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

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 Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green (August 8, 1926 – December 31, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle. He played on over 250 recordings and released more than twenty albums a ...

and many more New York musicians. In and around New York City 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 is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

and the

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred to colloquially as the Met, the company i ...

under numerous conductors including

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

and

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American 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. H ...

. 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 money, 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 ...

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 me ...

'', ''

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'' 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). He is also known for 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'' * 1977: ''The Comprehensive Catalog of US Paper Money'' (revised edition) * 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