Kenneth Luster Hallenbeck, Jr. (born October 20, 1931) is a former president 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 ...
. He has served with the ANA for 58 years.
Career
He was first elected to the ANA Board of Governors in 1971 and served for six years. His next position with the ANA was in service to the Money Museum. From 1977 to 1983, he would be the curator. On two separate occasions, he was elected to the organization’s policy making board. Hallenbeck served as ANA President from 1989-91. His tenure on the Board of Governors came prior to the 10-year limitation currently in force; he has a total of 16 years of service on the Board.
Hallenbeck served on the U.S. Assay Commission in 1974.
In 1983, Hallenbeck opened his own coin shop called ''The Hallenbeck Coin Gallery'' in Colorado Springs. His son, Tom took over the enterprise in 2001. Ken and Tom Hallenbeck are the only father and son to serve as Board members of the ANA. Tom served from 1997 to 2001.
Hallenbeck was the Acting Executive Director of the American Numismatic Association from August 2007 until the hiring of Larry Sheppard in July 2008. He helped to stabilize and boost the morale of the Association's employees after the firing of Christopher Chipoletti.
Hallenbeck is considered to be an authority on counter-stamped coins, which are coins that have been stamped by an entity outside of the Mint, usually a business such as a doctor, pharmacist or silversmith. He has written articles on counter-stamped coins for ''
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 ...
'', '' Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine'' and others.
At the 2020 National Money Show, his collection of "odd and curious money" was auctioned off.
Awards and honors
In recognition of his service and dedication to numismatics, he has received various honors from the ANA. He is the recipient of the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award (1991), the Medal of Merit (1996), the Exemplary Service Award (1998), and the 1999
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.Coin World, p. 14, August 27, 2007 In 1993, he was named a ''
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 ...
'' Numismatic ambassador. In 2008, he was awarded the ANA Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2025, Hallenbeck was inducted into the ANA's Numismatic Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Hallenbeck married June Eugenia Miekka in 1955, and they have four children, including Tom Hallenbeck, who is a coin dealer and recipient of the Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award. Hallenbeck worked for Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from 1957 to 1977.
Currently, he is a resident of
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...