Token dealer Steve Tanenbaum killed by NY stabbing suspect
Ken Barr
was killed on Friday afternoon after being struck by a car driven by the
suspect in the multiple stabbing case in New York City.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110212/us_nm/us_crime_stabbings
I haven't been traveling to distant shows as much as I used to, so I
haven't seen Steve very often in the past several years, but his table
was always a "must stop" location at any show he set up at. He was
frequently too busy to just sit down and shoot the breeze with, but
always happy to do so when the business environment permitted. He'll be
greatly missed both for his knowledge and personality.
His listing on the Civil War Token Society Hall of Fame page:
> Stephen L. Tanenbaum
>
> Steve Tanenbaum is considered by many to be the most knowledgeable active
> person in the field of Civil War tokens. He has been relied upon for many
> decades as a consultant, editor, and contributor to numerous CWT works.
> After beginning his CWT collecting journey in 1972, he became a full-time
> dealer for tokens in 1981. Steve has handled, purchased, and built some
> of the greatest modern-day collections, although he always considers
> himself a collector first. He has discovered hundreds of new varieties,
> previously unknown die states, and odd mint errors. Steve has been
> elected to eight terms on the Board of Governors, and also filled two
> partial terms by appointment. He has served as Vice President of the
> Society since 2004.
--
Ken Barr Numismatics email: k...@kenbarr.com
P. O. Box 32541 website: http://www.kenbarr.com
San Jose, CA 95152 Coins, currency, exonumia, souvenir cards, etc.
408-272-3247 NEXT SHOW: San Jose CC (Doubletree Hotel), Jan 28 - 30
JHL
Jud
Storecard book for many years, and should finally be published within
a year. The reason it has taken so long is because Steve was the
primary source of information, which he kept as notes in his old
Storecard book, which was stolen a number of years ago, which set the
CWTS back many years. He was a source of much information on other
tokens as well, such as Good For tokens. His inventory of just about
any kind of token was enormous as well. When nobody else had a
particular token, you were just about guaranteed that Steve would have
one, and if he didn't have one, he had either sold one, or would find
it for you. He was in a business relationship with Steve Hayden, and
collectively, they were known as 'the Steves'.
I have known Steve for about 20 years, and will certainly miss him.
Jud
Al Jakira
I hadn't been in touch with Steve for many years, but had many
dealings with him in the past. I remember him as a consummate
professional. As a dealer, he was always courteous, even when there
were "bumps" in our business relationship. In part, this was because
he understood that courtesy was good business - but it was also *who
he was*. He was also a dedicated researcher of tokens and medals,
always eager to learn more. The few times I was able to give him
information about a token that he didn't already have, he appreciated
it (in his quiet way). His death is a great loss to numismatics.
Al Jakira