George Kolbe Numismatic Bookseller Has Passed Away. R.i.p.

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George Frederick Kolbe 1941-2025

We are heartbroken to announce the death of the founder of our firm, George Frederick Kolbe. George was known throughout the world as the foremost numismatic bookseller, having established his business in May 1967 and nurtured it over the course of the next fifty-six years into the world's largest independent firm specializing in numismatic literature. He was known to us as our mentor, our partner, and our friend.

Beginning with a modest three-page fixed price list sent to no more than two dozen potential customers, George placed great emphasis on his catalogues. Subsequent lists grew in sophistication, and in 1976 George held his first mail-bid sale. His first public auction followed in 1979. All the while he continued to grow professionally, producing informative and bibliographically rigorous catalogues. At the time of his retirement in 2023, George had been associated with some 168 auctions conducted under his name or (beginning in 2010) under the Kolbe & Fanning banner, many of which function as references within the field of numismatic literature.

A listing of notable libraries sold over the years would consist of too many names to include here, though the Harry W. Bass, John J. Ford, and Stack Family libraries require particular mention, as do the fifteen New York auctions conducted jointly with Douglas Saville of Spink. During his career, Kolbe also published The Numismatic Bookseller, which variably functioned as a house organ, fixed price list, and mail-bid sale, and founded the Numismatic Bibliomania Society with his friend Jack Collins. In 2012, Kolbe published a bibliography, The Reference Library of a Numismatic Bookseller, based on his personal working library.

A Life Fellow of the American Numismatic Society (ANS), George was the recipient of the 2005 Trustees' Award and, as such, was the honoree at the ANS Gala that year. George was also a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association ( ANA), from which he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He was a winner in 1995 of the ANA's Glenn Smedley Memorial Award and was recognized for his award-winning exhibit, "Numismatic Bibliography 1579-1912: The Literature of Numismatic Literature," at the 2011 ANA World's Fair of Money. George was elected to the honorary Rittenhouse Society and was a founding member of the Attinelli Fellowship, an honorary association of numismatic bibliophiles.

In 2010, George combined his well-established company with our fledgling business to form Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers. His guidance and support in the early years of that partnership were essential to our development, and he was always available for advice and assistance whenever it was needed in more recent times. While George retired two years ago, the Kolbe & Fanning firm remains in business under that name, and will continue to do so moving forward.

George cherished the numerous friends he had made throughout the world during his long career, and was always grateful for the opportunities given to him through his involvement with numismatics. His loss is a heavy blow for us, but we take solace in the memories of the time we had with him.

David & Maria Fanning