JOSEPH HOOPER (1833-1919)

He was born at Plymouth, Devon, England on February 19, 1833, son of John Hooper (1796-) and Elizabeth Hooper (1786-1851). He was a direct descent of the Bishop of Gloucester, England. He worked as an apprentice marble cutter in England. After the death of his mother Elizabeth his family moved to America in September 1851 migrating to Detroit, Michigan. A few years later, in 1853, he settled in Port Hope, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada, where he lived with his new American wife Annie Maria Pratt (1828-1901). They had six children... In 1861 he sold horses to the Calvary of the United States Army during the Civil War.

He probably collected coins in England and amassed a substantial collection and developed knowledge of coins and collectors. He was a buyer at the Lorin Parmelee sale and won the Canadian, English and Roman coins.

For two years he was in charge of the numismatic department of The Toronto Philatelic Journal, and one year for a Whitby, Ontario newspaper. He was a merchant in Port Hope, Ontario and began coin collecting about 1870 as told by him in his first published letter to George Heath in January 1891.

After his winning bids at the Parmelee sale in 1891 his coin collection was estimated to be valued at $10,000.00.

In 1891, Hooper was one of seven Canadian charter members of the American Numismatic Association, and the first Vice-President from 1891-1898. His original ANA Member No. was 25. He also served as editor of The Numismatist. The following year his collection, valued at over $15,000, was primarily sold at auction in New York by Edouard Frossard on July 21-22, and October 6, 1892.

He issued a 28 mm copper store card struck by Pritchard & Andrews of Port Hope, Ottawa, Canada, Canada, with beaded borders on both sides with the obverse legend around the rim reading : J. HOOPER, PT. HOPE, ONT. and in the center of a circular repeated sunset patterns : NUMISMATIST, seven sunset patterns arcuated above and seven below. Reverse, around the beaded rim reading : COINS (top), TOKENS (bottom) and below the word COINS a device of a central six pointed star flanked on both sides by three leaves, and below MEDALS AND, (bottom) TOKENS.

The ANA medal reverse designed in 1892 by Joseph Hooper. The reverse legend : TYPES OF EXTINCT CIVILIZATION. MORE HISTORIC THAN WRITTEN HISTORY. The obverse has the book, oil lamp and legend DE PROFUNDIS, a pun on excavated coins. Around the obverse face is the legend : AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION ORG. 1891. The original drawing was presented to the ANA in 1933 by a son of Joseph Hooper.

From October 1891 - December 1892 Hooper wrote a column for The Numismatist titled : “Numismatic Foundation Stones.” These were also printed separately as offprints or reprints in yellow wrappers from 1892-1893. Afterwards another column published by Hooper for The Numismatist was titled "Hooper's Restrikes". Besides these two regular columns Hooper published over two dozen articles for The Numismatist.

He donated part of his Greek coin collection to the Detroit Central Library, and another portion sold to the Dominion Government Museum. The remainder was divided among dealers and some were bequeathed to his children.

During the Annual Dinner of the Rochester Numismatic Association, January 18, 1916, Hooper is hailed as the "Grand Old Man" and referred to as the "oldest living numismatist" celebrating his 83d birthday the following month.

He died at the age of 86 on February 16, 1919, just three days prior to his 87th birthday at his home on 80 Emerson Street, Rochester, New York. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York.

Joseph Hooper was inducted into the ANA Numismatic Hall of Fame in 1974, fifty-five years after his demise. For the diamond jubilee of the ANA a medal was struck with the portraits of Hooper, Heath, and Jerrems, by Frank Gasparro.

To read the complete article, see:
HOOPER, JOSEPH (https://sites.google.com/a/numismaticmall.com/www/numismaticmall-com/hooper-joseph)

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