"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my friend and longtime business partner Eldert Bontekoe. In recent years Eldert was diagnosed with a heart condition, and ultimately that caused his death. Eldert was a big man, with a big heart. He was always willing to help fellow dealers as well as his friends and customers. Eldert was passionate about our hobby and believed that it was important to educate our customers. He loved coins and antiquities, and his passion was evident to all. We spent 26 years together as business partners, and I will miss him greatly. Our hobby has lost a dear friend and a good man.

"Please continue to check our website for any updates. Our next Auction catalog will move forward as planned, posted at the end of the month. Eldert was particularly proud of the selection of coins that will be available in this upcoming auction!"

"Eldert was a great guy. You could not ask for a more honest or knowledgeable dealer. He was always willing to spend time talking even if you didn't buy much."

"Eldert was a quiet, unassuming man, who loved his history and his coins. I was able to spend about an hour or so with him last November at the annual Michigan State Numismatic Society Convention, and he was looking forward to retirement and being a private collector again. At the recent New York International Numismatic Convention, he purchased several coins from our firm for his own collection, and his renewed passion for collecting coins was evident. This makes his untimely death even more sad.

"Eldert Bontekoe was a gentle giant in the ancient coin business, literally and figuratively, and he will be greatly missed by us all."

"I can't remember the first time I met Eldert but it must have been at one of the coin shows I attended with my father before I was in the business. Eldert was quiet and if you didn't give him a chance you probably wouldn't know how nice he was. Over the years as I got to know him and Nick Economopolous I came to see another side of Eldert. A man with wisdom to share and generosity to give. When I first became an independent dealer I remember attending the NY International that January. I had literally just started on my own and had no inventory at all aside from the few coins I purchased while still collecting and some recent auction purchases. I went around to the dealers at the show to see if I could sell a few coins and introduce myself again as Shanna Schmidt Numismatics Inc and not simply Harlan Berk's daughter.

One of my first stops was Pegasi. Nick and Eldert showed me an incredible amount of compassion by looking through what I had, giving me advice on pricing (which I took and it holds true today!) and buying a few pieces. They could have shooed me away but they didn't and for this I will always be grateful. When Nick told me at the Atlanta National Money Show just recently that he would be going out on his own I was saddened to hear this. It clearly wasn't a decision that he made lightly since he and Eldert were a strong team. I suppose that the end was already in sight for Eldert and most likely for the well being of Pegasi they made this hard decision.

If someone asked Eldert if we were friends I'm sure he would've said not really but he has left an indelible mark on my experience in the coin business whether he knew it or not. I'm saddened by his passing during the COVID-19 crisis as we can not fully honor Eldert during this time of crisis. He will be sorely missed in the coin community."