GEORGE FREDERICK KOLBE (1941-2025)

I frequently write technical biographies but don't often include personal remembrances. Here are some biographical facts about George Kolbe that were not in The E-Sylum last week.

George was born in Yonkers, New York, on September 9, 1941. His parents were George Andrew Kolbe (1906-1984) and Kathleen Louise Golia (1910-1985). He had an older brother Andrew Robert Kolbe (1932-2007) and sister Mary Lou Kolbe Bachman (1934-2001). In the 1930 census, father George was a chauffeur; in 1940, a carpenter.

The family moved to the Pasadena, California, area in 1943 and settled at 549 N. Holliston Street. For the 1950 Census, the father was listed as a salesman for Monarch Roofing and Insulation Company.

As a teen-ager, George Kolbe delivered papers for the Pasadena Independent. He got his picture in the paper in 1956 as one of their top salesmen.

George graduated from St. Francis High School, a college prep boy's school in Los Angeles. At Loyola University in Los Angeles, he was affiliated with Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.

George married Linda Louise Louiselle (1942-2016) on August 12, 1961. They had three children. Linda died in 2016.

George F. Kolbe joined the American Numismatic association in May, 1966, as member R56210. At the time he was living at 2605 Alvord Lane in Redondo Beach, California. He converted to life membership LM-2316 in May 1979. His mailing address was P.O. Box 178 in Santa Ana, California. His office address was at The Santora Building, Suite 206, 207 North Broadway in Santa Ana, California. By 1980, he had relocated to 23881 Via Fabricante, Suite 511. Mission Viejo, California. By 1986, he was living in Crestline, California.

While at the Santa Ana address, Kolbe issued a cent-sized Patrick Mint token with the inscription GEORGE F. KOLBE / RARE / NUMISMATIC BOOKS / (714) 835-6746 / P.O. BOX 178 / SANTA ANA, CA 92702. The reverse showed one of the Patrick Mint stock dies for a Pine Tree Shilling.

Before going into the numismatic literature business, Kolbe was employed in retail food management.

I attended the 1980 American Numismatic Association convention in Cincinnati. At the convention George F. Kolbe hosted the first meeting of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. John J. Ford was the entertaining guest speaker. Harry W. Bass stood in the back of the room and heckled.

I believe the attendance was about a hundred people interested in numismatic literature. In creating the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, Kolbe did not create the interest but he created the community where information and passion could be shared.

Kolbe's business thrived as he was in the right place at the right time to serve clients wishing to dispose of libraries and customers with their desire to build libraries.

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society did not have a founding president and Cal Wilson was the first elected president serving 1982 to 1985. George F. Kolbe was elected as a write-in candidate and held the title of president for 1985 to 1987. Linda Kolbe served the NBS as club secretary during 1979 to 1987. George served as editor of The Asylum from 1996 to 1998.

Kolbe contributed a column on numismatic literature to Coin World. In 1984, he presented an ANA Summer Seminar class on A Study of Numismatic Literature. This was expanded for a second presentation in 1985 and Fascinating World of Numismatic Literature in 1986.

In 1989, Kolbe participated in publication of Trade Tokens of British and American Booksellers and Bookmakers. He contributed one of the bookseller tokens included in the book. Additional examples of the tokens were included in Kolbe's 1990 44th sale catalog : Selections from the American Numismatic Library of John Weston Adams. Some additional tokens were also available after the sale. I wrote about these tokens for The E-Sylum issue of May 25, 2024.

In commemoration of the June 13, 1998, sale of the Charles Ruby Library, George Frederick Kolbe produced an 11 x 17.5 - inch print for distribution to clients. This is listed as item AO-125 on page 252 of The Secret History of the First U. S. Mint. The image is an oval copy of Washington Inspecting the First Money Coined by the United States. I am fortunate to have copy 1 of 125 issued by Kolbe although my copy differs in size from the description in the book. I understand there may be as many as 124 other examples of copy #1.

The mailer included a smaller 8.5 x 11 - inch holiday greeting for 1999. This included the message You Are No, 1

Kolbe contributed The Tale of the Tape to the January 2014 issue of The Numismatist. His article received an honorable mention from the ANA. Another article, Burned by Burnie appeared in the March 2020 issue.

George died in Crestline, California, on July 12, 2025.

Dennis Tucker adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
GEORGE FREDERICK KOLBE (1941–2025) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n28a02.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web