ALAN STAHL RETIRES FROM PRINCETON

Faculty from various disciplines, students and staff (present and former), and, of course, a treasury of numismatists gathered at Prospect House on May 13 to pay tribute to Alan Stahl upon his retirement from his position as Curator of Numismatics in Princeton University Library's Special Collections, which also brings to a close his long career of lecturing in the Departments of Art & Archaeology, Classics, and History.

Crowning the tribute, Stahl was presented with an advance copy of Coins & Money in the Middle Ages; Studies in Honor of Alan Stahl. The festschrift volume was edited by Princeton Department of History alumni Merle Eisenberg '18 and Lee Mordechai '17, alongside David Yoon, Curator of Medieval, Renaissance, and Early European Numismatics at the American Numismatic Society, which plans to release the book next month.

"Alan's magisterial impact on the field of numismatics is immense and the number of faculty, students, and colleagues at his reception and book presentation reflected this," said Eisenberg, who earned his Ph.D. from the Department of History in 2018. "He taught me the importance of using coins as a key type of evidence for medieval history, which I have used since taking a seminar with him as a graduate student. Our edited volume reveals the breadth and depth of his scholarship, with essays from students, friends, and colleagues across the U.S. and the world."

Guests at the reception rose to speak in Stahl's honor, each reaffirming his inimitable place atop his field. Addressing the large gathering, Professor of History Helmut Reimitz recalled his astonishment upon arriving on campus to find himself working alongside "THE Alan Stahl!" Over a career spanning five decades, Stahl has shaped the discipline by writing 166 scholarly articles and reviews, curating 27 exhibitions, and authoring or editing 13 books, so far.

But his legacy goes far beyond statistics. "It is a triumph to make your niche stand out among a cabinet of niches, so to speak," said Eric White, Scheide Librarian and Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. "Numismatics became a buzzing operation with Alan at the helm, causing pangs of admiring jealousy among colleagues and immense gratitude on behalf of the many, many students he brought into the numismatic fold."

Growing the Collection, Mentoring the Future

Stahl has been a driving force behind several international initiatives for the study of numismatics, including the Framing the Late Antique and early Medieval Economy (FLAME) project database and Nomisma.org, a linked open data platform. Three of his major acquisitions for Princeton were the Donald and Theodotou collections of Byzantine coins, and a growing collection of rare Axumite coinage. "Under his watch, Princeton's coin collection, which was already a very important one, has become even richer and stronger," said Professor of History Jack Tannous.

"Alan not only built upon and stewarded one of the nation's premier collections of world numismatics," White elaborated, "he simultaneously lectured in Princeton's departments of Art & Archaeology, History, and Classics, as well as for the Byzantine Numismatics at Dumbarton Oaks," with previous academic appointments at Rutgers University, the American Numismatic Society, the Università di Venezia, the University of Michigan, Rice, Notre Dame, and MIT.

Stahl lectured in the Department of Art & Archaeology throughout his 22 years at Princeton, regularly teaching courses on numismatics as well as on the 1930s Princeton-led expedition to Antioch. And colleagues regularly brought their courses in fields ranging from art history and archaeology to classics, history, and religion to understand the myriad information coins hold.

"He has the ability to make money talk, so to speak," said Tannous. "I have had my undergraduate students coming to do special coin sessions with Alan since 2013, and for the students who did these sessions, I think they were always a highlight of the course. He has a marvelous way of bringing the importance of coins to life and the students are able to look at and handle coins from many centuries ago—they can actually touch objects from our period, which is amazing."

On a given afternoon in Stahl's thriving numismatic laboratory one might see students working in tandem on Islamic, Aksumite, and Chinese knife coins while he astounded a visiting scholar with veins of numismatic evidence that connected directly to their work. His generosity and enthusiasm bred a gracious, stimulating, inclusive space to explore numismatics.

"Alan has been a teacher and mentor for an uncountable number of students," said Elena Baldi, Byzantine Numismatics Cataloger and Linked-Open-Data Coordinator who has worked alongside Stahl on the numismatics collection since 2023. "In the three years we worked together, I have seen many students working, learning and thriving under Professor Stahl's supervision," she said. "The numismatics office has been buzzing with young minds learning to record coins, but also how to use them to understand history, economy, art history. So many of his students are now accomplished scholars."

A case in point, among those paying tribute to Stahl at the reception were A&A archaeology minor Susan McLernon '27. "Dr. Alan Stahl's class on Antioch set me on the path toward my minor in Archaeology and working in Numismatics," she said. "His kindness and willingness to share his immense knowledge have been a boon to my education. More than that, he has been a fantastic mentor as I navigate the next steps in my life. I can't imagine my time here at Princeton without him, and he will be sorely missed!"

Students have also entered Stahl's numismatic realm as student workers, with a group of graduate and undergraduate students cataloging coins throughout the year.

"Emailing Dr. Stahl about cataloguing coins my first week at Princeton was one of the best decisions I've ever made," said Grant Bruner '23, who earned a certificate in A&A's Program in Archaeology. "Over four years, he guided my research interests and showed me what professional numismatics is really like." Today, Bruner is drawing on those foundational lessons as he embarks on his doctoral dissertation research at the University of Pennsylvania—Dr. Stahl's own alma mater. "I am incredibly grateful for his generosity," Bruner said. So much so, that he traveled to Princeton in the middle of his General Exams to pay homage.

Good at Coins, Medals—and People

Yoon efficiently captured the essence of Stahl's career when he concluded "Alan is not only good at coins and medals, but also good at people." This gift for relationship building transformed the department into a hub of collaborative study and cultivated a global scholarly network.

"His team in special collections was a really special place in the university—generous, kind, welcoming, open…A real collegial learning space—everything that can be good about a university when it is functioning at its best," said Tannous. "Stahl has been able to create, for decades, a real community of interest and learning around Princeton's coin collection."

"While Alan plans to maintain his productive and central role in scholarship on numismatics, his departure from the library creates an enormous void in this specialized academic discipline," said White, "A valued colleague, collaborator, scholar, and teacher, Alan will be missed by all who worked with him and remembered with gratitude for many years to come."

Stahl's formal retirement from Princeton is no conclusion. He will continue to shape global numismatic scholarship— alongside the generations of scholars carrying his legacy forward.

To read the complete article, see:
Alan Stahl Retires after 22 Years as Curator of Numismatics and Lecturer in A&A (https://artandarchaeology.princeton.edu/whats/news/alan-stahl-retires-after-22-years-curator-numismatics-and-lecturer-aa)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web