The American Numismatic Society

By Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan-Executive Director

The ANS recently received the bequest of esteemed deceased member John Francis Lhotka, who had left to the Society his collection of Ancient Greek, Roman Republican, Roman Imperial, Medieval and Modern coins in bronze, silver and gold (over 1,947 examples). Born in Butte, Montana, in 1921, after working briefly as a chemist, Lhotka joined the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service and served as an officer from 1942 through World War II. In 1951, Dr. Lhotka became a devoted member of the ANS, and in 1970 he was elected a Life Fellow. He established a fund in 1960 to purchase coins for ANS collections, primarily in the fields of Bohemia, the Slavic Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires in Europe. In 1961, he also provided funds for the Society’s library purchases of numismatic publications on similar topics. Due to his significant contributions to the ANS, the Society named Dr. Lhotka a Patron in 1962. He was known as a collector and author of several popular works, including Medieval European coinage, Introduction to East Roman (Byzantine) coinage, Introduction to medieval bracteates, etc. His posthumous contribution to the ANS represents a significant addition to the numismatic holdings, and will be well appreciated by scholars, students and collectors.