Decorated exhibitor and judge John Eshbach is the recipient of the American Numismatic Association’s 2009 Farran Zerbe Memorial Award. The award is the ANA’s highest honor, and is presented annually in recognition of numerous years of outstanding, dedicated service to numismatics. Eshbach will receive his award Aug. 8 at the 118th Anniversary Convention banquet in Los Angeles.
The 88-year-old Eshbach was born and raised in Lancaster, Penn., where he still resides. He joined the Marines in 1942 and served four years in the South Pacific, finishing his tour of duty at Camp Pendleton. It was there he met and married Corporal Evelyn E. Henry in 1945, and together they raised a son and a daughter. Evelyn passed away in 1995. Eshbach was a longtime supervisor at RCA in Lancaster, retiring after 36 years with the company.
Eshbach became involved in numismatics through his daughter and her school coin club. He joined the ANA in 1962 and is just three years shy of receiving his 50-year membership medal. Eshbach has been a devoted member of the Club Representative Program, and has spent several months at ANA headquarters in Colorado Springs working with the museum staff in accessioning and cataloging the collection.
Since 1960 Eshbach has been an active and respected exhibitor and exhibit judge. In 1999 he and close friend Jerry Kochel taught a course about exhibit preparation at the ANA’s Summer Seminar; it was a success and the two have returned several times to teach the course. In 2007 he received the Joseph E. Boling Award for Excellence in Judging. Eshbach still volunteers his time as a judge at ANA and other conventions.
John Eshbach is an active member of Lancaster’s Red Rose Coin Club, and promotes the hobby locally. He has previously won the ANA’s Outstanding Club Representative Award (1987), Glenn Smedley Memorial Award (2000), Medal of Merit (2001) and countless accolades for his exhibits.
About American Numismatic Association
The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 32,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs, as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit www.money.org.
