Noted Variety collector Bill Fivaz, co-author of the Cherrypickers’ Guide donated a box of early historical files and records about Morgan and Peace silver dollars to The Institute of Silver Dollar Education and Research.
According to Dr. Michael S. Fey, The Institute’s Chairman, this represents some of the earliest research and development efforts on discovery and frequency of observations of various silver dollar varieties known. Contributions and some personal correspondence by early silver dollar experts in the 1970’s included: Leroy Van Allen, A. George Mallis, Pete Bishal, Ted Clark, Randy Campbell, Tom Delorey, Martin Field, Bob Reithe, Hoyt Warren and others. Morgan and Peace Silver dollar variety collectors rest on the shoulders of these pioneers.
In the 1970’s Bill Fivaz formed a VAM Club within the Numismatic Error Collectors of American (NECA), which was a forerunner to the Combined Organization of Numismatic Error Collectors of America (CONECA), with nearly 1000 members today. Along with publisher Leroy Van Allen, and Chairman Randy Campbell, Fivaz contributed 34 VAM Club Reports, published in the NECA Dollar Varieties and Error Scrapbook (1979).
The files will be retained in The Institute’s Library for further historical analysis and future publication.
Bill Fivaz is a former American Numismatic Association (ANA) Governor, a Farren Zerbe and Numismatist of the Year awardee, was inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame in 2002, and has an Honorary Doctorate of Numismatics Award.