Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Howard F. Bowker Papers

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1462
Creators:
Bowker, Howard Franklin
Dates:
1930-1970
Languages:
Collection is in
English
. Some materials in
Chinese
.
Physical Description:
10 Cubic feet
36 boxes
Repository:
The collection documents Howard F. Bowker, a coin collector and expert in the coinage of East Asia.

Content Description

Content Description
The collection consists almost entirely of the subject files of Howard F. Bowker, a coin collector and expert in the coinage of East Asia. The files, arranged alphabetically by correspondent, primarily contain correspondence between Bowker and persons or organizations making inquiries about coins or numismatic books. Additionally, the files include articles on East Asian coinage, newsletters or other publications, bibliographies he created, and a few photographs and rubbings of coins. Also included is a card file containing the details of his collection.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Materials are arranged into one series in alphabetical order.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Howard F. Bowker was born January 3, 1889, in Winona, Minnesota, and he was a self-proclaimed and self-employed coin dealer in the Chicago area by 1910. He served in the U.S. Navy during both World War I and World War II, and it was while he was stationed in Hankow, China, between 1923 and 1924, that he became interested in collecting East Asian numismatic history as well as philatelic history. During and after his service in the Navy, Bowker was a fervent collector of East Asian coins, banknotes, coin molds, stamps, and rare books. He amassed a collection of more than 100,000 objects between the early 1920s and 1970. He engaged with an extensive network of East Asian researchers and collectors and was one of the most prominent American specialists on East Asian numismatics in American history. He provided consulting services to the Smithsonian Institution in the mid-1950s. In 1958, Smithsonian Secretary Leonard Carmichael officially appointed him a Consultant to the Museum of History and Technology, providing for him to travel from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to work with the National Numismatic Collection curator, Dr. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli on organizing the George B. Glover collection. Bowker left his numismatic collection to the Smithsonian in his will. Howard F. Bowker died July 8, 1970.

Administration

Author
Sarah Rung and Bryanna Bauer
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by Nancy Bowker to the Archives Center in 2018.
Processing Information
Collection is processed.
Accruals
.50 cubic feet of related archival material received in 2022 was added to the collection in 2023.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Howard F. Bowker Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Related Materials
Materials in the National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History
Related objects and an audio file for an oral history interview (NMAH-AHB2017q000016) conducted by Ellen Feingold with Marilyn Dorman, Carolyn Bowker, and June Cornell for the Howard Fraklin Bowker Asian Coin Project United States, recorded November 14, 2016. See accessions: 2017.0035 and 2017.0116.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Articles -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coins Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coins, Chinese Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coins, Japanese Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coins, Korean Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Knife coins Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century. Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newsletters -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Numismatics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bibliographies Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Card files Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu