Scott Schechter, NGC Chief Numismatist and Finalizer, Selected 2025 Numismatist of the Year

Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) is proud to announce that Scott Schechter, NGC Chief Numismatist and Finalizer, has been named Numismatist of the Year for 2025 by the American Numismatic Association (ANA).

The ANA Numismatist of the Year Award is an honor bestowed upon a person from the numismatic community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership within the field and the ANA. The congressionally chartered organization with 25,000 members is dedicated to coins and organizes the nation’s premier numismatic show, the World’s Fair of Money.

The ANA has presented the Numismatist of the Year Award annually since 1995 to recognize those with a personal commitment to and impact on the study of numismatics that is meaningful and expansive. Nominees are required to be ANA members and are suggested to have 15 or more years of numismatic service under their belt. Past recipients represent a "who's who" of numismatics, including previous winners from NGC: Mark Salzberg, David W. Lange and David Vagi.

Schechter’s first formal job in numismatics was in 1994 as an intern at the Smithsonian Institution, working with the National Numismatic Collection. After graduating from Harvard with a degree in history of science, he became a dealer in US coins for Pinnacle Rarities. In 2005, he joined NGC and was promoted to Chief Numismatist and Finalizer in 2020.

Schechter has lectured for the Professional Numismatists Guild and spoken about coin certification at numerous conventions in the US and abroad, including the Beijing International Coin Expo in China and the World Money Fair in Germany. He is a member of the Red Book Advisory Panel and co-author of 100 Greatest US Modern Coins, now in its fifth edition. At NGC, Schechter played a key role in the development of the NGC Registry and the expansion of online tools for collection management. His current focus is on the certification of world coins, working with many dealers and auction houses outside of the United States, as he specializes in the authentication, attribution and grading of vintage non-US coinage. Over the past year, he contributed to the grading of the notable Bruun, Eternal and Traveller collections.

"I am thrilled that our own Scott Schechter has been honored with this prestigious ANA award," said Steven R. Eichenbaum, CEO of the Certified Collectibles Group, which includes NGC. "Scott has been an integral part of NGC for 20 years and I have witnessed first-hand the extent of his knowledge and his commitment to the hobby and the numismatic community. Congratulations, Scott!"

"I am honored to be recognized by the ANA with the Numismatist of the Year Award," says Schechter. "As a proud member since 1996, I have long appreciated the Association’s dedication to advancing the hobby and fostering a strong numismatic community. That sense of community is central to what makes our field so rewarding, and it brings meaning to the work I do in support of collectors and fellow professionals. I’m truly humbled to accept this prestigious award and to be counted among such an esteemed group of past recipients."