Don Paul Taxay (born c. 1934 in Chicago) American Numismatic Biographies
by Pete Smith; first published 1992; via

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

was an American

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, known for the reference works he composed, and for his disappearance at the height of his career.

Career in numismatics

Taxay's first published work was ''Counterfeit, Mis-Struck and unofficial U.S. Coins'', in 1963, followed by ''The U.S. Mint and Coinage'' in 1966 (which

Gilroy Roberts Gilroy Roberts (March 11, 1905, Philadelphia – January 26, 1992 Havertown, Pennsylvania) was an American sculptor. He served as the ninth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1948 until 1964, and is perhaps most famous for designing t ...

called "the most complete and authoritative treatise on the subject ever written"),THE U.S. MINT AND COINAGE, By Don Taxay
at

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

, retrieved April 11, 2012 ''An Illustrated History of U.S. Commemorative Coinage'' in 1967, ''Money of the American Indians'' in 1970, and ''Scott's Comprehensive Catalogue and Encyclopedia of United States Coins'' in 1971. He also served as the

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum from April 1964 to May 1966. In 1974, he joined award-winning numismatist Harry Forman in establishing the coin dealership of Forman, Taxay and Associates. In approximately 1977, Taxay withdrew from society.

Disappearance

In 2005-2006, the members of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's mailing list undertook a joint research project to discover what had happened to Taxay.WHATEVER BECAME OF DON TAXAY?
from ''The E-Sylum'' newsletter - Volume 8, Number 54, December 25, 2005, Article 10, by Wayne Homren; archived at coinbooks.org; retrieved April 11, 2012 They established that Taxay had been introduced to

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

Walter Breen Walter Henry Breen Jr. (September 5, 1928 – April 27, 1993) was an American numismatist, writer, and convicted child sex offender; as well as the husband of author Marion Zimmer Bradley. He was known among coin collectors for writing ''Walt ...

, and that as a result, Taxay became a

Rajneeshee The Rajneesh movement are people inspired by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931–1990), also known as Osho, particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins". They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Oran ...

and emigrated to India.DON TAXAY WHERE ARE YOU?
from ''The E-Sylum'' newsletter - Volume 9, Number 1, January 1, 2006, Article 9, by Wayne Homren; archived at coinbooks.org; retrieved April 11, 2012 Historian Karl Moultonwhose 2007 book ''

Henry Voigt Henry Voigt or Henry Voight (1738–1814) was a clockmaker, mathematical instrument maker, machine and steam engine builder, and Chief Coiner of the first United States Mint. He operated a wire mill in Reading Pennsylvania and repaired clocks and w ...

and Others Involved in America's Early Coinage'' includes a chapter analyzing Taxay's

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

speculates that Taxay attempted to liquidate all his property so that he could donate his wealth to the

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was viewed as a controv ...

, and describes him as "brainwashed and untraceable", concluding that Taxay's ultimate fate may never be known.

References

External links

Correspondence
between Taxay and Eric P. Newman, at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taxay, Don 1970s missing person cases 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers American Conservatory of Music alumni American numismatists Historians from Illinois 1930s births Missing person cases in India People from Chicago Rajneesh movement 20th-century American male writers Living people

Career in numismatics

Disappearance

See also

References

External links