Mel Wacks
Biography
(L2022)
Born in the Bronx, New York. Graduated with Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from City College of New York in 1959. Received Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from New York University in 1962. Married Esther Saperstein in 1963 with two daughters. Employed as an electrical engineer 1959 to 1972.
Founding Director of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame producing annual art medals since 1959. He designed the Ellie Wiesel reverse (1995), Houdini reverse (1996) and 40th Anniversary of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame reverse (2009). Board member of American Medallic Sculpture Association (AMSA) and chaired committee to choose winner of American Medal of the Year (AMY) Award. Chair of committee to select the American Numismatic Association Numismatic Art Award for Excellence in Medallic Sculpture 2006 to 2016.
Member of the ANA for more than 50 years; he received an ANA Presidential Award in 2009; Fellow of the American Numismatic Society; member of the Numismatic Literary Guild. President of the American Israel Numismatic Association after 2002 and Editor-in-Chief of The Shekel. Author of more than 100 articles in numismatic publications. Named a Numismatic Ambassador in 2021. He received an ANA Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 2022.
Creator of Handbook of Biblical Numismatics on www.amuseum.org. He has produced two dozen counterstamped coins from 1976 to 2016 that can be seen on www.amuseum.org/jahf/wacks-counterstmps.html.
bio by correspondence 2017