Noe, Sydney P. (Sydney Philip), 1885-1969

Sydney P. Noe was born on April 4, 1885 in Woodbridge, New Jersey. He graduated from Rutgers University, where he received his master's degree, in 1913. Two years later, in 1915, he joined the ANS as Librarian, where he reorganized the library's collection and created its photofile. Noe remained librarian until 1938, when he succeeded Howland Wood as Curator. Noe also served as Secretary for the ANS from 1917 until 1947, when he was named Chief Curator — the first person to hold that position. Upon his retirement in 1953, Noe was named Chief Curator Emeritus.

During this period, Noe also served the ANS as Editor from 1921 to 1945. While Noe served as its editor, the ANS launched two of its most significant series, Numismatic Notes and Monographs, the first volume of which was his Coin Hoards, and Numismatic Studies.

Noe's interest in numismatics did not stem directly from his education. His major at Rutgers was engineering. It was while Noe was working part-time in that school's library that he was assigned the task of classifying a gift collection of coins and his fascination with numismatics began. Noe was a specialist in Greek coins, but also studied the colonial coins of Massachusetts and the hacienda tokens of Mexico. He authored more than 40 monographs and articles, mainly in the field of Greek numismatics. His published works, in addition to Coins Hoards, included A Bibliography of Greek Coin Hoards, The Pine Tree Coinages of Massachusetts, and Coinage of Caulonia.

Noe was named a life fellow of the ANS in 1919 and a patron in 1968. Noe received the ANS's Archer M. Huntington Medal Award (1938), as well as the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society (1949).

Upon his retirement in 1953, Noe continued to come to the ANS several days a week. In 1965, the ANS Council presented Noe with a gold medal to commemorate his half century of service to the Society.

Noe died in 1969 at the age of 84.