2015 Huntington Award to Arthur A. Houghton III, "Seleucid Excursions: More Questions than Answers."
Channel: American Numismatic Society
Date: 2015-05-21

On May 16, 2015, the American Numismatic Society presented Arthur A. Houghton, III with the 2015 Archer M. Huntington Award in recognition of his outstanding career contributions to numismatic scholarship. With almost 60 guests in attendance, family, friends and supporters were treated to an opening reception at the ANS, a welcome by Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan, Executive Director, and an introduction by Prof. Jere Bacharach, Chairman of the Society’s Huntington Committee. Mr. Houghton educated and entertained guests with his Silvia Mani Hurter Memorial Lecture, “Seleucid Excursions: More Questions than Answers.” The event was followed by a reception in Mr. Houghton’s honor at ROC Restaurant.

Professor Bacharach addressed the attendees with praise for the 2015 Awardee: “Arthur’s service to scholarly organizations is amazing… If we look at his scholarly contributions by going to DONUM (the ANS online library), we will find 80 references under his name... These references have revolutionized our understanding of Seleucid coinage and are basically the major fundamental references for our work… For many of us, ‘Arthur’ and ‘Seleucid coins’ are synonymous terms.”

An ANS Honorary Life Fellow and Trustee, Mr. Houghton also served as the President of the Board of Trustees from 1994 to 1999. He has been a student of Hellenistic coinages, and particularly those of the Seleucid Empire, for more than fifty years. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and several books, most notably, Coins of the Seleucid Empire (New York, 1983); SNG Israel I: The Arnold Spaer Collection of Seleucid Coins (Jerusalem/London, 1988); with Catharine Lorber, Seleucid Coins, Part I: Seleucus I through Antiochus III (New York/Lancaster, 2002); and with Catharine Lorber and Oliver Hoover, Seleucid Coins, Part II: Seleucus IV through Antiochus XIII (New York/Lancaster, 2008).

Mr. Houghton was born in New York City, graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Government and attained an M.A. degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University in Beirut. He served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council staff. Mr. Houghton attained a second M.A. degree in Art History from Harvard; was employed by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, CA; served as a senior staff member at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; and was president of Arthur Houghton Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C. consulting firm. Mr. Houghton has also served on and contributed to many boards of Directors and provided years of public service.