The Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award (formerly the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award and ANA Distinguished Service Award) is the highest honor conferred by the American Numismatic Association. The award was formerly named after Farran Zerbe, a one-time president of the American Numismatic Association. It is given in recognition of numerous years of outstanding, dedicated service to numismatics. The criteria for the nominee should be that the individual is considered someone who has rendered numerous years of outstanding service to the ANA as well as the field of numismatics. An additional qualification is that the nominee should be a former Medal of Merit and Glenn Smedley Memorial Award recipient. The award is limited only to members of the ANA.
In 2021, the ANA Board of Governors voted to change its name to the ANA Distinguished Service Award, following an investigation that uncovered accusations of fraudulent behavior on Zerbe's part. In May 2022, the award was re-named in honor of Chester L. Krause, the founder of Krause Publications.
Winners
1950s
1951 – M. Vernon Sheldon
1952 – June T. Pond
1953 – Col. Joseph Moss
1954 – Lewis M. Reagan
1955 – Dr. J Hewitt Judd
1956 – Richard S. Yeoman
1957 – No Award Given
1958 – Burton H. Saxton
1959 – Louis S. Werner
1960s
1960 – Glenn B. Smedley
1961 – Dr. John F. Lhotka, Jr. 1962 – Lee F. Hewitt 1963 – Elston G. Bradfield 1964 – Jack W. Ogilvie 1965 – Lionel C. Panosh 1966 – J. Douglas Ferguson 1967 – Dr. John S. Davenport 1968 – Oscar H. Dodson 1969 – Eric P. Newman
1970s
1970 – Charles M. Johnson
1971 – Don Sherer
1972 – Abe Kosoff
1973 – Matt H. Rothert
1974 – Herbert Berge
1975 – Margo Russell
1976 – Fred C. Bowman and Maurice M. Gould
1977 – Chester L. Krause
1978 – William C. Henderson
1979 – John J. Gabarron
1980s
1980 – John Jay Pittman
1981 – Virgil Hancock
1982 – George D. Hatie
1983 – Clyde Hubbard
1984 – Charles L. Krause and Clifford Mishler
1985 – Adna G. Wilde, Jr. 1986 – Charles H. Wolfe 1987 – Virginia Culver and Edward C. Rochette 1988 – Adeline and Aubrey E. Bebee 1989 – Harry X. Boosel
1990s
1990 – James L. Miller
1991 – Q. David Bowers
1992 – Paul R. Whitnah
1993 – Robert L. Hendershott
1994 – Florence M. Schook
1995 – Dorothy C. Baber and Bill Fivaz
1996 – Elvira Clain-Stefanelli
1997 – Ruthann Brettell
1998 – Bert and Kenneth E. Bressett
1999 – Kenneth L. Hallenbeck
2000s
2000 – Arthur M. Kagin
2001 – Harry J. Forman
2002 – Anthony J. Swiatek
2003 – Lighthouse Family and Charles J. Ricard
2004 – Gene R. and Patricia Hynds
2005 – Joseph E. Boling
2006 – Larry J. Gentile, Sr. 2007 – Nancy Opitz Wilson and John Wilson 2008 – Gene Hessler 2009 – John Eshbach