Discover the artistry of the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods of Greek coinage. From the history of leading collections to trade and colonization patterns, revisit find sites, witness artistic motifs, and be privy to recent finds that impact the intriguing market of ancient coins.
Wayne Gerald Sayles was born on March 8, 1943 at Waukesha, Wisconsin to Wayne F. Sayles and Betty J. Harris. He attended Catholic schools through 8th grade when the family moved to Horicon, Wisconsin. Wayne graduated from Horicon High School in 1961. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force that same summer and was trained in Communications-Electronics Maintenance at Keesler AFB, MS. His tours as an electronics technician included assignments to Gander, Newfoundland; Fort Bragg, NC; McCoy AFB, FL; Incirlik AB, Turkey and McClellan AFB, CA. In 1971, Wayne was accepted into the Commissioning Bootstrap Program and attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in History. He received a commission in the USAF through Officer's Training School in May 1972. Assignments as a Communications Officer included Squadron Commander at Goodfellow AFB, TX; Group Detachment Commander at Levkas, Greece; Air Force Advisor to the Air National Guard and USAF Reserve Forces; and Team Chief for Operational Readiness and Management Effectiveness Inspections conducted by the Air Force Communications Command, Military Airlift Command and Strategic Air Command Inspector General teams. In addition to multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal and other decorations, Wayne was presented with the coveted "Minuteman" award for his service as advisor to the Air National Guard. He retired from the Air Force as a Captain in 1982, having traveled to more than 40 countries and all 50 States. He is a Life Member of the Military Officer's Association of America, a member of the Ninth Air Force Association and has been a member of several different VFW and American Legion posts.
Wayne earned a Masters degree in Art History at the University of Wisconsin in 1986 and that same year founded The Celator -- a monthly journal about ancient coins (still the premier periodical in its field today). He co-authored Turkoman Figural Bronze Coins and Their Iconography (2 vols.); wrote the six volume series Ancient Coin Collecting (3 are in expanded 2nd ed.); the monograph Classical Deception; and the exhibition catalogue of the Ned H. and Gloria A. Griner Greek and Roman Coin Collection at Ball State University. He wrote the "Coin Collecting" article for Encyclopaedia Britannica and most recently the biography of William Edward Cramsie titled First to Fall. Wayne has also published several titles by other authors under his own banner of "Clio's Cabinet". He is a Life Fellow of the American Numismatic Society; Fellow of the Royal Numismatic Society (London, England); Life Member of the Hellenic Numismatic Society (Athens, Greece); Life Member of the American Israel Numismatic Society; member of the American Numismatic Association and the Numismatic Literary Guild, and an honorary member of several coin clubs in various states. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild and was honored by that organization's Board of Directors in 2006 with a special award for "Exceptional Contributions to Ancient Numismatics." Wayne has lectured extensively at national conventions, symposia, seminars and club meetings, written more than 200 articles about ancient coinage, and has been honored with numerous Numismatic Literary Guild awards. He has twice presented testimony before the U.S. State Department's Cultural Property Advisory Committee in Washington, DC. He continues to write a monthly column in The Celator and maintains two personal blogs on the internet. He is a recipient of the prestigious "Numismatic Ambassador" award from Krause Publications, and was selected by KP in 2007 as one of the 55 "Most Intriguing People in Numismatics". He has been a biographee in Marquis, Who's Who in America and in Who's Who in the World, for the past several years.
Wayne's service to the community includes terms on the Boards of Education of American Community Schools, Athens Greece and the Lodi School District in Lodi, WI where he was elected Vice President. He has coached several youth football, baseball and basketball teams while in the military and as a member of Optimists International. He also has served as a judge for debate and forensic competitions at high school level and as chaperone for the Amery High School (WI) Ski Club. He is the founder and webmaster of the 416th Bomb Group (WWII) memorial site at http://416th.com . He enjoys camping and sailing, is an amateur genealogist and is a member of Trout Unlimited.
With more than 50 years combined experience in the field of ancient numismatics, Wayne and John C. Lavender operate two retail storefronts on the popular Vcoins site -- one specializing in ancient coins and the other in books about coins and the ancient world.
