[2] 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.
[2] An additional qualification is that the nominee should be a former Medal of Merit and Glenn Smedley Memorial Award recipient.
[2] 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.