I received the following from Lyn Knight Currency Auctions. For those of us that collect Paper Currency, especially National Banknotes this is a huge loss. I met Dean several times at the Long Beach coin show, and he will be greatly missed.

In Memory

Dean Oakes

1936 - 2026

I am deeply saddened to share that Dean Oakes, a giant in the numismatic community since 1952, has passed away.

Dean was a dedicated collector, dealer, and student of currency. His collecting interests began in Iowa and expanded to U.S. National Bank Notes, Type Notes, and Small Size currency, and later included Philippine replacements, Panama, and Brazil.

Generous with his time and expertise, Dean contributed to the Small Size Catalog, the National Banknote Project, The Iowa Obsolete Book, and served for many years with the Higgins Museum and the Iowa Car Museum.

We will see his fingerprints on the world for generations to come.

His obituary is below.

https://gayandciha.com/tribute/details/5406/Dean-Oakes/obituary.html#content-start