LEGENDARY CELEBRITIES BUYING COINS

Numismatics In the Media Spotlight

- JOSHUA MCMORROW-HERNANDEZ

When coins make it into the general media, our hobby wins, right? Numismatic luminaries and the coins they collect have been in the spotlight for ages, with the hobby’s A-list collectors and most legendary rarities stepping out for the rest of the world to see.

The hobby and its cast of colorful characters and rare treasures seem ready-made for the media. And what else would you expect, given the many flamboyant, larger-than-life collectors who have risen through our hobby with their prized six, seven-, and even eight-figure trophies? Coin collecting is known as the hobby of kings and queens, and by no means is that whimsical hyperbole. After all, some of the first coin collectors were royalty and noblepersons of ancient times who enjoyed collecting the coinage of their time.

Numismatics is a far more democratic pursuit today, a hobby enjoyed by those of every income, occupation, and background. Yet it’s still a favorite pastime of the rich, including the entertainment world’s movers and shakers.

Among the greatest collectors of yesteryear included King Farouk of Egypt, President Thomas Jefferson, actor Buddy Ebsen, director Penny Marshall, and American composer Hoagy Carmichael. Then there was Louis Eliasberg, a Baltimore financier who in 1950 finished what was then considered a complete collection of United States coins; it was featured in Life magazine and in the 1970s exhibited at the United States Mint in Philadelphia.