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Paul Runze has passed away

TomthecoinguyTomthecoinguy Posts: 849 ✭✭✭✭
edited January 23, 2020 6:43PM in U.S. Coin Forum

Paul Runze a big coin dealers in Minnesota passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. When I first started out as a coin dealer he was a mentor to me. He was always willing to answer any questions I had, and even served as a business reference to help me get started. I always admired the way he enjoyed life, I think he went to England on a metal detecting trip every year, and was always going on a sufari taking pictures of wild animals. One thing he told me I will always remember he said, "Numismatics have been very good to me." I will miss you Paul.

Noted numismatic author Pete Smith was also a long time employee and friend of Paul's. Pete is also the editor of our club newsletter. Pete just sent out a special edition of the newsleter and I am posting it below.

THE NORTHWEST COIN CLUB
Special Edition – January 23, 2020
P.O. Box 18053 Minneapolis, MN 55418-0053

Paul C. Runze February 10, 1942 – January 21, 2020.

Woodbury coin dealer, Paul Runze, died on the afternoon of January 21, 2020, after suffering a
fall at home. Visitation will be Sunday, 2-6 P.M. at the O’Halloran & Murphy Chapel, 8700
Valley Creek Road, Woodbury, Minnesota. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the service
which will begin at 11:00 Monday, January 27, at the same chapel.

Paul Runze joined the Northwest Coin Club in 1968 as member 761. He served as club vice
president during 1968-1970 and was very involved with the club shows in the 1960’s and early
1970’s. He held a table at most of the annual club shows for more than fifty years. In recent
years he spoke to the club about metal detecting trips to England.

Runze was an architectural draftsman working for 3M when he began to deal in coins part time.
He opened Grove Coin and Investment at the Midland Bank Building in Cottage Grove in 1977.
Later locations were in the Valley Creek Mall, the Woodbury Outlet Mall and the Woodbury
Village Mall. He opened his final shop at the Tamarack Village Mall in 1997.

The coin store shared a location with another Runze business, Collector’s Gallery, which was
later renamed La Vie Boutique. Ownership has passed to his son, Dan. The business expanded to
include Pandora jewelry stores at the Mall of America, Roseville and Ridgedale Malls. The
Pandora mail order operation operated out of the Woodbury location.

Runze was married twice with four children and several grandchildren.

Runze took many trips to photograph wildlife in more than
seventy-five countries around the world. Although most trips
were to Africa, he travelled above the Arctic Circle to
photograph polar bears. On a trip south to Antarctica, he
photographed varieties of penguins. With his wife, Paula, he
visited remote tribal villages in Papua New Guinea, the Taj
Mahal in India and temples in Myanmar. In November of 2015
he had a photo exhibit at the Merrill Community Arts Center in
Woodbury. He also had a website showing his photographs at
www.PCRimages.com.

During an African trip to Zimbabwe, Runze took
video and photos of “Cecil the Lion,” a popular
tourist attraction at Hwange National Park. On
July 2, 2015, Cecil was killed by an arrow from a
Minnesota dentist outside the park. During local
protest back in Minnesota, Runze offered his
video to the news media and that video appeared
on national news reports of the killing.

Join the fight against Minnesota's unjust coin dealer tax law.

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