Who Has Had the Most Influence Over Numismatics, During the Past 25 Years?

markglicker · April 25, 2005 3:57PM

Your list of the top 5, please.

MrScience · April 25, 2005 4:27PM

Okay, I'll throw out a few names:

David Hall
Jim Halperin
Scott Travers
Q. David Bowers
Donna Pope

Robert Chambers

michael · April 25, 2005 5:08PM

anx grading
pcgs grading
ngc grading
internet
us mint

in order of first appearance

stman · April 25, 2005 5:09PM

RUSS!!!!

OK, perhaps only the last three years but he's still my hero.

foodude · April 25, 2005 10:40PM

David Hall
The US Mint (and Congress)
Q. David Bowers
Jim Halperin
Scott Travers

Longacre · April 25, 2005 11:43PM

Q. David Bowers
Jim Halperin
John Albanese

busco69 · April 25, 2005 11:58PM

Ted Binion Q.David Bowers Jim Halperin Scott Travers David Hall

nwcs · April 26, 2005 12:00AM

I'd say in alphabetical order

ANA
Bowers
Ebay
Greysheet
PCGS

RayJay · April 26, 2005 12:04AM

ACG
Marty
Russ
US Mint
Mr. David

RYK · April 26, 2005 12:10AM

QDB
Al Gore (for inventing the internet)
US Mint (especially the person who conceived the state quarter program)
Harry Bass
ACG (for inventing the plastic slab)

GOLDGUY · April 26, 2005 12:42AM

In my opinion, the easy one's (in no particular order) are:

Dave Bowers
David Hall
Mark Salzberg
John Albanese
Jim Halperin

But if I get a little more creative, my final list would probably include:

Meg Whitman (E-Bay)
Donna Pope (U.S. Mint)
Jim Blanchard

Shamika · April 26, 2005 12:52AM

David Hall
Jim Halperin
Steve Ivy
Q. David Bowers
Walter Breen

ER · April 26, 2005 12:55AM

<< David Hall
Jim Halperin
Steve Ivy
Q. David Bowers
Walter Breen >>

Halperin without Ivy is like Abbott without Costello.

GOLDGUY · April 26, 2005 1:31AM

"To those of you who listed Jim Halperin but not (his partner) Steve Ivy, what was your reason for that? Thanks."

Good question. I probably should have listed Steve Ivy alongside Halperin. My thinking was that Steve has a more "behind the scenes" role at Heritage whereas Pinnacle interacts more directly with Halperin at Expos and is often the "point man" for most of the other non-auction transactions we conduct privately with HCC. On a further note, I think if this question were asked a few more years from now (and Heritage continues on its current path), people might be inclined to list Greg Rohan (as the most influential Heritage point man) as well.

GOLDGUY · April 26, 2005 1:34AM

"Bill Gates is more well known than the other guys that he started Microsoft with (see, I can't even remember their names either)."

Steven Ballmer & Paul Allen

PhillyJoe · April 26, 2005 1:34AM

Lots of good names on those lists.

I was in Borders last week and was amazed at the number of Scott Travers books. He had one whole row just for his publications.

Joe

braddick · April 26, 2005 1:43AM

<< Your list of the top 5, please. >>

The most popular or the ones that influenced Numismatics? I would think the men who invented Teletrade and eBay would be among the top five, although their popularity wouldn't be.

The author of the Red Book would be another.

Littleton's owner and then, in fifth place, David Hall.

oreville · April 26, 2005 1:43AM

Q. David Bowers
David Hall
Kenneth Bressett
John Albanese
Steve Ivy

Mark Salzberg should be in this list as well.

Braddick: You mean Skippy from eBay? He WAS very popular until he was forced out! We loved Skippy and his Skippy bucks!

lloydmincy · April 26, 2005 1:54AM

Three BIG influences that shot numismatics out of a cannon:

SLABBING
INTERNET
REGISTRY SET IDEA

dorkkarl · April 26, 2005 2:21AM

uncle sam is #1, hands down

K S

PerryHall · April 26, 2005 3:34AM

Shouldn't Coin Vault and similar TV shows be in there somewhere? A lot of people recieve their first exposure to collectible coins through these shows.

RGT · April 26, 2005 8:21AM

I'm not sure what the original intent of the question was, but it seems to me as if most people answering are confusing "numismatics" with the "coin market". Despite what some big dealers may want you to think, these are two very different things.

mrearlygold · April 26, 2005 8:27AM

Slabbing and telemarketing of which heritage was also in that realm ( telemarketing). The US mints promotions and coin programs.

And now the internet.

Tom

mrearlygold · April 26, 2005 8:28AM

<< I'm not sure what the original intent of the question was, but it seems to me as if most people answering are confusing "numismatics" with the "coin market". Despite what some big dealers may want you to think, these are two very different things. >>

Great point!

Tom

relayer · April 26, 2005 8:40AM

Q. David Bowers
Walter Breen
Alan Hager
David Hall
Meg @ eBay

ARCO · April 26, 2005 8:41AM

The internet
Ebay
Ebay
Internet auction sites.
Paypal

cladking · April 26, 2005 9:50AM

Diane Wolfe. (I hope I spelled that right)

It was she who fought so eloquently and well for coinage redesign starting in 1987. While
her efforts fell short there's little doubt that she paved the way for the states quarters which
will be seen to have broken the log jam. There were many of us who supported her efforts
and helped arm her for the fight but it is she who deserves the credit, and she who did the
most work.

There are many others who deserve honorable mention but Phillip Diehl deserves more. He
not only dropped mint opposition but also created several coins on his own authority which
helped to change the hobby. The '96-W dime was done on his own initiative and could have
proven a problem for him.

It looks as though director Fore will also be a major factor in not only restoring our coinage but
also our hobby.

Now if we could only get Congress to overhaul the whole system of coinage...

dorkkarl · April 26, 2005 9:03PM

uncle sam MINTS the coins. so practically by def'n, the mint has THE MOST influence over numismatics, this years, next year, & anytime during the last 25 years.

K S

GoYankees · April 26, 2005 11:56PM

Ronald Reagan

On his watch he signed the bills that did the following...

1982 - commemorative coins reintroduced to the American public

1982 - Lincoln Cents went from being copper to copper plated zinc

1984 - first gold coin minted from the US Mint since 1933

1986 - Silver and Gold bullion coins were minted

oreville · April 27, 2005 12:29AM

My dear friend dorkarl:

The US Mint only managed to get itself involved in the last 25 years of minting coins. No involvement of the previous 204 years of USA coinage from 1776 to 1979 as well as little involvement in the minting of the other 100 plus countries coinage and no involvement in the 2000 plus years of coins of the world prior to 1776.

So 1 country; ok make it 5 countries the US does divided by 100 plus countries yjay produces coins is 5% involvement in the past 25 years divided by 2000 years total.

Even any darksider collector in the other forum of world coins has more influence over Numismatics than the US Mint!

Well you get the point.

Just trying your approach. How does it look?

GOLDGUY · April 27, 2005 12:33AM

How many of you that chose the U.S. Mint as having a top-5 influence over the last 25 years, primarily collect (or deal in) modern mint products (American Eagles, State quarters, etc.)? I'm curious to hear people's views about how these recent Mint product promotions affect the more classic numismatic series.

elwood · April 27, 2005 12:56AM

How about some of the scholars?
Logan
McClaskey
Davis
Lovejoy
Subjack
Noyes
Overton
Wiley
Breen
Bowers
Dannreuther
Winter
Weinberg
Kagin

Tyrock · April 22, 2006 10:07AM

Third party grading - David Hall
U.S. Mint (50 state quarters program)
Internet,e.g., eBay
Television coin shows
Q.David Bowers

cladking · April 22, 2006 10:17AM

<< US Mint (especially the person who conceived the state quarter program)
>>

I neglected to point out the first time this thread was around that David Ganz, John J Pittman, and
a couple others often share credit for this. Pittman, largely because the bicentennial quarter was
mostly his idea and without this to lay the groundwork there would have been no states coins.

nankraut · April 22, 2006 10:19AM

PCGS/NGC/ANACS
US Mint
EBAY
QDB

Coxe · April 22, 2006 10:30AM

David Hall
John Albanese
Q David Bowers
Jim Halperin
Bernard Rome -- founder of the original Teletrade -- made the others take sight-unseen auctions seriously

pharmer · April 22, 2006 10:33AM

Where has mark gone? He was an asset to this forum. I still see his auctions now and then on ebay.

Coxe · April 22, 2006 10:36AM

<< How about some of the scholars?... >>

I think the question was on influence. There is little doubt that TPGs and auction houses have had the greatest influence over the hobby over the last quarter century. I almost added Leroy Van Allen to my list as he is pretty close there too.

coinkat · April 22, 2006 10:42AM

Not sure I would limit it to 5... David Hall and Q. David Bowers clearly are two.

Dentuck · April 22, 2006 12:40PM

Adding some names not mentioned yet: Maynard Sundman and David Sundman (for popularizing the hobby and introducing many collectors to numismatics); and Kenneth Bressett (editor of the Red Book, for the same reasons).

Dentuck · April 22, 2006 12:42PM

And how about the real inventor of the state quarters program........ the Royal Canadian Mint!

Just a little darkside humor there.

Who Has Had the Most Influence Over Numismatics, During the Past 25 Years?

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