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Name Some Famous People who Collect Rare Coins

Movie stars, celebrities, sportsmen/women, businessmen.... Please keep the wisecracks to a minimum...
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Ron
John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings, collects ancients.
my early American coins & currency: -- http://yankeedoodlecoins.com/
Penny Marshall
Andre Dawson, baseball Hall-of-Famer.
Chris Schenkel, former sports broadcaster.
I think I read somewhere that James Earl Jones collected.
New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.
–John Adams, 1826
Better than that was the price.....It was only 80 grand.
What were we thinking ?
Wilt Chamberlin
Edited: Not Chamberlin, rather Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Wayne Gretzky
Believe it or not, the king of hockey himself is a member of the 'king of hobbies'. Wayne Gretzky is one of the most well-known coin collectors involved in the hobby today. Gretzky is perhaps best-known for his incredible performance on the ice with teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings during the 1980s and 1990s.
Buddy Ebsen
The actor who played Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies and appeared in numerous films was a coin collector who loved the hobby and respected the history behind each of the coins he owned. Buddy Ebsen, talking about one of his old, heavy gold coins, said "I associate a story with each one of these nicks [on the coin]... So I enjoy this coin, even the heft of the coin."
Penny Marshall
Known for her starring role as Laverne De Fazio in the 1970s classic TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley and more recently as a successful movie director, Penny Marshall has been known to collect coins.
James Earl Jones
The acclaimed actor known for a wide variety of roles in movies ranging from voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars to portraying author Alex Haley in Roots: The Next Generations is not only noted as being a numismatist but also has narrated a documentary called Money: History In Your Hands.
Nicole Kidman
It's rumored that actress Nicole Kidman, who has starred in such films as Days Of Thunder and Batman Forever, is a collector of ancient coins.
Jerry Buss
The owner of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team and other major sports franchises is a renowned coin collector who has purchased such numismatic rarities as the 1913 Liberty nickel and 1804 Bust silver dollar.
John Quincy Adams
President from 1825 to 1829, John Quincy Adams was one of our nation's most prominent coin collectors in his era. He would later be featured on a 2008 Presidential $1 coin bearing his likeness.
Thomas Jefferson
Another president to have his face featured on coins, Jefferson was a numismatist who enjoyed collecting a diverse array of coins and money ranging from contemporary European issues to ancient coins.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The president often nicknamed FDR collected coins and later became associated with the dime (on which he has appeared since 1946) for a very important reason: he led the effort to end polio -- the disease with which he lived. The March Of Dimes is one of the most successful programs that, through fund-raising campaigns, contributed to ending the widespread incidence of polio.
Tony Blair
The former prime minister of the United Kingdom has been involved in coin collecting. Tony Blair even received a set of Russian coins sent to him as a gift!
Superior sold the Hoagy Carmichael collection
in January 1986, along with the Wayne Miller
collection of silver dollars.
~
"America suffers today from too much pluribus and not enough unum.".....Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
Drunner
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
Andre Dawson, Major League Baseball Player
Adolph Menjou, movie actor.
Wilt Chamberlin>>
Stone, are you sure you meant Chamberlin and not Jabbar??
www.brunkauctions.com
From PCGS;
"A total of nine off-metal World War II-era Lincoln cents from Mr. Simpson's collection will be displayed at the PCGS booth (#102) at the FUN convention," said Don Willis, President of PCGS, a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ
If I were to have a "Box of Nine", these would work just fine.
Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
<< <i>>>Jack Black
Wilt Chamberlin>>
Stone, are you sure you meant Chamberlin and not Jabbar?? >>
Whoops, yep you are correct - making changes :l
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
<< <i>Of the ones who are alive today or active in their sport, how many A-list athletes or celebs collect coins? Penny Marshall isn't exactly A-list. >>
So I wonder how long before she shows up on Dancing With the Stars.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
<< <i>Of the ones who are alive today or active in their sport, how many A-list athletes or celebs collect coins? Penny Marshall isn't exactly A-list. >>
I think she is considered an A-List Director in La-La land.
Coin Rarities Online
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i>Movie stars, celebrities, sportsmen/women, businessmen.... Please keep the wisecracks to a minimum... >>
Diddy, Jerry O'Connell, the kid who plays Finn on "Glee," Lady Gaga, Jason Alexander, Kristen Chenowith, Kimmel (rumored to have a West Coast dealer do all his buying), Will.I.Am are the ones that I know.
<< <i>Has anyone spotted a celebrity at any big west/east coast shows? >>
Kristen Chenowith was at a Baltimore show last year. Unless you know of her Broadway celebrity though, she was just another gal buying coins with her hair pulled pack into a ponytail and pulled through a baseball cap. I spoke with her and she asked that I not mention her being there to anyone that day because she knew she'd never get a deal from most of the top level greedy dealers (not all but we know who they are, no names) in attendance. She's putting together quite the classic commem (both silver and gold) typesets.
Wil.I.Am was also at a recent Baltimore show. He blended in though. He's into 18th Century American type.
Tom
...did anyone mention dennis rodman?
Jascha Heifetz
-----
I was going to mention him but I couldn't even
come close enough to spelling his name for Wiki
or Google to help me out.
~
"America suffers today from too much pluribus and not enough unum.".....Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
<< <i>
<< <i>Of the ones who are alive today or active in their sport, how many A-list athletes or celebs collect coins? Penny Marshall isn't exactly A-list. >>
I think she is considered an A-List Director in La-La land. >>
Quite right.....Right up there with the Ron Howard's......
I don't know how to post a link to the original news story, but here is the copy/paste:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/gregg-allman-gets-robbed_n_156499.html
1Twobits
<< <i>
<< <i>Has anyone spotted a celebrity at any big west/east coast shows? >>
Kristen Chenowith was at a Baltimore show last year. Unless you know of her Broadway celebrity though, she was just another gal buying coins with her hair pulled pack into a ponytail and pulled through a baseball cap. I spoke with her and she asked that I not mention her being there to anyone that day because she knew she'd never get a deal from most of the top level greedy dealers (not all but we know who they are, no names) in attendance. She's putting together quite the classic commem (both silver and gold) typesets.
Wil.I.Am was also at a recent Baltimore show. He blended in though. He's into 18th Century American type. >>
Unless Kristen Chenoweth attended the show in stilts and talked through a voice scrambler she would be easy to recognize with or without a baseball cap and glasses. Ditto for Will.I.Am. Unless he showed up disguised as an old White man...
I just don't picture Stefani Germanotta/ Lady Gaga as the numismatic type...
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
monsterman
out of rockets ...out of bullets...switching to harsh language
I remember , years ago, Michelle Pfeiffer purchased an 1894 S dime.....
Better than that was the price.....It was only 80 grand.
What were we thinking ?
Paul:
Think you meant Michelle Johnson from "Blame it On Rio" fame, not Michelle Pfiffer. See below provenance:
"Lawrence-6 (L-6): Jerry Buss Specimen
Impaired Proof. Has been graded in various auction catalogs from XF to Proof-60. Reverse has a vertical scratch and what appears to be a planchet flaw on the lower right, extending into the mint mark. Authenticated by ANACS. The second Hallie Daggett coin, which was sold to Earl Parker.
Other owners: James Kelly; Malcolm Chell-Frost; F.S. Gugenheimer; 1973 Kagin MANA Sale; Jerry Buss. Sold for $50,600 by Superior Galleries; Michelle Johnson; later sold for $70,400 by Superior Galleries in 1988. Current whereabouts: unknown.
Another description:
Specimen B5 next showed up in Kagin's 1973 MANA Auction Sale, where it sold for $52,000. It was purchased by Michelle Johnson for Robert Beaumont for $50,600 in Superior's January 1985 "Jerry Buss" Auction. In 1988 it again was auctioned by Superior in the "Blevins/Bodway" Sale and realized $70,400."
Jonathan
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Has anyone spotted a celebrity at any big west/east coast shows? >>
Kristen Chenowith was at a Baltimore show last year. Unless you know of her Broadway celebrity though, she was just another gal buying coins with her hair pulled pack into a ponytail and pulled through a baseball cap. I spoke with her and she asked that I not mention her being there to anyone that day because she knew she'd never get a deal from most of the top level greedy dealers (not all but we know who they are, no names) in attendance. She's putting together quite the classic commem (both silver and gold) typesets.
Wil.I.Am was also at a recent Baltimore show. He blended in though. He's into 18th Century American type. >>
Unless Kristen Chenoweth attended the show in stilts and talked through a voice scrambler she would be easy to recognize with or without a baseball cap and glasses. Ditto for Will.I.Am. Unless he showed up disguised as an old White man...
I just don't picture Stefani Germanotta/ Lady Gaga as the numismatic type... >>
One can dress down, especially as a celebrity who is experienced at it, to fool most people. In Kristen's case, let's be real, 99.9 percent of America wouldn't know who she was if she walked up to them and told them everything she's been in or done. As for Wil.I.Am, absent a posse, he was just another guy at a coin show and a darn nice one at that.
Real bottom line, I'd say 75% or higher of most dealers are "culturally deficient enough" to have no idea about many celebrities. Yeah, I'm saying that, roughly, 75-80 percent of today's dealers are both pop, and historically, culturally illiterate. It's a knock but I'll stand by it. I've spoken with enough of them to feel very comfortable in making that statement.
Kristen would draw attention both for her height and voice but she'd likely be thought of as just "weird" by that group of dealers. Wil.I.Am.....how many black guys have you seen at a show, because at Baltimore they are few and far between. He'd be more likely to stand out for that than being recognized as the leader of the Peas. Kimmel may be the smartest/cleverest one in having a respected dealer put his collection together for him without his ever attending a show.
<< <i>and some of them visit these boards and read them from time to time
monsterman >>
Besides yourself, buddy, quite true. I know of at least two others who, at least, read here.
<< <i>How about Adolphe Menjou......wasn't his collection sold by Superior some time ago? >>
Abe Kosoff / Numismatic Gallery 1950... Great catalog!
<< <i>Jascha Heifetz >>
Another great catalog and reading the bio on Heifetz prior to 1933 it was in his contract that he would "only" be paid in gold for each performance... No checks or currency.
<< <i>
<< <i>How about Adolphe Menjou......wasn't his collection sold by Superior some time ago? >>
Abe Kosoff / Numismatic Gallery 1950... Great catalog!
That was it, thanks!
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>How about Adolphe Menjou......wasn't his collection sold by Superior some time ago? >>
Abe Kosoff / Numismatic Gallery 1950... Great catalog!
That was it, thanks! >>
Some of my favorites in my library
On a somewhat related note.....
From Wikipedia:
"Picks made out of steel will produce a much brighter sound than plastic ones. They do however wear the strings quickly and can easily damage the finish on the guitar if used for strumming, especially on acoustic guitars. Brian May of Queen uses picks which replicate his original choice — a silver sixpence coin.[2] Some of them are produced by The Royal Mint of England and are considered to be rare and precious among collectors. Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top uses a regular Mexican peso..."
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
I told them that it had appeared on the Boards and therefor was true. Not that I doubt, but it would be fun to catalog this so I could tell my English class "I told you so"."
Drunner
TC:
I don't know where these comments came from, but I would never refer to Kristen Chenoweth as "weird". She's a rare talent that combines strong acting and vocals range as described in Wikipedia as:
"Chenoweth performed a solo concert at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, only the third musical theatre star ever to present a solo concert "
You are correct in that she has a distinctive voice:
"Chenoweth has a distinctive speaking voice, one she has compared to that of Betty Boop.[42] She is a classically trained coloratura soprano, able to sing the note "F6" (1396.913 Hz), also known as "F above High C"."
I recently saw Wicked on Brioandway and immediately realized her replacement was likely chosen because she resembled Kristen's characteristics and personality. Personally I'd love to see her at some coin show.
Jonathan