DON BAILEY: DEAN OF MEXICAN NUMISMATICS

Don Bailey is one of the most well-known American specialists in the coinage of Mexico, whose interest in Mexican coins began in the 1960s. Since then he has developed a reputation as an internationally-recognized expert in his field and has done more than any other American coin dealer to promote interest in Mexican coins and make those numismatic items available to collectors in this country.

Born and raised in Michigan, Don left the state during the Korean War to join the U.S. Marine Corps. When he retired from the Marines, he was living in Yuma, Arizona, a state that borders Mexico, where he resided for seventeen years. It was in Arizona that Don began his love affair with Mexican coins and the history behind them.

To truly appreciate and understand the coins of a country, it is essential to study them and the country’s history in depth and to interact frequently with others who share your interests. This is exactly what Don and his wife Lois have done for almost sixty years in the field of Mexican numismatics.

Don first started collecting U.S. coins in the early 1960s but soon developed a real passion for Mexican coins. He initially concentrated on the coinage Maximillian and French Intervention periods in the 19th century when French emperor Napoleon III installed the Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian of Austria to rule Mexico.

Don’s deep interest in Mexican history and coinage led him to study and write about them with his first article appearing in 1967. These articles have focused mainly on Mexican historical and numismatic subjects and have appeared in every major numismatic publication, including some that no longer exist. They have ranged from articles about new issues and the state of the market for Mexican coins to more scholarly examinations of Mexican coinage since its origins in the Aztec period.

In recognition of his many contributions to the study of Mexican coins, he has received numerous literary and distinguished service awards. These include, for example, the American Numismatic Association’s Presidential Award, being named a Numismatic Ambassador by Numismatic News, and several awards from Mexico, including in 2001 the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor the Mexican government can bestow on a foreigner. He also received the Tidwell literary award from the Texas Numismatic Association and many awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild over an extended period for his articles and books.

It is impossible to summarize the full breadth of the wide-ranging contributions of Don Bailey to Mexican numismatics over the past half century, which have received widespread recognition within the U.S. and Mexico. But perhaps Beth Deisher put it best when she said in her foreword to the second volume of Mexican Money: “Don’s driving vision for the last 40 years has been to share his knowledge and to entice others to become as smitten with Mexican numismatics as he was. Don and Lois (his wife and numismatic research partner) can take pride in knowing they’ve succeeded.”

To read the complete article (scroll down), see:
A biography of Don and his Incomparable Contributions to Mexican Numismatics (http://donbailey-mexico.com/about.shtml)

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