INTERVIEW: COLLECTOR REED HAWN

Reed Hawn is a real collector’s collector, having built numerous complete and exquisite sets of coins ranging from cents to dollars over his many decades as a numismatist. There is no understating the accomplished collector Hawn, now 69, became. He entered the hobby at the age of 7 and by his early 20s had already built one of the most magnificent collections of his generation. His complete collection of uncirculated and proof Buffalo nickels was legendary on its own, and his cabinet of Liberty Seated and Barber coinage virtually unmatched in terms of quality and completeness. His half dollar collection, one of the finest ever assembled, began with a Mint State 1794 and continued through the 19th century with uncirculated Liberty Seated rarities such as the 1844-O Double Cut Date, 1866-S No Motto, 1873-CC No Arrows, 1874-CC, and 1878-S as well as impeccable specimens of 1892-O Micro O and 1896-S Barber halves.

In January 1974, a few years after coming up short on his bid for the Mickley example of the 1804 Draped Bust dollar, a 20-something Hawn plunked $150,000 on the specimen to become one of the youngest collectors to ever own the "King of American Coins." About a decade later, in 1985, Hawn further secured his claim to numismatic fame in his mid 30s by snagging the Olsen specimen of the 1913 Liberty nickel (featured in a 1973 episode of Hawaii Five-O) for $385,000. While Hawn may have spent most of his years as a numismatist buying coins, he has done his fair share of selling coins, too. He consigned a bevy of duplicates to Stack’s in the early 1970s and in October 1993 sold his collection in a landmark Stack’s sale that drew media figures from both within the numismatic arena and beyond.

Hawn, who served many years with the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C., and now offers his time as a numismatic philanthropist, was kind enough to spend two hours with me on a call from his home in Austin, Texas. During our lively conversation, he shared his memories of buying and selling coins at auction, offered his insight behind the psychology of bidding for coins on the auction floor, and shared his philosophy on the importance of numismatic mentorship and camaraderie.

To read the complete article, see:
A Lighter Shade of Grey: Legendary Numismatist Reed Hawn Discusses The Art Of Buying & Selling Super Rarities… And More (http://blog.greysheet.com/a-lighter-shade-of-grey-legendary-numismatist-reed-hawn-discusses-the-art-of-buying-selling-super-rarities-and-more/)

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