PAT MCBRIDE AKA BEN FRANKLIN

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V24 2021 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 24, Number 40, October 3, 2021, Article 17

In the August 15 issue of The E-Sylum, we posed the question, What living numismatist makes his living as a paperhanger. There was no answer and we moved on to other subjects. This week we circle back with the answer. The numismatic paper hanger is Pat McBride. We sat down to interview Pat during the 2021 World's Fair of Money in Rosemont.

Patrick McBride was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1952, and has been a long-time resident there. He attended Slippery Rock University during 1970 to 1973. In 1973 he began work as a professional wallpaper hanger. Pat married Dawn Rogers and they have two sons and a daughter.

McBride served as secretary for the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN) and is involved with their two annual coin shows. He was also editor of the PAN eNews. He joined the ANA in 1984 and was honored by the ANA with their Presidential Award in 2014 and the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 2018. In 2019 he was host chair for the Pittsburgh ANA National Money Show and received the ANA Goodfellow Award.

If you attended the 2021 WFM, you probably noticed Pat McBride but may not have known his name. As he has done for many other shows, he appeared in character as Benjamin Franklin.

When numismatic literature dealer John Burns died unexpectedly in 2014, McBride stepped in as executor to manage the disposition of his estate. He was also largely responsible for setting up the John Burns Memorial Reference Library for coin shows.

"I started my transformation to Ben after the 2018 ANA WFM in Philadelphia. Abe Lincoln re-enactor Dennis Boggs encouraged me to give it a shot as he thought I would make for a great Ben Franklin. Well, I took the advice of the professional and started letting my hair grow since that was a key part to making it work and a very thrifty and Franklinesque beginning that didn't involve an outlay of cash. My second purchase was a tri corner hat and I soon realized that I had the look. This began some serious costume buying.

"I began reading all that I could about Franklin, the American Revolution, French & Indian War, Constitutional Convention, etc. I'm well over thirty titles along with online courses. It has been an amazing journey so far. Once immersed in this, one begins to understand Franklin's complex personality and how it was a perfect fit to the birth of our Republic. Ken Burns is finishing a documentary about Benjamin Franklin set to air on PBS in 2022. We are also approaching our Semiquincentennial (a term we will all need to get used to) in 2026. Ben's recollections will be significant at that birthday party."

I've known Pat since my early days with the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists in the mid-1980s. He has always been there to help out the club and promote numismatics, putting in countless hours of volunteer time. People like Pat are the backbone of our clubs and the hobby in general. He's always seeking to try new ideas and learn, just like old Ben. Show promoters could learn a few things from the success of the PAN shows. The Fall 2021 show is coming up October 28–30, 2021 at the Monroeville Convention Center, Monroeville PA (a Pittsburgh suburb just off the PA Turnpike). I hope to see many E-Sylum readers there. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
LOUIS ELIASBERG, SR. AND JR. (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n33a16.html)