RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART FIVE

Greg Bennick: Pretty interesting. I like that. Now, tell me, you mentioned earlier working for a couple of times, working for Stacks Bowers. Can you tell me how you got connected to Stacks Bowers and what that experience has been like?

RON GILLIO: Well, Stacks Bowers, I mean, what happened was, as I mentioned earlier also, I sold the Long Beach Coin Show to David Hall in 2005. At the same period of time, I was doing a lot of business with Greg Roberts, who's the CEO of Stacks Bowers and who started The Spectrum Group, which is still part of Stacks Bowers. And I've been friends with him for 35 years, and we were doing a lot of business. And he just said to me, so you sold the Long Beach Coin Show, you got time on your hands, why don't you become a consultant for us? And you can do what you do, go to Europe, buy, and sell coins, and you'll just be doing it for Stacks Bowers, so on and so forth. So that was 16 years ago now. It all started by he wanted to maybe get something started in the Orient. So, we planned a trip. He hired me, I think in March, there was the Tokyo International Coin Show every May time period. So that was my first venture out. We got a table at the Tokyo show and he went there with a couple of other employees and myself from Stacks Bowers and got things rolling.

Greg Bennick: Fantastic. And I'm assuming you worked and were connected to Dave Bowers as well. I was just curious what it was like to work with Dave. I've had very, very little interaction with him over the years, so I'm just always curious to ask.

RON GILLIO: Oh, yeah. Naturally, I worked with Dave before my time with Stacks Bowers, but during the Stacks Bowers time, I've worked with Dave. Of course, we're on two different sides of the United States, but he was very instrumental. Dave Bowers was very instrumental. And my second edition, this is just before I joined Stacks Bowers, second edition of my California Fractional gold book, get me to do that. And I think it was 2002, 2003. So, he was very helpful with that. And there were many other things that I've done in my career, but I didn't really work hand in hand with him because I'm in California and he's in New Hampshire.

Greg Bennick: Now, you mentioned the Fractional gold book a couple times and I completely would have forgotten to ask you about it. Tell us more about the Fractional gold book. I think that's important as well, obviously.

RON GILLIO: Yeah, it's important. Actually, I will say that we're working on the Stacks Bowers, we're working on the third edition. The person - how the second edition happened is it was at an ANA show and Dave Bowers brings over Bob Leonard and says, you got to meet Bob Leonard, he can help you do the second edition. And Bob Leonard was instrumental in doing a lot of the work, research and getting that second edition done. And I met Bob at the Pittsburgh ANA and he's agreed to also spearhead doing the third edition, which Stacks Bowers will publish sometime probably next year. And how that got started is I collected California fractional gold mostly during my time in the 60s and 70s going to San Francisco. And in San Francisco, I wouldn't only go to coin dealers, I'd go to bookstores, I'd go to I'd go to antique stores, I'd go to pawn stores and I'd have these, especially the pawn dealers for some reason in San Francisco in those days would get coins, but they'd get California fractional coins. So, a period of time, and I was buying them for $10, $15, $18 apiece in the 70s and the 80s. And so, I was very interested in the California fractional gold. And I thought there should be a book on it. And then Paul Copenhaver sold me his collection of California fractional gold. And then he also told me he's going to get Kenny Lee's collection of fractional gold. So, I said, Let's do something. So, he gave it to me. I got it on consignment. At the time, I had Pacific Coast Auction Galleries in 1980-82. And we were going to do an auction on Kenny Lee's collection of California fractional gold. During that time, Walter Breen would come down to the store. I had a little office in the back that Walter would work at cataloging coins. So, I hired Walter to catalog the Kenny Lee collection. And then all of a sudden, the heirs didn't want to sell the collection and one thing and another. To make a long story short, I won't go into the whole story, but I ended up buying the collection and selling the collection intact. And we said, well, what are we going to do with this manuscript that Walter's worked, you know, for a long time? Let's do a book. Well, it was actually Walter's idea. It was both of our idea. So, we did the California fractional gold book at the time. I think it was ‘82 or ‘83. And so originally it started out as going to be an auction catalog and made it into the reference book.

Greg Bennick: Great. That's actually a great story. I love hearing that. I love hearing that. Now, this last summer you received a pretty significant award, the PNG Award. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

RON GILLIO: Yes, it was very nice of the PNG to agree to present it. They presented it to me at the ANA at the Stacks Bowers table. I couldn't make the, how it happened was, is I sent an email to Tina at the PNG saying, I'm going to be at the ANA this summer. And this was the beginning of the year. And I've been a member of 50 years, do I get a plaque? She wrote me back and told me that we don't, that they don't do presentations or a banquet at the ANA anymore. They do it at the Central States. I said, Well, I can't make it to Central States. They said, Well, we'll mail you your plaque. I said, After being the president, the vice president, the treasurer, the secretary, and being on the board for 17 years and being a supporter of the organization, I think that I would like to get it actually handed to me by the executive director. So, she said, Let me find out. So, then I had talked to, and she had contacted John Feigenbaum, the new executive director of the PNG, and he agreed. He said it'd be his pleasure to present it to me at the ANA convention in Pittsburgh, along with Kevin Lipton, the other person who presented it to me, who's an old, longtime friend, coin dealer friend that I've known since he was 16 now. Of course, he's very successful and much older like I am. We all get older, but it was exciting to get the plaque after, I mean, I still believe the PNG is a very important organization and will continue to be, and with John spearheading, and not that Bob didn't do a good job, but John's got, John took over the Coin Dealer Newsletter, and he just brought it to another level, and he'll do the same thing, in my opinion, with the PNG. And it was just exciting to get it and have it, and Stacks Bowers was very cooperative, and I received it at the table, and I put it on display there, and they made little signs for me, so it was great. Yeah, it was very exciting to get it after being a member and being involved in the PNG. And how I got into the PNG is another interesting story, because I talked to Harry Jones at the Pittsburgh ANA. Harry Jones, I noticed, was also got his 50-year plaque, so at the ANA, I talked to him, and he says, yeah, they just mailed it to him, and he says, You know, in 1973, when we joined, it was very difficult to get in. I said, I remember, I said, I remember, I think I got in, I mean, because of my credentials and always, you know, being an upright person, but also my sponsors were Bob Johnson of San Francisco and Abe Kosoff, so that probably helped somewhat too, but it was good to see Harry Jones. I haven't seen him in a while. He's told me he was 88. I couldn't believe he was 88. I told him that I hope I look like he does when I'm 88, but he's doing good, but it was an exciting event for me, and I appreciate them doing it there.

Greg Bennick: I'm really glad for that, and I'm glad that they didn't just mail it to you, because your experience was very different than if you had just opened your front door and there was an award resting on your doorstep, so I'm really glad that you got to experience the full experience.

RON GILLIO: Yeah, so am I. Thank you very much, Greg.

Greg Bennick: Absolutely, absolutely. So, you know, I had mentioned, just, you know, obviously we've mentioned quite a bit throughout your career and your history, and I just wanted to ask just one more question that just came to mind, which was, do you have favorite coins that you've handled throughout the course of your career? Any specific coins that come to mind that were just wow coins for you, I mean, you got to handle something historic and important, or a wow coin, just something you always, you know, coveted, or wanted, or liked, or just simply enjoyed when it came across your desk. Are there any coins that come to mind that you've handled over the years that you find memorable?

RON GILLIO: Well, yes. My favorite coin, is coins struck at the San Francisco Mint. I just had a love for San Francisco Mint coins all my career, and back in the 80s, I wanted to own an 1894 S-Dime. So, the coin dealer I was dealing with in Oakland, Gary Young, who was Leo Young's son, had his father, Leo Young's 1894 S-Dime. I tried to buy it from him, and I couldn't buy it from him, and it ended up in an auction, one of the Fossby auctions in the 80s, and I bought that 1894 S-Dime, you know, because it had such a fantastic history, and especially owning the one that Leo Young, because I knew Leo very well, and we did a lot of business, and I owned it. I owned it for two or three years, and couldn't afford to keep it, and then I sold it, but that was one of the coins. And then recently, I sold a 1913 nickel, which I always wanted to handle for a customer, and I didn't buy it and sell it. I just was an intermediary, but I got to handle it. So, I've handled a lot of rare coins. I've handled the several 1794 dollars uncirculated condition, and just various coins over the years, but I think my favorite coin was the 1894 S-Dime.

Greg Bennick: That's wonderful. I like hearing that. That's fantastic. Thanks for sharing that. Well, those are the questions that I had for you. Is there anything that I missed? Is there anything we didn't cover from your history? You know, I want to make sure that we cover anything that you want to share. Is there anything that we didn't cover today that people would like to hear about?

RON GILLIO: I think we covered pretty much everything that we talked about, and we covered every aspect of my career. There's a lot of little, you know, more stories that are interesting, but I think that the basics and the most important things we've covered. I mean, like I said, I had a lot of interesting experiences with a lot of the old-time dealers, and we've shared those together, and I think that's really pretty much about it.

Greg Bennick: Good. Well, I'm glad. And for those watching, as Ron and I continue to talk and see one another at coin shows, if more stories come up, we can definitely do a part two anytime. That's very easy to do, especially now that my laptop is working again. We can definitely do a part two anytime, but if people are interested in seeing more of the interviews and the series of interviewsthat I'm doing, you can search my name. And of course, there's an interview page on the Newman Numismatic Portal, so you can find out more about the interviews and learn more about other people from the coin hobby there. And if you have ideas about other people, you'd like me to interview, feel free to email me anytime, minterrors@gmail.com. I'd be happy to consider that. And Ron, thank you so much for your time today. It's been amazing talking to you. I really appreciate it.

RON GILLIO: It's been an amazing time for me, and going through some of my history, it brings back great memories. I'm glad to share them and help people enjoy them, and it's easy to get a hold of me if somebody has some questions of me. Just look up Gillio and you'll find me, and I'll be glad to talk to you. But it was fun doing this, and thanks very much.

Greg Bennick: Thank you.

About the Interviewer
Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) is a keynote speaker and long time coin collector with a focus on major mint error coins. Have ideas for other interviewees? Contact him anytime on the web or via instagram @minterrors.

To watch the complete video, see:
Ron Gillio Interview (https://archive.org/details/rongilliointerviewvideo)

To read the complete transcript, see:
Ron Gillio Interview (Transcript) (https://archive.org/details/gilliointerviewtranscript2)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART ONE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n41a11.html)
RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART TWO (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n42a17.html)
RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART THREE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n43a18.html)
RON GILLIO INTERVIEW, PART FOUR (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n44a14.html)

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