PUBLISHER DENNIS TUCKER REFLECTS

In 2004, Tucker joined Whitman Publishing and helped lead the modern renaissance in numismatic publishing by issuing many titles on the coin market, banking, and US financial history. Most importantly, he helped publish twenty editions of the Red Book, known by those in the hobby as the single most important reference work for US coinage.

Now, two decades later, Tucker's recent retirement from that longtime role has made waves among coin collectors and dealers everywhere. Although he is no longer a publisher by title, Tucker remains very involved in the field. In addition to finishing his term aboard the Treasury Department's Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, Tucker is still regularly attending coin-related events, like the Central States Numismatic Society's Convention in April, where he received the organization's Q. David Bowers Lifetime Achievement Award. Tucker is also spending his time leading the board of directors of the nonprofit Brayhope Farm, which provides programs for autistic children and others in need.

In a recent interview with WorthPoint, Tucker reflected on his career, how he got started, and what he's looking forward to in the numismatics hobby.

I wrote occasional letters to the editor of the hobby papers, corresponded with dealers and other collectors, and collected mainly through mail-order. In my late twenties, I was in the right place at the right time to purchase a couple of very large collections of medals, which I organized, studied, cataloged, and sold for a profit. My passion was more as a student of numismatics, though, not as a dealer.

When the opportunity came to join Whitman Publishing as the company's publisher, I was thirty-two years old and had more than twenty years of experience in the hobby. By that time, I'd built my career in corporate communications, public relations, and publications management. I'd taken a detour into the nonprofit world and was looking to get back into the corporate arena when I was offered two positions in the same week: as a director of communications for Coca-Cola North America and as publisher at Whitman. Both were headquartered in Atlanta, where I'd moved a few years earlier. If you've ever lived in Atlanta, you know that Coca-Cola is huge here, and I was thrilled to be offered such an important position. On the other hand, the idea of working at Whitman Publishing, with authors I'd read since I was a kid, and with books that were crucial to my own development as a collector … I wouldn't say it was an easy decision, but Coke didn't really have a chance.

It's hard to say exactly where, along that path, I was first deeply involved in numismatics. It was a natural, gradual process of learning more and more, getting deeper and deeper into both the hobby and the industry. Certainly, 2004, when I started working at Whitman Publishing, was a tipping point to a new level.

Working with Dave Bowers has been one of the major highlights of my numismatic career. His books were among the first I read about coins and paper money, as a young collector, so I'd been his student for many years by the time we finally met. Our introduction was by phone, shortly after I was hired as Whitman's publisher. We had a wonderful conversation. A few minutes into it, he told me, If you keep calling me ‘Mr. Bowers,' I'm going to call you ‘Mr. Tucker'! and from that point on we've been on a first-name basis.

To read the complete article, see:
PUBLISHER DENNIS TUCKER REFLECTS ON LONGTIME NUMISMATIC CAREER (https://www.worthpoint.com/articles/collectibles/publisher-dennis-tucker-reflects-on-longtime-numismatic-career)

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