PAUL HOLLIS NOMINATED FOR U.S. MINT DIRECTOR

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 29, 2025, Article 18

The wait is over - the White House has nominated a new Director of the U.S. Mint. -Editor

When he was a little kid, Paul Hollis said his grandmother gave him a Peace dollar from the Great Depression, sparking a lifelong love of coins.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump nominated Hollis, an elected member of the Louisiana Board of Secondary and Elementary Education and a former state representative from St. Tammany Parish, to run the U.S. Mint, the government agency in charge of making the nation's coins.

The nomination now heads to the U.S. Senate, which will have a confirmation hearing. Hollis, of Mandeville, said he plans to carry the same Peace Dollar in his pocket to that hearing. The Peace Dollar is a dollar coin first made in 1921 to commemorate the end of World War I.

"I'm thrilled about it," Hollis, a coin collector, said of his nomination. As part of the process, he spoke with treasury officials — the U.S. Mint is a bureau in the department of the U.S. Treasury — and after the nomination received a call of congratulations from Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who he said had recommended him to Trump. Hollis and Johnson had served in the state Legislature together.

Hollis, a Republican, served three terms in the state House of Representatives between 2012 and 2024. In 2023 he won BESE's 1st District seat, which covers St. Tammany Parish and parts of Jefferson and Orleans parishes.

Hollis said he would be the first director of the U.S. Mint, which was established in 1792, from Louisiana and the only numismatist — a term for coin collector that he admits can be difficult to pronounce.

"It's been a passion that I've had for my entire life," he said. "My brothers wondered, why would you sit there and stare at the coin? But I loved it."

After graduating from Louisiana State University in 1994 with a degree in political science, he joined Blanchard and Company, a rare coin firm based in New Orleans. Then in 2003, he started his own firm, Paul Hollis Rare Coins, selling collectibles on home shopping channels. He wrote a book called the American Numismatist about the nation's history and coins.

After years in politics, he said, this nomination is "the cherry on top of the sundae."

As director, Hollis would oversee plans to phase out the penny, he said. He would also be involved in the U.S. Mint's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation.

"They're tangible links to our nation's history," he said of coins. He pointed to how John F. Kennedy was added to the half-dollar after he was assassinated, and how Abraham Lincoln was put on the penny in 1909 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birthday. "Every coin — there's a reason for it."

He intends to keep his residence in Mandeville, in addition to a residence in Washington, D.C., he said. He is married with two children, a 12-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter.

Hollis' nomination will now be heard by the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and, if approved, it would then go to a vote by the full Senate.

Here's an excerpt from another local New Orleans article. -Editor

Hollis will have to resign his state school board seat to take the Mint director job, but he isn't sure when he will step down yet. His departure will likely be followed by the interim appointment of a new school board member by Gov. Jeff Landry and then a special election to fill the seat permanently.

Hollis said he reached out to President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, ahead of the 2024 election to express interest in becoming the Mint director if Trump won a second term. Johnson and Hollis served in the Louisiana House together and are friends, Hollis said.

Assuming he receives Senate confirmation, Hollis said he is most excited about helping the U.S. government celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year, which will come with a new batch of coins.

He will also assist with the phasing out of the penny. The Mint is expected to stop producing one-cent coins in early 2026.

Hollis said his favorite coin is the one that launched his interest in numismatics as a child. When he was seven, his grandmother gave him a $2.50 Indian Gold coin made in New Orleans during the Great Depression.

I think the reporter is mixing up the quarter eagle with the Pease Dollar mentioned in other articles. -Editor

John Feigenbaum published this Greyheet note on the appointment. -Editor

The role is vital to those of us in the coin trade and the nominee couldn't be more welcome, in my opinion. Paul is a true friend of the community, life-long coin collector, and some time professional numismatist. The majority of his life's work has been dedicated to service in his and the Louisiana community.

I already had the pleasure of speaking to Paul and his enthusiasm for coin collecting is evident the moment he opens his mouth. He's full of great ideas for extending the Mint's role to both collectors, and of course for smarter ways to distribute coinage.

Paul has promised to join us soon for a podcast conversation, so stay tuned for this and other updates.