DWIGHT MANLEY

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Dwight Manley (left) and Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist, in 2020. COURTESY DWIGHT N. MANLEY

GREATEST COIN COLLECTOR IN THE WORLD

Dwight Manley is the greatest coin collector in the world, widely admired for his talents and achievements. He develops real estate in California but also builds bridges for the coin hobby. Manley is a philanthropist, dealmaker extraordinaire, visionary and former big-time sports agent who once represented Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman, among others. His agency’s former clients are rivaled only by the mega-star coin rarities he handled as a dealer.

Manley is the recipient of the 2024 Chester L. Krause Memorial Distinguished Service Award from the American Numismatic Association (ANA)—the Congressionally chartered nonprofit organization’s highest honor. He donated more than $3 million in funds and material to establish and sustain the ANA’s Florence Schook School of Numismatics. Schook was his childhood numismatic coach who encouraged him at the 1981 ANA Summer Seminar, to which he was awarded a scholarship.

Dwight Manley (left) and Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist, in 2020. COURTESY DWIGHT N. MANLEY

The celebrated Manley has a claim to being called a Renaissance Man (which he is), as actress Penny Marshall, a former client, starred in a major motion picture of that name. By the way, Manley is also a television producer.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview was conducted six days before February 9, 2025, when U.S. President Donald J. Trump messaged on Truth Social from Super Bowl LIX that he was directing the Treasury to stop minting “pennies.”]

If you could be the U.S. Mint director for a day, what would you do?

On that day, among other important issues, I’d eliminate the U.S. cent. I’d also bring back the $5,000 and $10,000 bills and create the first physical U.S. currency and cryptocurrency hybrid. I’d merge cryptocurrency with our circulating coinage and currency. The seigniorage pays down debt. At some point, the value of the crypto could exceed the face value of the note.

Closeup of Donald J. Trump (left), 45th and now 47th President of the United States, and Dwight Manley at a dinner at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills on May 14, 2023. COURTESY DWIGHT N. MANLEY

I would make the U.S. Mint more accessible and engaged with collectors. I’d create a division for young numismatists, with the focus on education for our students. There’s so much history in our coins.

If given a free hand, would you make any changes to our circulating coins?

I’d change everything. As I just said, for starters I’d do away with the cent. I would add a three-cent coin to circulating coinage because by doing that elimination of the cent wouldn’t be inflationary. As long as you have a nickel and a quarter, you could still get to one. I’d make the new three-cent coin smaller than a nickel.

Donald J. Trump (left), 45th and now 47th President of the United States, and Dwight Manley shaking hands at a dinner at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills on May 14, 2023. COURTESY DWIGHT N. MANLEY

And if you’re looking to promote collecting, peace and unity, which I am, I’d feature the stars and stripes on the obverse, or front, of the coin.

What do you think of the current U.S. pocket change or circulating coinage?

I look at the U.S. Mint’s productions as creations driven by the government down instead of the collector up. The U.S. Mint’s coins are profit driven. It’s indecipherable where the mission statement is. It was similar in the
1930s, with every congressman and senator wanting one for their district, so, ultimately, they stopped.

The Mint is making too many things. For example, they made a 1794 1-ounce silver medal. As a collector of rare coins, I only recognize negotiable coins with a legal tender status as belonging in coin sets. The 1794 gold dollar contained an ounce of gold. You don’t issue an ounce of gold and give it a one-dollar face value. The Mint has partnered with mass marketers. Dave Bowers always taught me that if something is common today, it will likely be common tomorrow.

How can the American Numismatic Association (ANA) make itself more relevant in this?

The ANA should be a stakeholder and partner in this outreach from the U.S. Mint. I’d deputize people from the ANA to create this network.

Dwight Manley on the American Numismatic Association website. COURTESY AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION

What coin-related roots will you always remember?

My first ANA headquarters Summer Seminar in 1981 at 818 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903. It was as if I was in a flying saucer traveling to another galaxy. It was the best launching pad I could ever have. It was an incredible experience being one on one meeting and learning and spending time with Florence Schook,
Ed Rochette, Dave Bowers, Adna Wilde, Larry Tekamp and Mike Fuljenz. It was just so amazing how accessible these legendary talents were. I was 15 years old, and I was the last scholarship recipient that year. I entered a world that I never knew existed. Keith Love, Cliff Levy and Dan Ratner were fellow students, such incredible people that went on to achieve so much. It was unbelievable how accessible all of these numismatic heroes were. People talk about public service and getting paid. These people were doing it for the love of the hobby. Buy the book before the coin was told to me in 1973 when I was 7. I can’t emphasize that enough. Learning as much as you can is the most important part of everything. It’s the history beyond the metal disk in your hand.

How do we give the young numismatists of today life-long roots?

I’ve taught coin club classes at school and at my house. The best engagement path is from education. Second to fifth graders are of the optimum ages to learn about coins. Learning about numismatics has life-long benefits. Areas of advanced education come forward. Physics, political history, science, communication—there are many integral areas of study behind coins. You hold that thing in your hand that’s lived six lifetimes. It’s telling you a story.

Grading services founder John Albanese seated behind Dwight Manley. Albanese rarely takes a back seat to anyone or anything, making this a rare candid pose. Manley lavishes highest praise on Albanese’s skill set, integrity and leadership, and sees CAC Grading, which Albanese founded, as the future of the coin hobby.
COURTESY DWIGHT N. MANLEY

There are coins I’ve held that signers of the Declaration of Independence could have held. Dave Bowers used to always say that you collect things because you love them. I’ve found that you end up making the most money from collecting the coins you love.

Do young collectors still have an interest in pocket-change collecting based on the thrill of the hunt?

I don’t think so. Kids are being raised in a cashless society, so they don’t have the same experience that I did.

What do we do about the graying of the industry?

Just like Donald Trump wants America to have more babies, our country needs more youth. The U.S. Mint has more to teach kids than the U.S. Department of Education. Amazon and Google need to be integrated into this. It’s just like Donald Trump trying to fix decades of swamp activity, but to really get things cleaned up involves a long process.

There should be tens of millions of kids collecting coins. Right now, people can’t even memorize a phone number because the phone remembers everything. A contest to find a valuable coin will get kids’ attention.

Are conventions fading?

Yes. Online commerce is over-shadowing them.

The U.S. Mint issued a copper and nickel three-cent piece from 1865 to 1889. The coin here is a phenomenal CAC-certified example from 1882. COURTESY DAVID LAWRENCE RARE COINS

You’re shaking hands with Donald Trump. Why are you both together in those photos?

We had dinner in Beverly Hills before Donald Trump ran for president the second time. He could not have been more selfless, interested and engaging in conversation. The dinner was for Rick Grenell. We had met for the first time. I ended up following up with a meeting in Mar-a-Lago with President Trump. In Mar-a-Lago, in his office, I gave him a George Washington silver snuff box.

I consider President Trump to be the George Washington of our era and the most consequential president of our time.

Resources about the American Numismatic Association’s Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library:

https://www.money.org/dwight-n-manley/

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