• Founded in 1971. Current staff of 19 friendly and helpful employees.
• Member of numerous local, state, and national coin associations and authorized dealers for PCGS, NGC, ICG and ANACS.
• LCS has served as a consultant and appraiser for the Michigan Historical Museum, banks, CPAs, law firms, auctioneers, police departments, insurance companies, and the Michigan Attorney General's office.
• We buy and sell a variety of items including coins of all kinds from the last 2,500 years, paper money, tokens, military items, autographs, jewelry, luxury watches, and sterling silver flatware.
• We serve over 100,000 customers a year in person, over the phone, and on the internet. National surveys over the years show Liberty Coin Service to be a competitive buyer and seller of precious metals and rare coins. Surveys also show that Liberty Coin Service consistently pays higher prices to buy gold jewelry from the public, beating all local competitors, hotel buyers, and "mail-it-in" gold buyers.

Patrick A Heller, CPA, LCS Owner, General Manager, editor of Liberty's Outlook Newsletter, and gold market commentator for www.numismaster.com. 

I began collecting coins in 1964, as did almost everyone in my family.  My father worked in the foreign aid program, so we had access to interesting coins from many countries.  After getting my BBA with Distinction from the University of Michigan in 1974, I worked for seven years as a Certified Public Accountant.  I set the office record for a high score as I passed the CPA exam in my first attempt.  

In 1975, I visited Liberty Coins for the first time.  In 1981, after realizing sizeable profits on my coin investments, I became part owner of LCS, Michigan's largest rare coin and precious metals dealership.  I have been sole owner since 1995.

Besides helping customers, writing the monthly newsletter and a weekly gold commentary, I do much of the public relations work.  I am a frequent speaker to community groups and schools.  My current collecting interests include gold coins from Liberia, tokens and paper money from Lapeer, Michigan and Menomonie, Wisconsin, and (with my children) coins that bear the word "Heller."

My professional writings have appeared in the Journal of Accountancy (January 1980), The Wall Street Journal (December 1987), Numismatic News (various), and Michigan Banker (October 1999).  Pieces I have written in Liberty's Outlook or for Numismaster have been reprinted, linked, or cited in dozens of publications every month.    I have also written a number of short stories and four books of poetry, with some publishing success.

I have life memberships in the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Central States Numismatic Society (CSNS), Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS), Society for Paper Money Collectors (SPMC), and Florida United Numismatists (FUN).  In 2007, I was voted into membership of the Professional Numismatists Guild, an exclusive association of the world's top coin dealers. I am a consultant for the Law Enforcement Numismatic Expert Network of the Numismatic Crime Information Center. I am also a member of numerous other numismatic organizations as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. 

I currently serve on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, the national trade association for the rare coin and precious metals industry. From 2003 to 2005, I served as a member of the ANA's Committee on the Future of the Hobby. From 2007 to 2009, I served as chair of the ANA's Finance and Budget Committee. For MSNS, I am the chair of the Elections Committee.

Allan Beegle and I were two of the main three people that worked on the  project that succeeded in enactment of a law to eliminate sales and use taxes on the sale of rare coins and precious metals in Michigan (effective July 7, 1999). 

I was Chair of the MSNS Committee for the Design of the 2004 Michigan Quarter.  Former Michigan Governor John Engler appointed me to serve on the Michigan Quarter Commission. In my work on the Commision, I was the primary author of the written descriptions of all five potential Michigan Quarter designs that were sent to the U.S. Mint. It is a genuine thrill to participate in the meeting when Governor Jennifer Granholm selected the design for the Michigan Quarter, to personally strike one of the first Michigan Quarters struck at the U.S. Mint, and to be part of the public launch ceremony of the Michigan Quarter.

I have been frequently interviewed by television, radio, and newspaper media in Michigan. Over the years, I have received multiple awards for my efforts at introducing young collectors into the hobby and for other public service.

I was honored with the 2003 George Hatie Memorial Award, MSNS's highest award, as only the second recipient so recognized in MSNS's then 49-year history. I was also presented with the 2004 Socially Responsible Entrepreneurial Award of Greater Lansing. In 2008, I was honored with the ANA Presidential Award.

Other activities include serving as Treasurer and a Director of Cryonics Institute of Clinton Township, Michigan

My wife Pamela and I are busy with six grandchildren, three grown children--Alina, Mary, and Ashley, and two at home--Dan and Amy, the last two who we adopted from the Marshall Islands. Dan received a lot of publicity in 2004 when he attended the Michigan Quarter Ceremonial Strike Ceremony at the Denver Mint, becoming one of the youngest people to ever strike a U.S. coin.   We travel a lot; I have been to all 50 states and 29 countries on four continents.  

Allan  Beegle, Chief Numismatist

I have always been fascinated with coins, and when a coin shop opened up near my high school, I'd often stop by and look at coins. In 1972 I became the first LCS employee, sorting coins and waiting on customers after school. I've worked mostly for LCS since then, with breaks for college and a two year stint working for coin wholesalers in California.

The extensive network of dealer contacts I've built through the years are put to use everyday.   Sometimes it seems I'm on the telephone so much with retail and wholesale customers that our staff often jokes that the phone is attached to my ear.

This year I served on a committee of board members from the Industry Council for Tangible Assets which worked on making a recommendation to the White House for nomination of candidates for U.S. Mint Director.

I'm a life member of the American Numismatic Association, Central States Numismatic Society, and Michigan State Numismatic Society as well as a member of many other collector organizations.

I collect Bust Half Dollars,$2 1/2 and $5 classic gold coins, Buffalo nickels "with full pointy horns", and nice early type coins.

I enjoy my work, and love working with customers, but the focus of my life revolves around my wife and children.

  

Paul Manderscheid, Inventory Manager and Senior Numismatist

Paul became a professional coin dealer at the age of 14 when he set up his own booth at a coin show. Paul first started working at LCS in 1972, the company's second employee, while attending high school.  He is the author of several articles on coin errors and tokens and exonumia.  He also wrote the book "Lansing's Money."  Paul is listed as a contributing researcher in several token and paper money catalogs.  His ever changing variety of numismatic interests have led to his encyclopedic knowledge on almost any monetary subject.  Paul earned the Roethke Memorial Award for the Best Mich-Matist Article of 2002.  This research article, titled Michigan Lumber Tokens, was 30 pages long.

One example of Paul's expertise happened when he took the American Numismatic Association course on "Advanced Detection of Counterfeit and Altered Coins" in 1983 and found two mistakes in the teaching materials!

Paul is regularly consulted by other dealers on questions of authenticity and quality of coins, paper money, tokens, and medals.

Paul's current collecting interests include U.S. Territorial Gold Coins, Indian and Post Trader tokens, Michigan-related tokens and paper money, Hellenistic (Greek) kingdoms and Roman coins issued from Julius Caesar to Commodus, and Civilian Conservation Corp tokens. 

Paul is a life member of the American Numismatic Association and Michigan State Numismatic Society as well as being a member of a number of other numismatic organizations.  He is the past president of the Michigan Token and Medal Society (MICH-TAMS) and is currently the editor of the MICH-TAMS newsletter.  

Thomas Coulson, CPA, Senior Numismatist

I consider myself blessed to have a career that is so enjoyable  and satisfying. My work entails numerous and diverse new challenges every day. My satisfaction comes from working with colleagues and interacting with customers who have many shared interests. I have had the opportunity to forge many lifelong friends in this business and consider them part of my extended family.

I love to share my collecting interests with people. I hope that I can instill in others an appreciation for the value of entertainment and knowledge learned through numismatics. As an avid student of history, I often like to build numismatic collections around historic novels or non-fiction I have read.

Coins have the potential for intrigue as conduits to the past. I can hold a Roman Denarius of Titus, for example, and imagine myself at the opening of the Coliseum. My coins have taken me to such places as the Parthenon, Colonial New England, the halls of Versailles, and my ancestor's home town of Hull, England. I have traveled with the armies of Alexander, Peter the Great, Napoleon, Grant and Lee. I visited the magnificant White City of Chicago and walked along its Court of Honor. I imagined the great hardships faced by the Ibo tribe in Nigeria in its bid to become an independent nation. No destination in time or distance is too great for one who possesses an open mind, some good literature, and - a coin!

I hold memberships in many numismatic organizations including life memberships in the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Michigan State Numismatic Society, Central States Numismatic Society, and Florida United Numismatists. I am also a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. I keep my numismatic knowledge relevant by continually studying and collecting in new areas of the hobby as my interests dictate. I also completed the ANA course on detection of counterfeit coins in 2007.

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife Jennifer and our new daughter, Abigail, who is quite a handful. I also enjoy driving around the countryside in my 2006 Mustang convertible when the weather in Michigan permits.

Barbara Robinson,  Administrative Assistant,
Office Manager and Customer Service

I have been an employee of Liberty Coin Service since 1994. Since that time, I have represented our company at the monthly meetings of the Frandor Merchants Association. In March 2005, the members of that association honored me by electing me president.  

At Liberty, my primary task is to keep the office running smoothly.  I answer phones, process mail order transactions, translate old documents, in addition to buying and selling jewelry and coins in our retail store.  Previous experience includes 8 years as a buyer and seller for a local jewelry store. 

Coins, currency, or old documents relating to family genealogy are my favorite collectibles. Because of my genealogy involvement, I have been elected to the Board position of Secretary for the Rix Robinson Family Association of Western Michigan. With family research and documentation recently obtained, I became qualified to be a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

I am active in my church on the Parish Life Commission as a Funeral Dinner Worker, helping make food for parish member funeral dinners. I also take pleasure in being a part-time member of the church choir and serving as a member of my church's Usher Club.

I especially enjoy my children, grandchildren, great granddaughter and family and friends in general. My spare time activities include community involvement with Habitat for Humanity, and Ecumenical People Praying for Peace.

Charles Tassinare, Customer Service

In the late 1950's I developed an interest in collecting wheat pennies and buffalo head nickels. I have always liked antiques, which I began collecting and selling in the 1970's. I now have decades of experience buying and selling pottery in particular, and antiques in general. On a personal level, I am interested in social issues and am politically active in support of my views. Since joining LCS in 1997, I continue to find interesting things to learn about. I like working with our LCS staff, and also enjoy my daily contact with our customers.

Dany Rothfeld, Customer Service

I first did business with Liberty Coins in the early 1980's.   In 2003, I joined LCS staff, where I do most of the shipping, as well as working with our customers at the counter.

Coins caught my imagination in the late 1970's, as I was doing laundry at Michigan State University's married housing complex.  One day, old coins came out of the change machine.  Needless to say, the laundry was done late that day, after I went through most of the coins in that machine.  Years later, when I knew more about coins, I actually fine-combed this pile of coins and found my VF 3-legged, 1937-D Buffalo nickel.

For the past several years, I have been serving on the Board of Directors of the Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS), of which I am a life member.  I am also a member of numerous other coin clubs.  I like to exhibit my coins and numismatic material in shows.  I've been doing this for more than a decade, and have won numerous awards for my exhibits.  I recently re-did the Hebrew dating page in the Israel section for the 2005 Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901 - present, and am credited as a contributor.

I enjoy working at Liberty Coins because of the great staff, and the opportunity it gives me to interact with people who have similar interests to my own.

 

Janet Gates, Customer Service & Jewelry Sales

Since beginning my job here in October of 2003, I continue to enjoy learning more about coins, collectibles and jewelry.  The historical significance of the symbols in coinage is particularly interesting to me.  Since we also deal in many different kinds of collectible items, interesting things can happen.  Once we had a customer who brought in some vintage postcards to sell. He also had a business card that had belonged to my great grandfather, which he kindly gave to me.  What a treasure!  In my 'other' life outside of Liberty Coins, I enjoy my family and friends, especially my grandchildren, pet cats and birds, and The Lake.

 

David Hartung, Customer Service

 

Augustine Green, Customer Service

>Upon becoming a young adult, I discovered the love for collecting toys from my childhood and earlier years. I have spent the last 25 years collecting and researching older toys and other collectibles, including comic books and collectors cards. I recently discovered my latest passion, paper money, which I have also started collecting.

My free time is usually spent with my wife and family. Together we have six children, two girls and four boys. All of our children happen to be teenagers right now, with the exception of our eldest son, who is also the father of our first grandchild. My favorite pastime is playing and watching basketball, as well as watching other sports. I also take pleasure in listening to many different types of music and going to the theatre to catch the latest box office release.

I can honestly say my favorite part of working at Liberty Coin Service is assisting the customers. I love meeting new people and make an effort to genuinely connect and work with each customer on a personal level. I found that I enjoy customer service so much, I decided to take on the challenge of opening my own collectibles store. I now have the benefit of sharing my experience in customer service with our family-owned business and I am truly looking forward to what the future holds.