What is your most memorable moment in numismatics?

The most memorable moment for me personally in numismatics was when I got to look at Garret's Collection before it was sold. At the time, Garret's coins were in the Evergreen House Museum, as were all of his other personal items. I had the opportunity to hold all the coins in my physical hands with no plastic or window between us.

One of the coins I held was the 1804 Silver Dollar. I also had the opportunity to hold the 1795 Draped Bust Dollar Proof. The 1975 Draped Bust is the most beautiful and mesmerizing coin that I have ever seen and held in my hands. I also got to hold all three different Brasher Doubloons in my left hand, all at once a total value $6,000,000 in one hand! One was the Punch on Breast, Punch on Wing and the Peru copy; all three coins are shown in page 61 of the Redbook. This was one of the best experiences in my life. Today it would be practically impossible to hold these coins all at once.

How did you become a coin dealer?

Many years ago, I worked for a canned food company as the quality control manager in Salem, Oregon. A friend and I would get the change from parking meters in Salem sorting the loose coins I could use for my collection and then place them in rolls for the bank. During this time you could still find many g coins in change. For instance, you could find 1949-S dimes at ten cents (face value). Then you could ship that same dime to an East Coast dealer who was paying a dollar for each one. One time I found a 1914-D Lincoln cent in about F to VF condition.

My hobby later became a business when I regularly attended coin shows and started being a contract advertiser of Coin World and Numismatic News in October 1967. I set up my first table under my name in 1964 in Salem, Oregon. The show had about 30 coin dealers in total. I became a full time coin dealer when I bought a store in 1971 in Santa Rosa, Ca. On average we attend about 22 to 24 coin shows a year.

How many employees does Jack Beymer's Coin Shop have?

I have eight employees not including myself and my wife Sondra. My store manager Tom Miller is a great numismatist and has been a tremendous help throughout the years. Tom co-authored the RPM book on mint marked coins The rest of the staff includes Joan Campbell, Vikki Lawrence, Tana Klaut, Freeman Beymer, Laurel Beymer, Valerie Acuff and Marcel Patzwald.

What is your favorite coin?

I am really fascinated with the Gobrecht dollar and it is definitely my favorite coin.

How do you feel about the current coin market?

I think the current market is very strong. You can see it in the prices being realized in many of the major auctions. Many great coins also keep coming up for sale at most major auctions, enticing collectors to sell their collections. When great coins and collections come up for sale, it is a big indication that the coin market is going very well.

Which coins do you feel are undervalued?

I think Lincoln cents are currently a good series, mainly because of the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln cent design. Many of the key dates seem to be strong right now and demand just keeps climbing for them. Dealers are always bidding strong on the tough dates which in return tends to bring the prices higher. Also, I am always buying and selling many of Lincoln cents since it has always been a very popular series.

Did you see more people buying or selling coins right now?

There is brisk activity both ways right now. There are many people coming in the shop selling many of their items which contain gold or silver. Because of the recent bullion price increases many people are coming in the shop selling their jewelry and other items containing precious metals. These include silver, gold necklaces, rings, household items containing precious metals and also coins.

When do you think is the best time to be a dealer in the coin market?

Any time is fine, as there are always great opportunities to buy and sell coins. You just need to buy the right coins so you can then sell to your customers. Many years ago, you could buy coins at cheap prices and today you need to pay a lot more for those same coins, but the time is always good if you can buy what you can sell at a profit.

Is there anyone in numismatics who has been influential to you?

I was influenced by J.R. Hollingsworth in Portland, Oregon. He specialized in Buffalo nickels. He always advised me to specialize in something and to learn the series well and use it to my advantage. I only specialized in Barber coins at the time so I tried to increase my knowledge as much as possible and now I specialize in many other different series.

My wife Sondra has been influential since she has always supported me the most with running the coin shop and traveling to shows.

What do you do outside of numismatics?

I work a lot but I enjoy investing time with my family and working with my staff. Every year, my family and I take a vacation and travel to India to visit the tomb of Meher Baba, which is something I always look forward too.

Any advice for collectors?

Learn as much as possible about coins and buy the coins you really like.