The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-03-08
HAL
BOYLE,
SAYS
BY HAL BOYLE

NEW YORK Qn-Looking for
sC.ne easy money?
':Go for a treasure hunt in your
own home," advises Hans M. F.
Schulman, one of the worlds larg-
est dealers In rare coins.
Some people have valuable col
lectionS Of cd coins ard paper
money and don't know it--nloncy
left behind by earlier members oil
tie family and kept as souvenirs.
Most OF this is worth oaly Its
ace value, ''ut old coins and bills
u.at are rare and in good conditio.
are sky-rocketing. That is because
lie number of American rumis.
matists-as coin collectors cal.
themselves-has jumped from 25,-
900 to about $4,000 in recent years.
Paper money today is heavily
collected because old coins are
getting scarcer," said Schulman.
'.0ld u. S. bills are in parti-
cular demand. Those dated from
1862 up to 1879 are worth at least
double their face value, even in
poor condition, and often much
more"
Around 1875 the mint pulled a
boner and let get into circulation
more than 100 bills printed $50 on
the front and S100 on the back.
There are probably a number
of these loose or hidden away in
attics or other places, said Schulz
man. And they are worth today
more than 81 900 each.
Confederate money also is en-
joying a mild loom. but it still
is considerably more anemic than
the standard Yankee dollar. even
in the South.
"A $500 Confederate government
bill that used to bring 81 now may
sell up TO 81, said Schulman and
added:
But, please-don't send me any,
They printed too many"
Schulman, whose family for
three generations have been coin
dealers to kings and commoners
around the world, came here from
Amsterdam in 1899. The Nazis
seized and killed his father and
mother.
His collecting clients in
clude retired cops, college stu.
dents, Indian maharajahs and King
Farouk of Egypt. Next month he
is holding 3-day $4,000 auction
in the WaldCrf.AStoria to dispose
of the remainder of Financier
J. p. Morgan's vast collection.
What is the difference between
kings and ordinary coin collectors?
Kings have keener sense of
trading" said Schulman, smiling.
They are much more choosey in
their buying. They know values
and lCok for bargains.
He believes that shrewdly as
Sembled coin collection excells dia-
monts as an investment, ranks sec
and only to real estate for sta.
bility in value.
Hoarding gold is illegal, but col
lect0rs are allowed to he'd any
number of gold coins, so long as
they are of different types or mini
dates, Asked why black mar
keteers and tax dodgers didn't try
to hide some c. their wealth this
way, Schulman said grimly:
They do"
Most people. however. collect
coins purely as hobby and Scllul.
man says insurance figures show
they live 10 per cent longer thar
the average person. The no, by i'm
this country centers in the Mid.
west, but also is popular in Cali
fornia and New York.
Most coin collectors are men, y
he remarked. Only few women
go in for it,"
II can remember only one wom-
an ever coming in to buy a coin
a 4. n lol ter l..s.,
ards collection.
Women just don't see the point
= using fresh new money To buy
old money.
SC uiiuen spends tie time he has
left from his business in following
his own hobby.
Il collect stamps he said, his
eyes lighting up.