ALL THAT GLITTERS: Treasured currency

Phil Carlino, vice president and founder of the Las Vegas Numismatic Society, displays some of the collectible coins inside his decades-old shop Fremont Coins at 3375 Glen Ave.LouiE Traub/View Advertisement

By ERICA VITAL

VIEW STAFF WRITER

Phil Carlino started with a bag of pennies.

"My wife wanted a hobby," said the coin collector and original founder of the Las Vegas Numismatic Society. "So, I went to the bank and bought 5,000 pennies. Friday, she was too busy to have a look. Saturday came, and she had something to do. Sunday, I decided to go through the bag myself."

Carlino found the "better dates" in the bag. Ten coins netted him a bit of a profit.

That was in 1956.

He was hooked, said Carlino. He went into the business. While on vacation in Las Vegas, he set up a coin show. The response was such that he went back home to New York state, sold the house, sold his furniture, packed up the wife and kids and headed back to Las Vegas, where he opened up a coin and precious metals dealership on Fremont Street. He remained in business downtown, where at one time, he operated five shops for 44 years until a need to expand brought him to 3375 Glen Ave., the current location of his store Fremont Coins.

"From a bag of pennies to millions," he said, proud of the legacy that began with the original shop at 215 Fremont St.

The Las Vegas Numismatic Society is putting on the 45th annual Coin Show at the Plaza, 1 S. Main St. The event will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Over 100 local and international dealers in coins, currency tokens and gold and silver will attend. Admission is free and dealers will appraise, sell and buy coins

Coin collectors, or numismatists, make up 10 percent of the population, according to Carlino. They range from hobbyists in search of the distinctive profile on the Lincoln penny to seasoned numismatists on the hunt for a Stella. Minted in 1879 and 1880, the $4 gold piece is one of the most sought-after coins among high-level collectors, Carlino said, and can be valued for as much as $400,000.

The face that adorns one of the rarest coins in the U.S. belonged to an anonymous waiting girl or maid, Carlino said, an unnamed woman who was discovered when the engraver Charles E. Barber was in need of a model.

"You see, that's the way coinage goes," said Carlino, who receives calls from dealers and hobbyists from time to time who believe they may have stumbled across the gold coin.

"I've got another story for you," he said as he lifted a prized piece above a security counter.

"President Roosevelt, Theodore, said he wanted to beautify the coins of the United States. One of the greatest sculptors was August St. Gaudins. He was a man in the wheelchair, so they always had to take him home and into the back door. One evening he comes in and there's a dishwasher there. He looked at this girl. And that was where he got the face for the $10 piece.

"There's more to the story," Carlino said as he replaced the coin. "But you can't print it."

The history of coins, who made them and how, is part of the attraction for collectors, according to Carlino.

And part of the science that sustains the quality of collectibles is in dealing with those who have had a presence in the business, said Herb Kaufman, a fellow collector who first made the acquaintance of Carlino back in 1966.

Kaufman owned the legendary emporium of shops on Maryland Parkway. Wonder World housed a variety of vendors, from clothing shops to jewelers.

At Carlino's store recently, Kaufman brought in a large silver coin stamped with the name and likeness of Howard Hughes.

"There have been other coin dealers who have come into town over the years," Kaufman said. "A lot of them have gone out of business. When you want an accurate accounting of what the heck is going on, you talk to Phil."

The Las Vegas Numismatic Society, of which Carlino is now vice president, also holds monthly meetings for collectors at the Doolittle Recreation Center, 1950 J. St., according to Carlino.

For more information on the Coin Show at the Plaza, call 382-1469.