Garrett Ziss entered numismatics as the result of a second-grade school project back in January 2011. “We were required to bring a dollar’s worth of coins into school to learn how to count money,” recounts Ziss, now 22. “Many of the other kids and I started to look at the dates on the coins as well as their designs, especially for the state quarters. I asked my parents to look through their change and found three 1941 Nickels, which became my first coins.”
Garrett was soon helping his dad roll loose change and was allowed to keep several interesting coins, including a 2006 Lincoln Cent with a mason counterstamp. “In May, for my eighth birthday, my parents bought me a copy of A Guide Book of United States Coins [“The Red Book”] and Fascinating Facts, Mysteries & Myths About United States Coins by Robert R. Van Ryzin. I spent the summer reading both books over and over again.”
Ziss enjoys many facets of the hobby, especially numismatic history as viewed through an economic lens. “This tie-in to economic history is an interesting way to align my passions for numismatics and economics, and can also make coins significantly more interesting!” He also likes the history of how coins were made. “Learning about the history behind coins also includes the artistry and technology involved in their manufacture.”
Furthermore, he is fascinated by another aspect of numismatic history: provenance – the chain of ownership that one can trace back for a specific specimen. “I am trying to obtain coins with as many different pedigrees as possible from collectors in that series.” He adds, “Learning about the collecting tradition via provenance is very important to keep the hobby alive and contiguous for future generations.”
Bringing more people into the numismatic fold has long been important to Ziss, who in 2017 became the first young numismatist to give a Money Talks presentation at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money. “In total, I have given presentations to five different national numismatic organizations, which I am very proud of.” He serves as the assistant editor of digital numismatic publication The E-Sylum and is a U.S. coin cataloger for Heritage Auctions.
In his downtime, Ziss loves collecting and studying early Federal-era copper as well as Capped Bust Quarters and Capped Bust Half Dollars. “My favorite coin from the Bust series is a double-struck 1809 O-107 half dollar with dentil tracks over the cap,” he says, noting that the coin was previously cataloged as the distinct and semi-unique 1809 O-107 “a” sub-variety. “I am also continuing my long-term research on Bust and Liberty Seated coin images on obsolete paper money, as well as conducting further numismatic research in various areas, some of which is for a larger, longer-term numismatic project that is still in the works.”
He encourages other collectors to learn as much as they can about their favorite areas of the hobby. “There are many different paths that numismatics can lead you down that tie back into your non-numismatic interests. It can also lead you down new roads, like the myriad of interesting anecdotes I have learned about American local history through my study of obsolete paper money. Either way, you will gain a deeper understanding of the history of the area from which you collect coins.”