Greg Roberts - CEO, Spectrum Group International and CEO, Bowers and Merena Auctions
Greg Roberts, who was born and raised in Pasadena, California, was introduced to the world of numismatics by his uncle, Gene Calvert. One year, when he was about 11 years old, his uncle gave him a coin album for Christmas. Two years later, Greg attended his first coin club meeting with his uncle. From these initial experiences Greg soon developed into a collector, but equally quickly to develop was his interest in the business and trading side of the rare coin market.
During his high school years, Greg learned that he was able to make extra money buying and selling coins. His transition from a hobbyist to a dealer came naturally, especially since weekend trips to local coin shows provided Greg with enough money that he did not need to have another job while going to school. He eventually ended up selling coins to his high school principal as well as his friends.
After graduating from high school, Greg began attending college while also working for Nick Buzolich, Sr. and Nick Buzolich, Jr. at Quality Coin Exchange, a father-son wholesale partnership. The year was 1980, and Greg credits them with giving him his first formal education in the coin industry.
Greg next moved on to a coin buyer position with a retail operation in Newport Beach, California. During his nine-year tenure with the firm he helped bring in more than $120 million worth of coins. He started his own coin business in 1990.
A few years later, Spectrum Numismatics approached Greg with an offer to take over the firm. He accepted, and has been with Spectrum ever since. Today, as CEO of Spectrum Group International, Greg manages an international collectibles network with affiliates headquartered on three continents. Spectrum Group International is the third-largest collectibles firm in the world behind Christies and Sotheby's.
Greg is a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), a life member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), and a member of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA). He is married, loves spending time with his children and is a big fan of the California Angels and Los Angeles Lakers.
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Rick Ponterio - Vice President
Richard Ponterio began collecting coins as a young boy at about the age of 10. His interests first peaked in numismatics while working for his uncle who owned a vending machine company. During the summer, Rick would accompany his uncle along his route, re-stocking the machines and collecting the monies which had been deposited. At the end of each day, the two of them would search through the coins for dates and varieties they needed for their collections. In 1972 he decided to make numismatics his full time profession. From 1974-1982 he helped co-found the firm Ponterio & Wyatt, conducting mail bid auctions, price lists, and attending major coin shows. In 1982 he formed the company Ponterio & Associates which was accepted in to the I.A.P.N.(International Association of Professional Numismatists) in 1988, and served on the executive committee of the I.A.P.N. for eight years. He joined the P.N.G.(Professional Numismatists Guild) in 1979, and served on its board of directors for six Years. He is an A.N.A. life member and is the president of the New York International Numismatics Convention.
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Steve Deeds - Senior Numismatist
Mr. Deeds is a proven veteran of all aspects of the numismatic market. His career, which spans four decades, began as a manager of a local coin shop in his home town of Inglewood, California. He fulfilled this position working afternoons and evenings while in high school.
While still a teenager, Steve became so enamored with the rare coin business that he decided to open his own mail order business and attend major coin shows. His success, both then and now, is due in no small part to his willingness to devote the time and resources required to cultivate trusting relationships. Steve has always prided himself on his ability to help clients feel comfortable with him and with all of their numismatic transactions.
In the early 1970s, Steve relocated to New York City, where he opened Metropolitan Rare Coin Galleries. At the height of the boom that followed upon the heels of the government's lifting the ban on private ownership of gold, his coin sales surpassed the $100 million mark in a single calendar year.
By the mid-1970s, Steve had decided to return to California. There he partnered with two other professional numismatists in the acquisition and sale of what was, at that time, the largest rare coin transaction in history: the LaVere Redfield Hoard of Morgan and Peace Dollars.
Following that transaction, Steve became one of the pioneers in the repatriation of U.S. gold coins that the federal government had sent to Europe as part of reparations after both world wars. From 1983 to 1995, he built another successful coin business, buying and selling some of the rarest U.S. coins on the market. Shortly thereafter, he found his niche in the numismatic auction market.
Today, Steve Deeds still makes ample use of his ability to satisfy clients and service their every need-skills he has been developing and honing since the start of his numismatic career. He helps consignors feel comfortable with selling their coins through auction by building relationships built upon trust and mutual understanding. His knowledge of numismatic auctions, as well as the rare coin market as a whole, is readily accessible to those who seek his counsel.
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Ron Gillio - Numismatic Acquisition Coordinator World Coin & Currency Specialist
Ronald J. Gillio is an internationally renowned rare coin dealer, auctioneer, author and researcher who has been active and influential in numismatics for more than 45 years. He joined Bowers and Merena in early 2007 as Numismatic Acquisition Coordinator and World Coin and Currency Specialist, a position that includes purchasing and obtaining consignments.
Gillio’s involvement in numismatics literally spans the globe. In addition to his work with Bowers and Merena, he continues as general chairman of the popular Long Beach and Santa Clara, California, Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expos on behalf of the shows' owner, Collectors Universe, Inc. He also continues his retail store in Santa Barbara, Gillio Rare Coins & Fine Jewelry, a division of Ronald J. Gillio, Inc., one of the largest buyers/sellers/importers of rare coins in the United States. He has conducted nearly 80 multi-million dollar auction sales in the United States, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, and his résumé includes such well known names as Pacific Coast Auction Galleries, Bonhams & Butterfields, Robert R. Johnson, Baldwin's Auctions of London, Spink London, and Taisei Stamps & Coins of Hong Kong and Singapore. He is an Official Appraiser to the State of California and served as an auctioneer for the United States Marshall’s Office.
A respected member of the most esteemed numismatic associations, Gillio is a past president of the Professional Numismatists Guild, as well as the recipient of the Founders Award, the highest honor of the PNG. He is a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association, a member of the International Association of Professional Numismatists for more than two decades, and a founding charter member of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
Also well known for his writings and research in the field, Gillio collaborated with Walter Breen in the writing and publishing of the new standard reference book "California Fractional Gold." In 1984, he became a contributor to the 37th edition of "A Guide Book of United States Coins" (The Red Book) and has appeared as such in every subsequent edition. He has also been a contributor to the "Standard Catalog of World Coins," the "Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins," and the "Coin World Almanac."
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Kent Ponterio - Senior Numismatist Foreign and Ancient Coins
For three generations numismatics has been a Ponterio family tradition. Kent’s father, Richard H. Ponterio, has been a long standing numismatist as was his father, James E. Ponterio. Like many who grew up in the numismatic community, Kent began collecting coins at a young age. As a child Kent would spend weekends and summers in his father’s store in San Diego, as well as attend coin shows, mainly summer ANAs and Long Beach shows where he would page the shows and make pocket money to spend on coins. His first numismatic interests began with United States coinage, slowly filling holes in his blue Whitman folders. His collecting interest soon switched to Spanish Colonial coinage while working for his father’s company, Ponterio & Associates, as a late teen. Kent continued working for Ponterio & Associates from 1993-2008, at which point the firm was acquired by Bowers and Merena Auctions.
In 2002, Kent published an article, “The Coinage of Mexico Struck During the Reign of Charles and Johanna, New Finds Reassigning the Chronology of Assayers.” The article was originally published in English in the United States, and later translated to Spanish when it was published in Mexico and Spain. In 2002 he received the “Alberto Francisco Pradeau” award, the highest award given by La Sociedad Numismatica de Mexico for the contributions to the advancement of Mexican numismatics. In 2006 he received the “Numismatic Achievement” award from Numismatics International for significant contribution to the advancement of numismatic knowledge, and was once again awarded the “Alberto Francisco Pradeau” award in 2007, by La Sociedad Numismatica de Mexico. Kent has conducted numismatic lectures at the New York International numismatics convention, the ANS Coinage of the Americas congress as well as published a book in Colombia on the 8 Escudo cob coinage struck at the Santa Fe de Bogota Mint. Currently Kent is the senior numismatist at Bowers and Merena for foreign and ancient coins as well as the chief cataloger for the foreign and ancient auctions.
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Debbie McDonald - Consignment Director
Consignment director Debbie McDonald has worked for Bowers and Merena for over 15 years. Her numismatic career began when the company was located in New Hampshire participating in some of the most historic coin auctions of the 20th century. A few highlights were the Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. U.S. Coin Collection, the Henry Norweb Collection, the Harry W. Bass Jr. Collection, and the Phillip Flanagan collection. She remembers getting to know the Eliasberg, Norweb and Bass families as “a once in a life time numismatic experience.” Another career highlight for Debbie was holding two of the five 1913 Liberty Head nickels, one being the Walton nickel found in 2003 when Bowers and Merena placed a $10,000 reward to locate the coin along with two of the coveted seven 1804 dollars.
When the company moved to Louisiana, Debbie followed to head the retail division as direct sales manager, where she also helped established a new retail magazine, "The Numisma."
As the company flourished and expanded, Debbie joined in the move to Bowers and Merena’s current home in Irvine, Calif., becoming consignment director. She now works closely with the collecting public, lending a helping hand of experience for anyone considering placing their numismatic holdings up for auction.
Debbie proudly participates as a member of the American Numismatic Association, Women in Numismatics, Central States Numismatic Society, and the Michigan State Numismatic Society. You will see her at major coin and at Bowers and Merena auctions throughout the year and across the country.
She is the proud mother of three adult children and is especially excited to be a recent new grandmother.
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Scott Reiter - Executive Director of Consignments
Scott Reiter has been involved in numismatics for over 40 years as a serious collector, dealer and auction consignment director. His collecting passion includes Patterns and Morgan Dollars. Scott has traveled extensively worldwide and has handled some of the most significant collections and accumulations ever assembled.
"A very gratifying aspect of the business for me is working closely with clients, formulating the best possible strategies for maximizing their returns at auction. Recently, I was contacted by a retired couple who had inherited (and kept stored in their top dresser drawer)11 circulated gold coins from a relative 35 years earlier. The couple's acquisition of a Red Book revealed that they had an 1870-CC $10 in their cache. While in town a few weeks later, I met with the couple to examine the specimen.
“After providing them with viable options and strongly recommending certification, they agreed to let Bowers and Merena feature the coin in our February Rarities Sale. The coin was graded by NGC as an AU-50 and was subsequently hammered down at $48,000, a windfall for a family of modest means who had their manufactured home broken into and ransacked a few weeks prior to the coin being sold.”
Scott is married to Beatriz, and has two daughters, Amanda and Avery.
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Brett Renaud – Consignment Director / Numismatist
Brett Renaud brings to Bowers and Merena the abilities of a fresh and highly skilled numismatist. He is experienced with nearly a decade of numismatic knowledge. He formerly graded and valued inventory for a large retail coin store, and is now a consignment director and numismatist for Bowers and Merena Auctions.
In the recent past, he was awarded scholarships from the American Numismatic Association and received a certificate of completion for Grading U. S. Coins and Advanced Grading in their summer seminar classes.
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Ceilia Mullins - Auction Services
Ceilia has been working in the collectibles industry since 2002. She started working with Bowers and Merena in 2001. Her duties included customer service and help in the production of the online catalog.
Since 2004, Ceilia’s duties at Bowers and Merena have grown to include imaging for the print and online catalogs, assisting in all aspects of the numismatic auction process, and coordinating the show and auction venues. Ceilia also travels to all of the firm’s live auctions. She enjoys attending the auctions because it gives her a chance to interact with customers and she is always happy to hear any comments or suggestions they may have.
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