The Seattle Coin Club (SCC) is a vibrant local coin club serving the Seattle and greater Puget Sound region. The previous Seattle Numismatic Society (SNS) was founded in 2003 by the merger of the former Seattle Coin Club and the former University Coin Club. As of January 2023, the club has returned to using the SCC name. The SCC welcomes all numismatists — persons who study, collect, or deal with coins, paper money, tokens and medals.

The SCC is proud to present seattlenumismaticsociety.org, our home on the World Wide Web! This site is updated at least monthly to bring you accurate and up-to-date information about numismatics in the Seattle area. SCC members are also available to help answer your questions about numismatics. Please don't hesitate to ask us a question or to contribute information for possible use on this site!

Back to Seattle Coin Club!

The SNS decided to resume using the name "Seattle Coin Club," originally one of the two clubs which merged in 2003. This change took effect in January 2023, 20 years after the SNS was formed. The website will remain the same for now, however, you can begin using the new domain name, seattlecoinclub.org, which will automatically forward to this website. (Updated 1/30/2023.)

Photo: Members present at the inaugural meeting on January 12, 2023, of the newly renamed Seattle Coin Club (SCC). The SCC was founded in 1936, but became the Seattle Numismatic Society (SNS) from 2003 to 2022. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Seattle and University Coin Clubs Merge

See the SNS Merger page. This merger took place in 2003.

Meeting Date & Location

The SCC returned to in-person meetings at the Tukwila Community Center, still on the second Thursday of each month!

Meeting location: Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, WA. The meeting time is now from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., due to staff shortages and early closing on most weeknights. Also see the calendar page, and mark your calendar accordingly.

The club returned to year-round meetings, effective November-December 2019. There may be an off-site banquet, previously each February (but not since 2018). Banquet information can be found on the banquet page.

Club Officers / Contacts

The current club officers and contacts are listed on the officers page. Also see the club president's message.

Membership / Bylaws

Although many of our members are experienced collectors, beginners are encouraged to join the SCC and participate in all of our club activities. Click on the "Memberships" button for more information.

See the SCC/SNS bylaws. | See previous SCC/SNS news headlines.

What is our charter? — Per the bylaws, Article II, "This organization is formed for the mutual benefit of its members. Each member will exert every effort towards the advancement of numismatics, and towards making the organization a success by obtaining new members." In doing so, the SCC contributes to the mission of the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association (PNNA) to "promote, extend, and protect the interests of numismatists and numismatic activities throughout the Pacific Northwest and to foster and encourage the study of numismatics in all its forms."

What do we do? — In addition to maintaining this web site, the SCC publishes a monthly newsletter, has monthly meetings, an annual banquet and promotes numismatics through special programs, activities and awards. SCC members participate in the numismatic display at the Washington State (Puyallup) Fair Hobby Hall each September.

• See our calendar for upcoming club events.

• Our SCC information index includes links to everything you need to know about the SCC!

• See the PNNA reference section for information about buying and selling coins, a list of speakers for your coin club meetings, and a variety of other numismatic topics. Also see the PNNA's page of links to various numismatic sites.

Current and Upcoming Club Events:

• HAPPY NEW YEAR!

• January 9 - in-person meeting at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, WA, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Table Topic: Tiny. Program: Mike Zagorin began collecting early hammered British coinage back in the 1960s. After decades of accumulating a remarkable collection, this past summer Mike consigned the coins to Heritage Auctions for liquidation. Mike will share his journey from painstakingly acquiring the collection, his negotiations with Heritage, their promotion of his sale, and their liquidation process. Should be a fascinating look inside the auction world.

• Speakers Wanted! If you would like to be a speaker at a future SNS meeting (or know someone who would), please contact Rick Schulz or Jeff Pritchard. (See club officers page.)

• See SCC calendar or the newsletter for more information.

• See SCC monthly newsletters (password required).

• Also see the SCC calendar, the SCC banquet page, and the SCC picnic page.

• Also see the club president's message.

• Washington State (Puyallup) Fair. The PNNA had a table in the Hobby Hall for the entire duration of the Fair again, August 30 - September 22, 2024. See the PNNA website Fair page for more information. The PNNA sponsors the annual coin exhibit, with assistance from several local coin clubs including the SCC. No volunteer is knowledgeable about all aspects of numismatics — if your question wasn't answered or if you were unable to attend the Fair, please e-mail your question to info@pnna.org, and it will be directed to a local expert. The PNNA's Hobby Hall coordinator is Rick Schulz. (The next Fair is August 29-September 21, 2025.)

• See the PNNA Homepage and PNNA Calendar for information about such exciting events as the PNNA annual conventions/coin shows in Tukwila and Portland, National Coin Week, ANA Summer Seminar, and the two annual ANA conventions (National Money Show and World's Fair of Money).

Completed Club Events:

• We're pleased to report that every month in 2023 and 2024 featured an in-person meeting at the Tukwila Community Center from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

• December 12, 2024 - The tabel topic was "Wheels," and the program was given by our videographer, David Edge, who gave a presentation on Mercury Dimes. While this is one of the most beautiful designs initiated during President Teddy Roosevelt’s overhaul of the nation’s coinage, numismatists know the portrait is intended to represent Liberty and freedom of thought, but the public’s Mercury nickname stuck.

• November 14, 2024 - The table topic was "Mythical creatures," and the program was Dan Vornbrock, one of the club’s more knowledgeable historians, discussing "Our Nation’s Colonial Coinage," its influence on early monetary policies and practices, while displaying examples from his own collection. A great opportunity to learn about this fascinating area of numismatics!

• October 10, 2024 - The table topic was "Russia/Soviet Union" (was originally May topic) and, due to a last-minute schedule change, Jeff Pritchard presented "American Slavery and the Liberty Cap." This presentation provided a brief history of the well-known Liberty Cap, highlighting three vignettes in American history in which the Liberty Cap on our nation’s coinage was particularly poignant and ironic in relation to slavery and emancipation. An intriguing and thought-provoking program.

• September 12, 2024 - The table topic was "Buildings," and the program was given by our intrepid newsletter publisher, Ray Fiorini, who shared details of recently completing his "Coin-of-every-Country" quest. (Also see the newsletter if you're a club member.) Ray explained his motivation, self-imposed guidelines, some of the more challenging pieces, and amazed us with his geographic prowess!

• August 8, 2024 - The table topic was "Dogs and Cats," and the program was given by Faiz Kass-Elias, a local dealer and collector, on "Collecting Ancients 101." This was a great follow-up to our June program, as Faiz explained how to start collecting ancients, pros and cons, how to purchase wisely, what to avoid, storage considerations, and what he sees for ancient numismatics going forward.

• July 11, 2024 - The table topic was "Warriors," and the program featured your dutiful Education Chairman (Pritchard) sharing his recent behind-the-scenes visit to the Smithsonian’s National Numismatic Collection in Washington, D.C. He explained how to arrange a private viewing and examination of any of the collection’s staggering 1.6 million coins, medals, or paper currency. If you’re planning a future trip to the greater D.C. area, you didn’t want to miss this program!

• June 13, 2024 - The table topic was "Heavenly Bodies," and the program was given by Dan Gossett of the Boeing Employees Coin Club (BECC), who enlightened us about "Greek Mythology through Ancient Coinage." Ancients are one of the most historical, yet affordable, areas of numismatics, so this should have been a fascinating program.

• May 9, 2024 - The updated table topic was "Error Coins," and for the program, Greg Bennick present "Collecting Error Coinage." Greg is a board member of CONECA (Combined Organization of Numismatic Error Collectors of America), has written many articles for Errorscope Magazine, and in 2023 hosted and produced eight podcast interviews with prominent numismatists for the Newman Numismatic Portal. To top it off, Greg is a highly accomplished speaker, having participated as a TEDx presenter.

• April 11, 2024 - This was the evening before the PNNA Convention. There were 16 members and 5 guests in attendance. The table topic was "Non-motorized watercraft." For the program, Mike Zagorin, our modest “cookie baker,” shared his large collection of unique Iraqi error banknotes from Saddam Hussein’s reign, along with some personal reflections on how he began collecting the notes, which began after his military service in the whirlwind of Desert Storm.

• March 14, 2024 - The table topic was Seattle. For the educational program, John L. discussed the surprising history of coins minted in the United States for foreign countries. During oversees wars, revolutions, or financial crises, America has served as The Mint of Last Resort, for the likes of Belgium, Nationalist China, Mexico, Philippines, Liberia, and the Congo. John shared the stories, how to identify foreign coins minted in the U.S., and the political intrigue surrounding the highly controversial Saudia Arabia gold coins.

• February 8, 2024 - The table topic was Presidents. For the educational program, Scott Loos talked about his personal experiences in becoming a rare coin dealer. Why and how he made the transition from collector, shows he attends, biggest challenges, specialty areas, and how he’s made coins a family affair. A revealing behind-the-scenes look at the numismatic marketplace.

• January 11, 2024 - The table topic was Ships. For the educational program, David E. graciously agreed to return to the podium to educate us about "Financing the American Revolution." David has direct family ties to Betsy Ross, so this promised to be a fascinating presentation!

• See previous SCC news headlines.