National Coin Week Collector Spotlight: Stephanie Sabin

National Coin Week 2024 is being celebrated around the United States from April 21 through April 27. This national holiday has been celebrated since 1923 and celebrates the wonderful hobby of coin collecting. PCGS honors this beloved annual tradition by shining the light on a diverse array of individuals who love coin collecting and recount the very first coin that helped get them started on their numismatic journey.

Today, PCGS President Stephanie Sabin recalls how an early childhood surrounded by coins and banknotes set her up for a fulfilling career in numismatics…

“Coins and banknotes have been in my blood. Growing up, I may not have known it then, but I was lucky to be surrounded by coins, a sheet of banknotes, and Louisiana bonds hanging on the wall; numismatics were part of life. And, in a weird way, I suppose that I took them for granted until…”

Sabin continues, “I have loved Shakespeare from the moment that he and his works entered my life. As I dove headfirst into the stories, the vulnerability, and the art of language through my buddy ‘The Bard,’ I noticed that coins started to stand out throughout the text. In classes, or in rehearsals, folks would ask, ‘What's a ducat?’ and I happily provided my fellow actors or classmates with what numismatic knowledge I had. And thus the rabbit hole was opened,” she says.

“I would argue that it found me, if I am being honest, reinvigorated by the thing that I took for granted as a youth. Before I knew it, I was combining two loves – Shakespeare and numismatics – and learning so much about angels, cruzados, shillings, and half-pennies. English hammered coinage, and anything from the Elizabethan period, fascinates me. You've got it all: history, drama, and coins. Could you want anything else? Maybe a PCGS-graded complete set of the coins featured in all of Shakespeare's plays!”

Check in with us tomorrow as we continue our National Coin Week Collector Spotlight Series.