CoinAppraiser.com is home to some of the most experienced rare coin dealers in the United States, with hundreds of years of combined experience.
Ben Orooji
Boston, MA; Aliso Viejo, CA; Orlando, FL; Bangor, ME — Capped Bust, Reeded Edge half dollars of 1836-1839; Federal U.S. coins
Career Achievements & Qualifications: Ben has been an ardent collector for over 16 years and was acting as a vest pocket dealer for 6 years before joining the team at Stacks Bower’s Galleries in early 2013 as a numismatist and cataloger. In his tenure at Stacks Bowers he has helped catalog and worked closely with numerous landmark collections including the John J. Ford Jr., Collection. His cataloging and research have been instrumental to our offering of countless numismatic rarities. He is also a frequent contributor to our weekly blogs. More recently he has helped manage the overall catalog production process for the firm’s U.S. coin and exonumia sales.
Personal: Ben is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology, and the University of Central Florida with a Bachelors in Science in Psychology and Behavioral Forensics. After graduating from the University of Maine, he worked as a mental health therapist in a maximum security prison within the Florida Department of Corrections. The ethical care and rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals remains a cause about which he continues to be passionate. Ben and his wife have been married for nearly 11 years and have one daughter, Alyssa. He is first and foremost a family man and enjoys spending time with them and watching his daughter grow. He was exposed to coin collecting as a young child through his mother who enjoyed picking out unusual coins and bills from circulation. His first coin purchased was a worn silver George V shilling, bought for 75 cents at the age of 13. After graduating high school, he quickly became interested in selling coins to supplement his collecting budget, began attending local coin shows in central Florida and established relationships with local dealers to further his numismatic knowledge. Ben is a high-energy individual, is perpetually curious about the world and ascribes to a philosophy where he rarely “works” and instead, is constantly “playing” the grand game of life. He enjoys Legos, fine scotch and has a love for esoteric historical artifacts and objects d’art. Though Ben feels right at home in Southern California, he loves walking through the woods of New England and counts Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs, Maine as his (current) favorite location on earth.
Richard Ponterio
Minnesota; Santa Ana, CA; New York, NY; Hong Kong; Paris, France — World Coins; Ancient Coins; World Paper Money
Career Achievements & Qualifications: I have been in the coin business 45 years and have served of the board of directors of PNG and the executive committee of the IAPN. I have also been a consultant to PCGS, NGC, and ANACS. I have cataloged and conducted more than 150 coin and paper money auctions.
Personal: I grew up in rural Minnesota. My father was a country doctor and my mother was a substitute high school teacher. I grew up enjoying hunting and fishing, which I still enjoy to this day. My uncle Frank got me started collecting coins when I was about 10 years old, I furthered my coin collection by searching my paper route collection money. I found my 1916-D dime in my paper route money as well as several other key date coins. My wife and I have been married 45 years: 5 natural children, 2 foster children and 7 grandchildren. I also spent 10 years in the US Navy and served 2 tours in Vietnam.
Andrew Bowers
New York, NY; Wolfeboro, NH — U.S. Coins and Currency
Career Achievements & Qualifications: Over the years of working at the counter in our Manhattan store, he has worked with thousands of people from all walks of life and all degrees of collecting interests, helping them with their individual needs. The son of Dave Bowers, Andrew literally grew up in professional numismatics, and from a young age attended conventions, auctions, and other events and helped with some of the greatest collections ever sold, including working with the Eliasberg family, the Bass family, and other consignors. Beyond that he has been part of many important transactions wholesale and retail. He has been front row center in the purchase of American Eagles, gold bullion, and other precious-metal coins as well. Beyond that he has always been available to answer questions and share his knowledge, backed up by a staff experienced in all area of numismatics—coins, tokens, medals, and paper money—ancient, world, and modern.
Personal: Andrew Bowers, following graduation from Brewster Academy, earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire in 2003. In 2007 he moved from Wolfeboro New Hampshire to New York in our Manhattan store. He enjoys SCUBA diving, travelling, and social and cultural activities. The New York Times crossword puzzles also provide an enjoyable diversion. Since the age of 14 power boating has been a key interest. He has always been a “people person,” readily accessible to friends and others. Along the way he has come to know nearly all of the leading collectors and dealers and, continually, has made friends with new faces as well.
Bobby Avena
New Jersey; Philadelphia, PA — Morgan Silver Dollars, U.S. Gold Coins and U.S. Type Coins
Career Achievements & Qualifications: I’ve been a member of the PNG for 27 years. I have attended every major auction since 1985. I was one of the first 50 dealers to become a PCGS member. I have also attended every major coin show since 1983 and I have handled many of the top 100 coins.
Personal: I attended and graduated from Vineland High School in 1983. My dad, a CPA, started collecting coins and I followed him to coin shows at age 12 and attended my first coin show solo at age 16, which was the silver dollar show. My dad ended up becoming a coin dealer as well. I grew up hunting and fishing with my dad and brother, sportfishing is still my passion. I now spend most of my free time with my wife and children. We enjoy vacationing in warm tropical locations as well as skiing. Currently, my two daughters are in high school together and my oldest will be going to college next year. I actually met my wife at an early age at a coin show as her father is also a well known coin dealer.
Kyle Ponterio
Santa Ana, CA — World and Ancient Coins, emphasis on cut & countermark and siege issues
Career Achievements & Qualifications: Cataloged The Ray Czahor Collection of Philippines countermarks, The Lennart Philipson collection of Swedish coins, The Chester Skotak Collection of Central America, The Wa She Wong Collection of Chinese and Hong Kong coins, The Chin Family collection of Chinese coins, The Demarete Collection, The E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection as well as many others.
Personal: When I was growing up I did not fully understand what it was that my father actually did for a living. I knew he dealt in coins, but did not understand what that really meant. Years later after I was much more involved in the business did I begin to understand that it was not just coins that my father was dealing with, but physical objects directly tied to the history of our world. Both my brother and myself are third generation coin dealers, but not in the traditional sense of being third generation. Our father Richard H. Ponterio has had an interest in numismatics since he was a child and became a coin dealer when he realized that he could make more money dealing in coins than he could from being in the US Navy. Then after his father James E. Ponterio retired from being a Doctor he moved to California and began working for our Father Richard Ponterio. While my brother was in High School he began working for our father and his job turned into a career that he loves. When I began working for my father in 2005 I had very little interest in learning about coins and was only working a job. When I finally realized that coins were not just a piece of metal with a design on it used to pay for something that my passion for numismatics emerged. Now I spend many hours researching to further my knowledge and understanding of the various nuances of numismatics and want to share my findings with the rest of the numismatic community.
James McCartney
Washington, D.C. — 18th and 19th century U.S. Type, Early Copper, Capped Bust and Liberty Seated issues.
Career Achievements & Qualifications: James joined Stack’s Bowers Galleries in 2013 as a numismatist and cataloger, closely collaborating with an incomparable team of experts in the production our numerous landmark sales. Having contributed to such monumental offerings as our sale of the John J. Ford Jr., Collection, the Cardinal Collection, and, most recently, our sale of the D. Brent Pogue Collection, his coordination and authorship has accompanied numerous world-class numismatic rarities. In addition to our catalogs, James’ writing can be found in our U.S. Coin blog articles, press releases and various other industry publications.
Personal: A single 1986-S Statue of Liberty Centennial half dollar gifted to him by the Tooth Fairy planted the numismatic seed that would eventually grow into a profound passion for the “Hobby of Kings.” Adolescent collections of American Silver Eagles quickly grew into a fascination for type sets, eventually leading to more focused pursuits and specialized knowledge. With a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from Rutgers University, James held tenure as Operations Manager at a Washington, D.C. based enterprise before joining the Stack’s Bowers team. When not contributing to the production of one of our Showcase Auctions, James enjoys running, hiking, playing guitar, and driving through the beautiful Southern California canyons with the top down.