Watch CBS News

'Hobby for kings,' Inside a rare coin and currency dealer in Boston

'Hobby for kings,' Inside a rare coin and currency dealer in Boston
'Hobby for kings,' Inside a rare coin and currency dealer in Boston 02:28

BOSTON - Stack's Bowers Galleries has been dealing in rare coins and currency for 90 years and now they have a shop in Boston.

Stanley Chu is the manager of the branch. He got his love for coins and currency while working in his parents' bakery in the city.

"My job was to roll up coins to prepare for the next day's deposit for the store and anything that was interesting, I got to keep, like wheat back pennies, silver coins," he told WBZ-TV.

His interest has never stopped.

"There's a saying that coin collecting is a hobby for kings. It's an appreciation of the art, the history and the reason why the coin was minted in the first place," Chu said.

In our visit to the gallery, he gave us a little show and tell, including a close up look at some rare cash.

"There are a lot of people looking for these $500 and $1,000 bills. We have in house auctions just on $500 and $1,000 bills," Chu said.

bill.jpg
A $1,000 bill at Stack's Bowers Galleries in Boston. CBS Boston

And if you're looking through your change jar, he said keep an eye open for certain things.

"For coinage, dimes, quarters, half dollars, that was minted 1964 and prior, it's made of 90-percent silver. So right off the bat, it's work more than its face value," he said.

For more information, visit their website.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.