Colorado's Family Coin Businesses: A Rich History and a Passion for Numismatics

The Colorado coin industry has a lot going for it — family ties and alliances being one of the most prominent, along with a history that rivals that of just about any other state in the U.S.

FORT COLLINS — The clicking of the bulletproof 1930s vintage Brandt Coin Sorter and Counter is both constant and unforgettable, as it spits out coin after coin while Tim Jackson is busy talking shop to a recent visitor from behind his desk at the Corner Coin and Jewelry Inc. on a brisk winter morning.

While Jackson is giving a detailed overview of today’s coin and bullion collecting industry, his 21-year-old granddaughter Grace Kuch pops into the office to say hello. Moments later, Jackson’s son-in-law Brad Kuch enters the office to retrieve some paperwork before heading back to the showroom of Corner Coin and Jewelry.

In a span of no longer than 5 minutes, it becomes apparent that Jackson doesn’t have to look far to find a co-worker he implicitly trusts at the Fort Collins business he co-owns with his son-in-law. Grace also works at the Corner Coin and Jewelry. The family has owned the business since 2020, but it has operated as a coin shop at its present Old Town location since 1978.

Jackson likes having family around him at work for good reason.

“There are an awful lot of resources that sit in these types of stores,” Jackson said. “Not just anybody is going to work here. It is hard enough to run a business, let alone one where you are constantly looking over your shoulder. You got to have the trust value to be in this type of business, and that’s why you see so many family-owned and operated shops do well and stay in business for a long time.”

The Colorado coin industry has a lot going for it — family ties and alliances being one of the most prominent, along with a history that rivals that of just about any other state in the U.S.

A family first business

Over 1,800 miles away at the FUN (Florida United Numismatists) Show in Orlando, Hannah Hallenbeck and her father Tom Hallenbeck sit shoulder-to-shoulder at a booth proudly displaying the family business name: Hallenbeck Coin Gallery.

Though customer traffic is heavy at the booth during the Friday morning of the 4-day event, the two have time to talk about their Colorado Springs family-based business that’s now spanned three generations.

Hannah initially had plans for a career in social services while attending the University of Colorado, where she graduated. However, the pull of working with her father and grandfather, Ken Hallenbeck, alongside her younger brother and mother, who both also work at the gallery, was too much to turn down.

“I thought for a while that I would go into social work and work with children, but this is a lot more fulfilling for me,” Hannah said. “I can pick my projects and interact with people from all walks of life and from, really, all over the world.”

Hannah points to the unique coin-themed travel opportunities as another major selling point to work in the industry.

“We went on a lot of coin-related vacations growing up,” Hannah said. “One year we were able to visit the Austrian Mint in Vienna, which doesn’t offer tours to the public but my dad knew some people there. We were able to see their collection of gold coins, but the person holding the tray dropped them. The lights came on and we all froze until all of the coins were found. It was a pretty tense situation there for a moment.”

Hannah also points out that she was born during the Denver Coin Expo in 1996. Her dad had to race from Denver in a snowstorm to Colorado Springs to be there when she was born.

“I’ve literally been around coin shows my whole life,” Hannah says.

If ever there was a modern-day first family of coin enthusiasts in Colorado, it would be the Hallenbecks. The Hallenbeck Coin Gallery opened in 1983 and has remained a staple in downtown Colorado Springs ever since.

The father-son duo of Ken and Tom Hallenbeck have each served terms as president of the American Numismatic Association, becoming the first father-son combination to do so.

Asked whether his daughter would also one day serve as president of the ANA, Tom, with a bit of a wry smile, responded, “Yeah, maybe.”

At 93, Ken Hallenbeck remains very active. He spent a good portion of Presidents Day with his son and granddaughter at his Colorado Springs coin gallery and will be traveling with the two to Atlanta for a big coin show at the end of February.

“It is going to be a fun event for us,” Hannah Hallenbeck said. “It is great having him around because he is such a wealth of knowledge.”

'A bit of an underworld'

No more than 20 yards away from the Hallenbeck's display at FUN stood Ashley Sandoval. The Colorado native and Erie resident has a booth of her own to tend to — Erie Gold and