PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
ANTHONY INSWASTY
The COLLECTOR
Like many young boys and girls growing up in
the Midwest in the 1960s, Greg Harding took
up stamp collecting as a hobby, which led
to coins. How his hobby became a lucrative
business almost 50 years later is the result of a flame
kindled when he began hanging out at coin and stamp
shops in Chicago.
“If you lived in Chicago, there was essentially a coin
and stamp shop on every corner,” he says. “In those
days it was safe to roam around the neighborhood.”
The heyday of stamp collectors, like comic book
aficionados, arose before the invention of television and
radio broadcasts. This global pastime, philately (the
study of stamps), predates the U.S. Postal Service. As a
world of stamps emerged, there was an endless stream
of new and interesting stories hidden within one tiny
piece of artwork.
And for Harding, he was hooked. At 6 years old, he
became a member of a local stamp club. By 10, he was
actively trading and selling coins at a neighborhood
coin shop. And by 11, he was president of the stamp
club.
“As a child I just loved this stuff,” he says. “My father
and grandfather collected coins.”
Harding would help the coin shop owners sort items
that came in.
“That is what launched my career,” he says. “Here
I was, a 7-year-old, learning how to cut a deal. Those
same men sponsored the stamp club at my school.”
Moving to the the Treasure Coast in 1974, he realized
there were no outlets for his love of collecting. Relocating
from the snow and ice of Chicago, his dad, a union
plumber, opened an air-conditioning business. For
years, Harding worked part time while dealing coins
and stamps full time.
After the business sold, he decided to follow his instinct.
From the age of 20, he had a presence in the coin
and stamp circles. Having the dedication and necessary
experience, he set out on his own.
For 10 years, he traveled around the country, learning
all he could by doing the coin show circuit, which included
the Florida United Numismatists annual convention
in January. The Orlando event, which is the world’s
largest bellwether show, includes auctions and is open
to the public.
The study of numismatics is educational. It includes
paper currency, tokens and medals and covers aspects
of money pertaining to archeology, history, art, design,
banking and economics.
In the early 1970s, the science of counterfeit detection
was in its infancy. The American Numismatist Association
realized the severe threat from counterfeit and altered
coins and what it would do to the integrity of the coin
industry as a hobby and business. The ANA certification
service began with a staff of two experts in Washington,
D.C., where it is near the Smithsonian numismatic collec-
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Port St. Lucie Magazine 41
BY DEBRA MCGRANN
A lifelong lover of
stamps and coins,
Greg Harding turned
his hobby into a successful
business and
opened Blue Water
Coins in 1995.