Our Story

Ian – Owner / Operator

I began my coin career working for Australia’s leading rare coin dealer located in the historic Strand Arcade Sydney.
During this time I was fortunate to be able to handle, grade & research a wide variety of extremely scarce coins that typically only show up in remnant numismatic journals or out of print reference books.

I was also very lucky to have an employer who wasn’t shy about sharing knowledge as most dealers in this industry keep their cards close to their chest hence I gathered a sound foundation from a guru in the world of numismatics.

From my time working retail within the Strand Arcade I then found myself in the Banknote department of an international numismatic start-up firm. This was another favourable work place to sharpen my skills and learn from industry experts the intricacies of a new environment being the world of paper money. Often you find a dealer will be in either the banknote or the coin camp with little crossover while my work experience up till this point allowed me to experiment with both.

From here I jumped around from various specialist roles at Auction Houses, retail Jewellery & Coin stores while setting up my own eBay store ‘Currency Questers’ and following in the footsteps of a family tree of three generations down the winding road of an Antique Dealer.

I started young in this industry and to be honest it took me sometime to catch what is known as ‘the coin bug’ but when it did eventually take hold I knew this was my path and the time had come to take it to the next level.

If you are a coin collector or dealer reading this then you can probably relate when I say my taste in coins and banknotes has changed so many times over the course of collecting. It’s finally been fine tuned into what I really appreciate and enjoy dealing in.

I hope the offerings listed on currencyquesters.com can find a home in your collection.

Career Highlights include :
- Over a decade of experience in handling, grading & purchasing high tier pre-decimal Australian coinage.
- Detailed knowledge in Indian, Central & Southeast Asian History & Numismatics.
- Established and sustained a comprehensive international network for coins, ensuring the latest pricing and information on a wide range of world coins and numismatic rarities.

Martin – Lead Researcher

So where does my story begin.
Well I’m going on over 40 years in this industry which I have to say has been a quite an uphill battle, a kind of love and hate relationship with fortunately what I would define as a happy ending.

I started in what is known as the ‘Heyday’ of coin collecting in Australia. It was the 1980’s or more importantly 1988, Captain Cook’s Bicentenary Celebrations were in full swing with coin collectors gearing up to consume the latest offerings from the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) designed for this special occasion.

Collectors of any genre were everywhere whether you were into Stamps, Coins, Banknotes, Paintings, Decorative Arts you name it there was a thriving market for it. Antique & Collectable businesses were booming and I was the Manager of the largest coin business in Sydney at the time ‘Downies’.

Like most dealers in this trade you usually start your apprenticeship working at a retail coin store. Before I took on the managerial role for ‘Downies’ I worked as a sales assistant at Australia’s first ever retail coin store ‘The Wynyard Coin Centre’. It wasn’t easy, you regularly got told off for things you did or didn’t do and the hours were long but at the same time I grew thick skin which would assist me in later years.

After several years at ‘Downies’ I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse and I jumped ship into the world of serious numismatics. The Strand Arcade was home to an up-and-coming rare coin business and this is where I really went down the coin rabbit hole. When you dabble with high end items you can’t make mistakes, they are costly, probably even business shattering and you often find yourself having to make decisions under tight time constraints which leads to high pressure.

Today after all these years I feel pretty comfortable with most things that cross my desk however part of this fascinating world is there is always something new to learn. Be wary of the coin dealer who says he knows everything.

Lastly I met Ian.
I’ve witnessed a lot of things throughout the years and one thing I’ve noticed is this industry lacks young people which is sad because I really do believe coin collecting is a great hobby and has so much to offer.

Career Highlights include :
– Contributor for the “The Coin Book : Australian History Through Coins by Michael Rabbit” a detailed journey of coins & coin collecting in Australia from pre-federation till now.
– Represented ‘Downies’ at the launch of the prestigious “Sydney 2000 Olympic Coin Programme” – a joint program of the Royal Australian Mint and The Perth Mint and developed by the SOCOG.
- Owner of a numismatic reference book collection that rivals any prominent museum or auction house library.

David – Modern Coin Specialist

I’m only up to my 5th year in the numismatic industry but with Martin as a walking, talking coin encyclopedia and with Ian’s guidance I feel that I’m on my way to a successful career.

A bit cliché I know but I started collecting coins when I was a kid roughly around the age of 9 heavily influenced by my Grandfather who was an avid collector and under his tutelage I built up a pretty sizeable collection of my own.

It’s hard sometimes to put into words the pleasure of coin collecting especially to people that don’t look at numismatics in the same light as you do but this hobby once you get into it becomes addictive real fast and before you know it you are working just to buy more coins.

I’ve already been witness to a defining moment in the coin and banknote industry with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th September of 2022. Collectors were and still are eager to pick up coins early & present depicting the effigy of the late Queen and prices are all over the place. This has been a good experience for me because it’s taught me the importance of being on top of current market prices and knowing when is a good time to buy and sell.

I’m involved in something I really enjoy and plan to be immersed in the world of numismatics for many years to come.

Kevin & Simon – Super Assistants

Kevin & Simon are the glue that binds this ship together they do all the important stuff like making our customers happy, making sure orders get shipped in a timely manner and answering and replying to the myriad of emails and telephone calls we receive each day.
In addition to taking photographs, assisting in research, troubleshooting technical issues and a host of other undertakings without their help currencyquesters.com would cease to operate.