From the Colonel’s Desk: Introducing Colonel Jeff Garrett

I’m pleased to devote my first “From the Colonel’s Desk” column of 2023 to a longtime friend and one of the newest members of the ranks of Kentucky Colonels: professional numismatist Jeff C. Garrett.

Quoting from the Governor’s Office, “The highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky is that of Kentucky Colonel.” The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels further defines the award as “recognition of an individual’s noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to our community, state, and nation.”

I recommended Jeff’s commission last fall to Governor Andy Beshear. He was granted the governor’s official letters patent as a Kentucky Colonel on October 4, 2022.

If you’re a coin collector in the United States, you probably already know Jeff Garrett, or at least you’ve seen his name in a hobby newspaper or magazine, or online, or on the front cover of the Guide Book of United States Coins. Here are some biographical details I shared in my nomination:

Jeff Garrett, founder of Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries in Lexington, Kentucky, is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top experts in U.S. coinage. Knowledge and education are the foundations of Jeff’s numismatic career. As a recognized “expert among experts,” he regularly gives numismatic advice to many of the nation’s largest coin dealers, publishers, museums, and institutions.

Jeff serves as an important consultant to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Numismatic Collection. He advises the Smithsonian on funding, exhibits, conservation, and research, and has spearheaded many fundraising and publicity programs that have raised millions of dollars. Thanks to his work, the NNC’s holdings have been exhibited to millions of Americans in Washington, D.C., and in traveling displays. (The Smithsonian is estimated to welcome 10 million visitors annually, and Jeff was instrumental in getting a new permanent Gallery of Numismatics opened on the main floor of the National Museum of American History in 2015.)

Also on the national level, Jeff has served as a governor of the congressionally chartered American Numismatic Association, and as its president from 2015 to 2017. He has been a member of the prestigious Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) since 1982, and has held its office of president.

Jeff’s presence is well known in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He founded Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries in Lexington in 1984. The firm has been in the same location for more than 30 years. He started the Bluegrass Coin Club, one of the region’s most active numismatic groups, in 1994. With more than 45 years of professional experience, he has personally bought and sold nearly every type, variety, and date of U.S. coin ever minted. His companies combined have annual sales in rare coins and precious metals of more than $25 million.

Jeff Garrett has authored and coauthored many numismatic books, including the award-winning Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins, 1795–1933; the popular 100 Greatest U.S. Coins (now in its fifth edition); and United States Coinage: A Study By Type. He is Senior Editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins, the best-selling coin book of all time (with more than 25 million copies sold since 1946). In July of 2022, he hosted a numismatic Editorial Summit in Lexington with Whitman Publishing president Mary Burleson, publisher (and Kentucky Colonel) Dennis Tucker, and senior editor Diana Plattner.

Jeff has already been an exemplary ambassador for the Commonwealth for many years. When the Governor’s Office asked my reasons for recommending him for commission as a Kentucky Colonel, I answered: “Through his philanthropic work, he embodies the tradition of service on behalf of others, and as an author, educator, and volunteer he commits himself to sharing knowledge as a way of building community and understanding.”

In a recent “From the Colonel’s Desk” column I wrote, “I’ve known Jeff Garrett personally and professionally for almost 20 years and have published many of his award-winning books . . . . I know him not only as a businessman who understands the rare-coin market, but also as a numismatist, a researcher, and writer—someone who likely knows the answer to your coin-related question, or if he doesn’t, knows where to find it. The Bluegrass State can be proud to count Jeff Garrett as one of its most celebrated numismatic sons, just as Whitman Publishing is pleased to have his steady editorial eye on the Red Book.”

Jeff’s official commission as a Kentucky Colonel is a fitting tribute to his selfless commitment to education and philanthropy. Beyond that, it’s a call to greater service within the hobby community—and the community at large—for everyone who admires and supports his important and ongoing work.

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Dennis Tucker is a Fellow of the Academy of Political Science, a Life Member of the Filipino American National Historical Society, and the publisher of Whitman Publishing, a leading producer of books, storage and display supplies, and other resources for collectors and hobbyists. He was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel in March 2021 for his career in book publishing and his promotion of the Commonwealth’s status as an important subject in numismatics. His column “From the Colonel’s Desk” explores the Bluegrass State’s rich connections to American coins, tokens, medals, paper money, private currency, and related artifacts. To read more, visit the “From the Colonel’s Desk” archives. Other columns by Col. Tucker include “Notes Published” (about books and publishing in general, with a special emphasis on antiques and collectibles) and “Behind the Scenes: First Spouse Gold Coins” (about the United States Mint’s gold coin program).

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