BESE board member Paul Hollis will soon be leaving his post to become the new director of the U.S. Mint. The former lawmaker from St. Tammany Parish says he’s been an avid coin collector his entire life, ever since his grandmother gave him a coin she had saved from the Great Depression.
“She had originally shown it to my two brothers. They were not that interested, took about two seconds to look at it. But I held that coin, not kidding, for a very long time. Just stared at it and loved it. And it’s been a passion that I’ve had throughout my entire life,” Hollis said.
Hollis says the U.S. Mint plays an important role in the U.S. economy.
“We sell billions and billions of dollars of gold and silver and platinum coins. We also sell nearly half a billion dollars in numismatic collector coins,” Hollis said.
Hollis’ nomination hearings before the Senate will take place in the fall, and he’s not expected to face any resistance. Once confirmed, he says he will act on President Trump’s call to end the minting of the penny, saying it costs more money to mint than what it’s worth.
“It really makes no sense to create a one-cent coin when you’re spending three-and-a-half cents to make it,” Hollis noted.
