At every major life event, Paul Hollis carries a coin his grandmother wore around her neck while she was alive.

It's not worth much, said the 53-year-old coin expert, who has handled million-dollar sales of rare coins, but it's his favorite.

The 1925 U.S. Indian Head Quarter Eagle, minted in Denver with a face value of $2.50, is worth about $350 today. The coin was in Hollis' pocket when he graduated LSU in 1994; when he got married in 1996; when his two children were born in 2003 and 2013; when he was elected to the Legislature in 2011; and then in 2023 when he won a position on the Board of Elementary & Secondary Education.

Then he held the coin on Dec. 18, when the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the 41st director of the U.S. Mint, the first from Louisiana.

Hollis, of Mandeville, also will be the first mint director who makes his living buying and selling coins. He wrote a book, published in 2012. "American Numismatist" recounts the history of coins in context with what was happening in the United States at the time of their production.

After resigning from BESE, he will assume federal office in January.

Hollis says this is his dream job. When other young boys saw themselves playing center field in Major League Baseball, Hollis focused on becoming director of the mint.

"I've known what I wanted to do since I was just a little kid," Hollis said.

His interest in coins began at the age of 7 when his grandmother, Betty Beasley of Monroe, gave him a Peace Dollar, engraved with Lady Liberty to remember World War I.

"I thought it was the coolest thing," Hollis recalled. "It started my coin collecting at a very early age."

Big issues at the Mint
Hollis, who will be one of the highest-ranking Louisiana natives in the Trump administration, will be in charge of coins and the nation's gold reserves at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco and West Point, New York, press nickels, dimes, quarters and other coins used as currency - but not pennies.

The government minted its last penny on Nov. 12.

"That decision wasn't made on my watch, but I wasn't surprised by it," Hollis said. "I understand it, and I think it's the right decision."

What will be on his watch is the growing embroglio over whether to engrave Trump's likeness on a coin.

The Trump administration in October released draft images of the president on a $1 coin.

The idea ran into headwinds from political opponents, but more so from a complex web of laws and traditions that forbid putting living presidents on currency.

More controversy arose when Trump discarded plans for the commemorative coins to include images of the abolition of slavery and civil rights. One would've shown Ruby Bridges as a 6-year-old girl when she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans on Nov. 14, 1960.

Hollis wouldn't comment on these controversies, saying he is not yet in office and hasn't been briefed. But he is looking forward to visiting people around the country and telling them about the 2026 commemorative coins and their link to American history.

A long love of coins
A lifelong Republican, Hollis is the son of one of the state's first elected Republicans in modern times, former state Sen. Ken Hollis, of Metairie. He said his late father's 28 years in public service led him to a similar commitment.

Paul Hollis was born and raised in Metairie, where he graduated in 1990 from Grace King High School.

It was while part of the Louisiana Association of Student Councils that he met Mike Johnson, a student from Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport.

Hollis and Johnson renewed their friendship while both served in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Johnson, R-Benton, went on to become speaker of the U.S. House.

Hollis said he had shared with Johnson his love of coins over the years. After Trump was elected to a second term in November 2024, Hollis mentioned to Johnson, almost in passing, his lifelong interest in being director.

As director, he plans to visit with 1,700 or so employees at operating mints and Fort Knox. He'll also attend numismatic shows to discuss coins and their history as well as the commemorative coins being minted for the nation's 250th birthday.

"I've known what I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. And everything has just been me following the cues," Hollis said. "I'm looking forward to having my office in Washington and hanging a photograph of my dad with (President Ronald) Reagan and a photograph of my grandma when she was young."

He plans to carry his favorite coin.

To read the complete article, see:
This Louisiana native has always loved coins. Now he'll run the U.S. Mint.(https://www.nola.com/news/politics/national_politics/mandevilles-paul-hollis-first-numismatist-to-direct-us-mint/article_af31b424-4b18-4937-bac2-87e90025e6f1.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
PAUL HOLLIS NOMINATED FOR U.S. MINT DIRECTOR(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n29a18.html)
MINT'S DIRECTOR NOMINEE PAUL HOLLIS TESTIFIES(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n44a14.html)
PAUL HOLLIS CONFIRMED AS MINT DIRECTOR(https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n51a11.html)