Coins and Genealogy: How collecting from your family tree makes an even more rewarding hobby!
Numismatics is the study or collecting of coins, tokens and paper money. Genealogy is the study of family history and lineage. Both can be fun, challenging and rewarding hobbies – and even more so when you combine them.
Of course, collecting coins and genealogy might not seem to go hand in hand. After all, what are the chances of being related to someone famous whose picture appears on coins or paper money?
Pretty good, actually.
As anyone who’s into genealogy can tell you, it doesn’t take many generations for a family tree to spread far and wide as it spans the generations. And those extensive branches will often have some fun, and even famous connections.
Take mine, for example.
A number of years ago, I discovered how much fun it can be to research one’s family tree. True, it can definitely be challenging at times. But that just makes it all the more rewarding when I find a new connection that opens up a whole new branch.
It’s kind of like that feeling when you finally acquire a missing key date for your coin collection.
One day, as I was scrolling through the names and connections, I noticed something interesting: a name I was familiar with. Someone I had no idea I was related to… but whose image appeared on a coin in my collection.
“Grandpa” on a “golden” dollar?
My grandmother always said we had Native Americans in our family. As I researched our family history, I found she was right. And one of them was both famous and played a big role in our nation’s development.
I’m still confirming the connections, but it appears I’m a direct descendant of Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag who befriended the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Which I personally find pretty cool – especially as a coin collector…
Because Massasoit is featured on a coin that also depicts another person from my family tree.
Honoring the Wampanoag Treaty of 1621, the 2011 Native American dollar’s reverse shows two hands exchanging a peace pipe. The hand on the right represents John Carver, governor of the Plymouth Bay Colony. While the one on the left represents Massasoit – my 12th great grandfather.
Meanwhile, the obverse of the coin depicts another relative. One who appears on not only this particular coin, but on all Sacagawea and Native American dollars.
No, it’s not Sacagawea. It’s actually her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau – who is shown being held in his famous mother’s arms. The youngest member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition isn’t a direct relative, like Massasoit. Instead, he’s my fifth cousin, five times removed.
Not through his famous mother, but through his father, Toussaint.
But still… Two relatives on one coin?
Now that was a fun surprise!
Six Degrees of Separation (and sometimes more)
The unexpected overlap of two of my hobbies – collecting coins and genealogy – sparked my curiosity. Were there others from my family tree who have been depicted on currency?
It turns out there were. And more than a few, if you count distant cousins, etc.
I was fascinated to find Elizabeth Woodville is my 13th great grandmother. Better known as the beautiful and bewitching “White Queen” of England, her only coinage connections are fantasy coins and medals minted after her passing.
But her grandson (my first cousin, 14 times removed) – most certainly was.
Henry Tudor – the infamous Henry VIII – has several coinage connections. Including debasing English coins to finance his foreign wars. I don’t have any of his coins in my collection (at least, not yet). But I do own coins of some other royal relatives.
While on a trip to England back in February of 1988, I acquired a 1977 British Silver Crown struck for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. I’ve since learned she was my 10th cousin, three times removed, on my father’s side… as well as my 12th cousin, once removed on my mother’s.
During the same trip, I also acquired a 1981 British Crown struck in honor of the wedding of two more distant cousins: Queen Elizabeth’s son, King Charles III (although he was Prince Charles at the time), and the late Princess Diana – who happens to be my 11th cousin, once removed.
This coin’s reverse featured a double portrait of Charles and Diana, while its obverse bore Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait.
That means the coin features three people from my family tree! How cool is that?
Collecting cousins closer to home…
Coins depicting distant relatives from across the pond are fun to collect. But I’ve found plenty of cousins on coins closer to home, too.
14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce is my fourth cousin, five times removed. As is 19th U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes. And since nearly all U.S. presidents share at least one common ancestor – King John of England – it puts an interesting twist on collecting Presidential dollars.
Meanwhile, my fifth cousin, five time removed was honored with her own coin series – the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
I even once found a 1936 Buffalo nickel designed by James Earl Fraser – my eighth cousin, twice removed – in change at the local bank!
Other fun coins and genealogy connections
It turns out I’m related to several First Spouses as well. Including Dolley Madison, wife of fourth U.S. President James Madison. Although not closely – she was my 10th cousin, four times removed.
An American heroine in her own right, Dolley was the first First Lady honored on a U.S. commemorative coin – the 1999 Dolley Madison Commemorative Silver Dollar. It’s a bit more affordable than her $5 First Spouse gold coin, so I’ll probably choose to add that one to my collection.
Meanwhile, Martha Washington – only my fifth cousin, seven times removed – has been featured on Silver Certificates… First Spouse coins… and perhaps the very first U.S. silver coin in 1792.
And these were just the tip of the iceberg.
As I continued to comb through the family tree, I discovered Thomas Edison is my fifth cousin, five times removed. He’s honored on both 2004 commemorative silver dollars and 2019 U.S. Innovation dollars.
And Orville and Wilber Wright – my sixth cousins, three times removed – have also appeared on numerous coins. Including 2003 First Flight commemoratives and not one, but two Statehood quarters.
How to find your own famous relatives
If you’d like to discover any famous relations in your own family tree, Relative Finder is a great tool from the BYU Family History Technology Lab. It’s fun, easy to use and best of all free.
You will need an account at the genealogy website FamilySearch.org, so it can crawl your family tree to find all those fascinating familial connections. But don’t worry. That’s free too. And it’s used by thousands of people.
Which means once you plug in your parents and grandparents, there’s a good chance you’ll see your family tree automatically expand before your eyes. When my wife tried it, it traced some branches of her family back to the 4th century B.C.!
Once you have your family tree set up, just go to www.RelativeFinder.org, log in and let it do the work. Before long, you’ll see a list of famous people you’re related to. You can even filter by groups like U.S. Presidents… European Royalty… famous Americans… athletes and more.
After that, just visit your favorite coin dealer – I recommend LittletonCoin.com – and search for coins and currency featuring your relatives and ancestors!
Are you interested in coins and genealogy?
I’ve found I really enjoy the combination of collecting coins and genealogy. But what about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Until next time,
Happy Collecting!
Sources
Julian, R.W. “Henry VIII: Gold and Silver Define the Classes.” COINage. November 8, 2018. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.coinagemag.com/henry-viii-gold-and-silver-define-the-classes/
Greene, Jessica. “All the Presidents’ Cousins.” NBC Bay Area. Last Updated February 16, 2010. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/all-the-presidents-cousins/1883245/
“Relative Finder.” BYU Family History Technology Lab. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.relativefinder.org
S., Kierstin. “Did you know that these 5 people used to be on our paper money?” Heads & Tails by Littleton Coin Company. Last Updated October 3, 2022. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://blog.littletoncoin.com/did-you-know-these-5-people-used-to-be-on-our-paper-money/
B., Len. “Martha Washington and the 1792 Half Dime.” Heads & Tails by Littleton Coin Company. Last Updated July 11, 2023. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://blog.littletoncoin.com/martha-washington-and-the-1792-half-dime/
B., Len. “Remembering Orville Wright.” Heads & Tails by Littleton Coin Company. Last Updated February 15, 2023. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://blog.littletoncoin.com/remembering-orville-wright-statehood-quarter/
