Howard Franklin Bowker (click on title to view full blog and pictures)

(The beautiful picture above is in front of the original Shanghai Mint that was modeled after the Philadelphia Mint.)

While is Shanghai I had the opportunity to attend the Howard Franklin Bowker donation ceremony at the Shanghai Mint.  This was an emotional event in which Mr Bowker had passed away in the early 1990's but his family kept his collection in tact.  After all of these years, they decided to donate due to the help of Michael Chou from iAsure and Campion Auctions.  Many of the family members flew from the US to Shanghai to attend this ceremony.  I was fortunate to be invited due to my involvement with Modern Chinese coins.  Mr Bowker was a collector of Chinese coins, banknotes, patterns, etc... He assembled an incredible collection consisting of over 4000 pieces with a value of $$$$.  He did this back in the 1950's and 1960's.  What an extrodinary man who was well ahead of his time with vision and a passion.  What an incredible donation by his family.  The family told stories and I watched and listened.  What a nice family.  We toured the museum and looked at all of the pieces produced by the Shanghai Mint and the new home for the select pieces from the Bowker Family donation.  If you looked at many of the patterns in this collection, you would be in awe of these pieces.  To learn more, google Howard Franklin Bowker.  Look at the pictures and always remember to Collect, Invest and Have Fun!!!