James L. Halperin

James L. Halperin (born October 31, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American author and businessman. Halperin authored a groundbreaking text on grading coins, How to Grade U.S. Coins, upon which the grading standards of the two leading third-party grading services PCGS and NGC were ultimately based. He also authored two futurist fiction books, The Truth Machine (1996) and The First Immortal (1997), both international science fiction bestsellers that were also optioned as films. The Truth Machine is currently under development as a major motion picture at Lionsgate.

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Halperin attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, then attended Harvard University between 1970-1971 where he majored in psychology and later philosophy. After three semesters, Halperin took a permanent leave of absence to pursue his numismatic career. In 1976 he established the first and most successful rare coin fund for investors, New England Rare Coin Fund (NERCF). Upon liquidation at auction in April 1980, each investor in NERCF received 460% of their initial investment, after all commissions and fees.

In 1982, he sold his coin company to a former employee, entered into a 50/50 business partnership with renowned numismatist Steve Ivy and settled in Dallas, Texas. Halperin and Ivy still co-direct Heritage Auction Galleries, of Dallas, Texas, now the world's largest rare coin company and America's third largest auction firm.

Some scandals and misadventures are detailed in reporter Christopher Helman's profile of Halperin for a 2004 edition of Forbes.

Halperin also endows a health education foundation which supports several charities.

He has been married to his wife Gayle since 1984 and they have two sons, David (born 1991) and Michael (born 1995).

References

• James L. Halperin biography
• Heritage Auction Galleries
• The Truth Machine: free download
• The First Immortal: free download
• How to Grade U.S. Coins
• Forbes Top Drawer