About Bill Fivaz
Bill Fivaz is a respected American numismatist, author, educator, and longtime advocate for variety collecting. Born in 1934, he graduated from Hamilton College in 1956 and later served in the United States Navy. He has been collecting coins since 1950, with a special focus on die varieties — coins with distinctive features created by differences or anomalies in the dies used during minting.
Over the course of his career, Fivaz has written more than a dozen numismatic books, including Helpful Hints for Enjoying Coin Collecting and the United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide. His work has helped generations of collectors better understand variety attribution, counterfeit detection, and the practical enjoyment of the hobby.
His contributions have also been widely recognized. In 2001, the American Numismatic Association named him Numismatist of the Year. He has also been closely involved with the Metropolitan Coin Club of Atlanta, where he has served on the board of directors and mentored younger collectors.
In February 2024, the club celebrated Fivaz’s 90th birthday, honoring his decades of service, scholarship, and enthusiasm for numismatics. Through his writing, teaching, and mentorship, Bill Fivaz has become one of the most important names in American variety collecting.