Louis E. Eliasberg

Who was Louis E. Eliasberg?

Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. was an American financier and numismatist. He is best known in the numismatic community for putting together the only complete collection of United States coins ever assembled. Although the set was not truly "complete" by modern standards, it is still the most comprehensive U.S. numismatic collection of all time.

On November 7, 1950, Mr. Eliasberg completed a coin collection containing a specimen of every United States coin of every date, metal, denomination, and mint mark ever struck which were known as of that date. The Eliasberg collection did not distinguish between proofs and circulating strikes and die variations were not emphasized. There were no exceptions unless one considers the 1849 Double Eagle a coin. This is generally categorized as a pattern coin and only two were made: one is on display at the Smithsonian Institution and the other was given to then Treasury Secretary William M. Meredith but its subsequent whereabouts are unknown. No one had ever accomplished this coin collecting feat before, and probably no one will ever accomplish it again.