Two Oak Harbor residents are offering a different, shinier kind of history lesson next month.

Zachary Hale and Noel Pangilinan, two avid coin collectors, are hosting the first annual Whidbey Island Coin Show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 30 and 31 at the Pacific Rim Institute, located at 180 Parker Road in Coupeville.

This free event is an opportunity to learn about the world of numismatics and its rules, meet like-minded collectors and buy, sell or trade valuable pieces of art and history.

Hale, a petty officer at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island who has served 14 years, and Pangilinan, a retired chief petty officer, had been talking about possibly launching a coin show for a year, hoping to build a community of collectors and bring more attention to a hobby many may be unfamiliar with.

While they have gathered a few collectors from Whidbey and the mainland, they welcome more coin enthusiasts to rent a table for $75, which should cover the cost of renting the building and insurance.

Hale’s fascination for coins started as a child and was influenced by his father, a Berlin native interested in West German coins, and his grandfather, a collector of English coins who would take Hale to the coin shop whenever he visited his grandparents in the United Kingdom.

As an adult, Hale took an interest in U.S. coins, eventually growing five or six collections he’s built up over time by trading and buying on Facebook, Reddit and Ebay.

Tuesday, he showed the News-Times an assortment of dozens of little relics and miniature artworks, such as pennies from as long ago as the late 1700s, some rare Morgan coins minted in 1889 and 1893 at the Carson City Mint in Nevada, gold and silver metal bars from Switzerland and the U.K. sealed in assay cards, official bullion coins from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. mints, and more, each with its own backstory.

For those who are unfamiliar, a bullion is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a rare metal such as gold or silver, often in the form of thick blocks, that is bought and sold in large quantities as a commodity or investment;” an assay card certifies that the encapsulated precious metals inside are as pure as claimed, according to goldbroker.com.

The Morgan silver dollar was minted from 1878 to 1904, then in 1921 and, for collectors, in 2021, according to govmint.com. The Numismatic Guaranty Company states that these coins can cost from $220 to $142,500, depending on their condition.

One of Hale’s favorite items are the “toners,” silver coins that develop iridescent spots through oxidation due to being exposed to the elements for an extended period of time. Depending on the look and authenticity of the toning, a toned coin can be worth thousands of dollars.

Toned coins are particularly sought after, prompting some sellers to recreate the effect artificially by blowing cigar smoke on the coins, leaving them on the fireplace mantel or rubbing potassium on their surface.

The issue is taken so seriously that if the Professional Coin Grading Service and the Numismatic Guaranty Company even find the toning to be “questionable” without concluding whether it’s genuine or not, it will be assigned little value, Hale said.

“There’s nothing that’ll ruin somebody in the coin world more than being dishonest or caught in a scheme of sorts,” he said. Once that happens, he said, it will take a long time to restore one’s reputation.

Cleaning coins is also a big no-no, he said. A clean coin won’t be graded and therefore it’s basically worthless. That’s why it’s best to keep them sealed in small containers to keep them pristine.

“Once it’s cleaned, it’s been mutilated,” Hale said. “Tampered with.”

Coins are graded on a scale from 1 to 70, which is a score so perfect and rare that a single coin graded 70 could pay off Hale’s house, he said.

Some visitors might also be delighted to find a variety of silver art bars depicting politicians, celebrities, fictional characters and humorous vignettes with great detail. Some memorable ones include Donald Trump standing in front of an army of Stormtroopers from Star Wars, Sponge Bob eating Mr. Krabs, a pooping unicorn, the Beskar ingot from the hit TV show “The Mandalorian” and a set of Coca-Cola ingots made in celebration of the company’s 75th anniversary.

Hale compared the hobby to spending money on money, which can come in handy if he ever needs to cash out to support his family. He recommends those who are just getting started to go slow and stay informed to avoid being taken advantage of.

“Just like car dealers selling cars, there are dirty coin salesmen as well,” he said. “”They’ll buy your coins for much less than they’re worth and they’ll sell you coins for much more than what they’re worth.”

At the same time, the coin collecting community has some of the nicest people he has ever met. Some of them may live on Whidbey, he said, though he believes they might be keeping their interest private. With the coin show, he hopes to get more coin enthusiasts to share their passion with the island.

“One of the main objectives of this event is to get people to come out of the woodwork,” he said.

For inquiries about the Whidbey Island Coin Show, email info@WhidbeyIslandCoinShow.com or call 312-857-4253, or learn more at whidbeyislandcoinshow.com.

Photo by Luisa Loi Zachary Hale, an Oak Harbor resident with a passion for numismatics, poses by part of his collection that will be on display next month at the Pacific Rim Institute.

Photo by Luisa Loi Hale holds some of his favorite silver coins, the Morgan Silver Dollars that were authenticated by the Professional Coin Grading Service.