"I can’t remember a time when I didn’t collect something.” said Randy Briggs, owner of Coops Coins - Bullion, Currency & Stamps. “When I was about nine, my father went to the bank and brought home a bag of five thousand one-cent coins. He dumped them onto the living room floor and told me to sort them by date and mint-mark—the tiny letter denoting the place of issue. Ultimately, I built a complete set of Lincoln cents. I loved looking at the coins, separating them, and putting them in albums. I can remember going through my parents’ change every night looking for treasures. My fascination has never stopped."
Randy’s love of collecting has continued through out his life. Growing up in San Bernardino, Randy attended Marshall Elementary and Arrowview Jr. High, graduating from San Bernardino High School in 1967. From there he finished his formal education at CSUSB, where he majored in Business, Economics and European History. This combination may seem unusual, but these areas of study equipped him to work in the coin business. In 1966 Randy started his career with Fred Coops’ Coins in San Bernardino. The store moved to Redlands twenty years ago and is located at 21 E. Redlands Blvd, Redlands, California, right across from the Tartan Of Redlands.
Over the years Randy has developed an expertise in many areas of numismatics (the study and collecting of coins) and is called upon regularly to speak on a variety of topics at schools, service clubs and state, national and international collector organizations. He has founded the Collector’s Forum which brings together people with a passion for collectibles and their connection with history ranging from woven baskets, and pharmaceutical bottles, to postcards and antique mouse traps.
Randy and Lauren moved to Redlands in 1975, developing a deep love for the city and its history. By the early 1980’s, Randy had put together an extensive collection of Redlands memorabilia, including rare bank notes and several hundred old postcards of the town and surroundings. The collection has continued to grow and now numbers over one thousand different scenes. The collection provides the basis for the book, Redlands – A Postcard History Series. If you have ever collected anything in your lifetime you will be excited to meet Randy!