Mike Crabb (2010)

Mike Crabb was the innovator and long-time chairman of the International Paper Money Show in Memphis, the main meeting place for the hobby in North America for more than 30 years.

Mike, an engineer by training, began collecting coins while on active duty in the Air Force in 1961and became interested in paper money a few years later. In 1976 he suggested to the Memphis Coin Club it sponsor an all-paper money show, and in 1977 the First Paper Money Convention was held at the Holiday Inn-Rivermont in downtown Memphis with 72 dealers attending. Later that year it became officially supported by the IBNS with “International” added to its name. Over the past 33 years “Memphis” as it is commonly called has grown to boast around 150 tables and been a mainstay of the hobby in the US. Mike is a life member of the American Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors and the Currency Club of Chester County, and is a member of IBNS and numerous other numismatic associations. Mike, who lives in Memphis, has been an active bowler for 50 years and has a sanctioned 300 game to his credit.