DWIGHT N. MANLEY
 The ANA Library is named in honor of noted rare
coin collector and sports agent Dwight N. Manley of Newport Beach,
California.
"When I was a teenager I wanted to attend the 1981 Summer Seminar,
but I couldn't afford the $400 fee on my own," Manley says. "With the
encouragement of the ANA and the assistance of ANA Governor Florence
Schook - who was always tirelessly helping young numismatists - I won
the scholarship that year and was able to attend my first Summer Seminar
that launched my numismatic career.
The ANA completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of its Museum and
Library in 2001. Shelf space in the world-class Library has more than
doubled, providing better access to the growing collection of books,
auction catalogs, periodicals and video programs. The expanded,
climate-controlled rare book room preserves and displays many of the
Library's most important references. A new security system protects the
valuable inventory.
Manley is known to many as a sports agent representing Utah Jazz star
basketball player Karl Malone and others, but he also is widely
recognized as a leader in promoting numismatics. Recently he has served
as managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group (CGMG), which
has been involved in a number of noteworthy numismatic events that have
brought great public attention to the hobby.
Under Manley's guidance, CGMG purchased, promoted and sold California
Gold Rush treasure retrieved from the 1857 shipwreck of the S.S.
Central America; created a $20 million exhibit of the recovered
gold coins, bars and nuggets for display at coin shows and museums
throughout the country; and sponsored a television documentary, as well
as recent publication of a 1,056-page reference book on the gold rush
and the sunken treasure written by Q. David Bowers.
On his own, Manley purchased a rare 1913 Liberty Head nickel for a
record $1.84 million at an ANA auction in 2001 and made it the focus of
a special traveling exhibit.
Manley, 36, began collecting coins at age 6 after finding 1909 and
1910 Lincoln cents in a coffee can. He still has the coins. A year
later, he visited his first coin store and was told he needed to study
numismatics before he bought more coins. Manley continued his collecting
and reading over the years and, in 1981, received a scholarship to
attend the ANA Summer Seminar at Association headquarters. The
experience of meeting Bowers - his idol - other young numismatists and
adults willing to teach and learn launched Manley on his professional
numismatic career. A year later, he returned to the ANA Summer Seminar
and then attended his first ANA convention.
His interest in numismatics never waned, even when he entered into
professional sports management in 1995 by helping Chicago Bull's
basketball star Dennis Rodman put his finances in order. While working
with his sports clients, Manley continued behind the scenes with some of
numismatics' greatest treasures at auctions and private sales. In a 1998
interview reprinted in Bowers' new book, A California Gold Rush
History, Manley said, "I think the key is to collect what you
enjoy. If you buy something because you enjoy it, you will always be a
winner."
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