John Jay Ford Jr. (March 5, 1924 – July 7, 2005) was an American numismatist from Hollywood, California, known for his extensive collection of historical currency and medals.
Ford's father was a scientist and unsuccessful inventor who "lost all of his money in business failures" before taking his family to Queens, New York.
[4] During his career, Ford encountered controversy when he was accused of attempting to sell gold and silver bars with the false claim that they were from the Old West.
[6] Ford's collections include a wide variety of different coins and medals from throughout United States history, dating back to the colonial era.
[4] Along with the rare coins and medals for which he was best known, Ford's collections included "the badges slaves wore when they were rented out for day work, Civil War revolvers and an ashtray owned by Hitler.
[7] The Society was founded to stimulate interest in numismatic scholarship and enable greater cooperation between coin enthusiasts and researchers alike.