This biography of Jacques Schulman, published in English, primarily serves American numismatists. To provide coherent and comprehensive biographical information about Jacques Schulman and his heirs, the following essential facts about Schulman and the firm will be presented to help readers appreciate the rich history of the Schulman firm and its heirs spanning 140 years.

Fig. 1: Photograph of Jacques Schulman, circa 1896, published in "100 Jaar Numismatiek: En reporte" (Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman, 1980).

Jacob "Jacques" Schulman (1849-1914) was born on April 11, 1849, in Hilversum, Province of North Holland, The Netherlands. He was born into an affluent Jewish family, the son of David Israël Schulman (1823-), who was an antiquarian, jeweler, and master clockmaker, and Grietje Spier (1821-).

Jacob "Jacques" Schulman followed in his father's footsteps and learned the family business. However, he, his sons, and their heirs are internationally renowned coin dealers.

In the 1860s, Jacques collected and studied coins and medals during his youth.

By the 1870s, he aspired to become a professional numismatist, and he soon became an expert in Oriental, Portuguese, Brazilian, and South American numismatics.

In November 1880, Jacques established the family business on the corner of the shopping district on Langestraat, Amersfoort, Province of Utrecht, which is 27 kilometers southeast of Hilversum. His first publication was a fixed price list of Dutch coins published in French, followed by publishing fixed price lists of coins and auction catalogs for over 60 years.

Jacques Schulman introduced a novelty in his 1880 publication by presenting the text in French, thus expanding his clientele. The Netherlands, having a tradition of coin dealing dating back to the sixteenth century, saw Jacques Schulman publishing in French, the diplomatic language.

He became a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), with membership numbers 653 and later 1749. He was also a member of the British Numismatic Society, Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Munt- en Penningkunde, La Société Royale de Numismatique de Belgique, and the Société Suisse de Numismatique.

Around 1873, he married Mina Frohwein (1848-1937), and they had seven children: Margot Jeannette (1874-), Julia (1875-), André (1877-1936), Maurits (1876-1943), Bertha Sara (1879-), Jacob "Jacques" II (1880-), and Helena (1881-).

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Photos may have been taken under fluerescent light. Color values may  have shiften.

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