Many people are passionate about their hobbies, but few cultivate them into a lifelong career. That’s what author, collector, and auction house founder Ted Hake has done during his storied tenure in the collectibles field spanning over 50 years. What started as a penny collection when he was a child grew into creating sales lists of political items then the founding of his own auction house.

Hake, who celebrated his birthday on August 30, was recently profiled by The Pennsylvania Gazette. The article digs into Hake’s past and how he became a collector, to founding Hake’s Auctions (then Hake’s Americana & Collectibles), and some of the incredible sales they have seen in their auctions.

The article about Hake is available on thepenngazette.com.