Joel Handshu was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1946 and grew up in Hollywood, Florida.  At the University of Florida, he was a member of Phi Epsilon Pi and the Phi Alpha Theta (Honorary History Society). He graduated with a bachelor's degree in History in 1968 and later received an M.S. in History and Higher Education from Florida State University.

Joel and his brother Steven started collecting coins at a very young age.  While in grammar school their fifth grade teacher, assuming that most of the fathers of her students had served overseas during World War II, encouraged her class to bring in any foreign coins their fathers had brought back as souvenirs.  The Handshus' father was a grocer and had not served in the war.  For their display he fished out a Canadian penny and a Cuban five centavo from the cash register.  As he found other coins, the collection grew.  This was the beginning of a lifetime of coin collecting for Joel Handshu.

The two boys started using their allowance to purchase coins.  In high school they purchased their first Roman coins through the mail for fifty cents a piece.  Steven Handshu still has these two coins.  They are very worn and hardly of museum quality, but were the start to acquiring a lovely collection of antiquarian coins.

When Joel announced he was getting married, Steven gave him the entire collection (which at the time included many American coins). He sold the American coins to buy his fiancée an engagement ring.

In 1969, Joel joined the army and did several international tours.  He had previously obtained an undergraduate and graduate degrees in history and fulfilled his appetite for history by purchasing ancient coins while he travelled.

When Joel Handshu contracted leukemia he settled in Charleston, SC.  His brother no longer collected coins and Joel wished to keep his collection intact.  Over a period of five years he gradually donated his entire collection to the College of Charleston, including many research books.  These are now held in Special Collections.

For an inventory of the coins please go to:  http://www.cofc.edu/~speccoll/coins.html