Get to Know the “Team Mike” Professionals at Universal Coin & Bullion
Thomas Novak, Manager
Thomas has worked here for almost 25 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Management Information Systems from Lamar University here in Beaumont, Texas. Tom has three children and stays busy attending his kids’ football, baseball and soccer games. He also has spent time coaching youth baseball and helping with fundraisers at the local Boys’ Haven.
Tom is proud that our business has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and, as a manager, he is a big reason for that recognition. His valued input has been instrumental in UCB receiving numerous awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild and the Press Club of Southeast Texas.
He loves the beauty, history, security and privacy that rare coins and precious metals provide his customers and he especially likes the very popular Type II $20 gold coins. They were only minted from 1866-1876 and were America’s first double eagles with the motto ‘In God We Trust.’ Tom notes that over 95% of them were reportedly destroyed when President Roosevelt recalled gold in 1933 so they have a relatively low supply.
Tom also takes pride in helping clients diversify their IRAs with American Gold Eagles.
Tom is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact him.
Forest Hamilton, Assistant Director
Forest has over 22 years in the numismatic industry and has worked with Universal Coin & Bullion for 14 years.
Forest and the love of his life, Stormy, have three beautiful daughters and he enjoys spending as much time as possible with his family. He has coached his daughters’ soccer teams from an early age and loves watching their dance and piano recitals. Fishing with his dad and hiking with his mom in Washington and Oregon are two of his favorite things.
He has coached youth soccer and baseball for many years, is an influence coach for Lamar University, is on the board of Beaumont Boys Haven and Pathway Church and truly enjoys being a consistently featured speaker for Fathers in the Field Ministry.
Forest is proud that UCB has maintained an A+ rating with Better Business Bureau and that the company delivers award-winning industry materials to its customers.
He is a three-time Amazon.com Best-Selling Author and an award-winning speaker. He is also one of America’s numismatic experts and has been featured in USA Today, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance and Market Watch Online, among others. Forest was also on ABC’s Shark Tank.
Forest’s favorite coin is the $2 ½ Indian Head Quarter Eagle that was minted from 1908-1929. He loves that it has a fully incused design, is an extremely completable set with only 15 coins total and is one of the most consistent cyclical investment coins in U.S. history. He said he appreciates their beauty, unique design, history and that many of them are included in UCB’s innovative 20/20 program. Forest also enjoys helping clients easily diversify their IRAs with the popular Gold American Eagle.
Learn more from Forest by watching videos featuring him on UCB’s website.
Ryan Hamilton, Assistant Director
Ryan has worked for the company for 21 years. He grew up in Beaumont, TX and after obtaining two degrees – one in corporate communications and another in business management – from Lamar University, he chose to stay in the area. Ryan and his wife live just outside of town with their newborn daughter and their two dogs.
Ryan has also volunteered with Boy’s Haven and provided food at several of their events. He is especially proud of UCB’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and the fact they have been accredited with the BBB since 1995.
Ryan’s love of hunting and fishing is only overshadowed by his love for God, his wife, his daughter and rare coins. He stresses the importance of owning gold and silver coins, not only to his clients but also to his family and lives life by the motto of “hard work, dedication and doing things right.” He is one of the “go to” advisers for rare gold and silver coins, as well as, for his expertise in converting 401k/IRA accounts to precious metals.
Ryan enjoys learning about and educating people on the story of rare coins and says, “When a true American rarity comes across my desk, I am in awe at its beauty, history and the story it holds. I tell my clients that if coins could talk, I would be out of a job because my passion is sharing that message.”
Josh Baldwin, Sr. Account Representative
Josh has worked for the company for 14 years and has a degree in psychology from Lamar University. He grew up in Beaumont, Texas and chose to stay here after college working in the precious metals industry. Josh has been married for 12 years to his college sweetheart and they have three children – twin six-year-olds, and a 10-year-old going on 16, he joked. The family has also been adopted by two precious pups, Daisie and Elvis.
Josh is a volunteer with the Hamshire-Fannett Little League and loves Texas Rangers baseball. His other community involvement includes volunteering with Boys’ Haven and helping to promote the inclusion of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through his work with the Arc of Greater Beaumont. Josh also participates in the Watch D.O.G.S. program, which encourages dads and other male role models to get more involved in their children's education. Josh is a life member of the NRA and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni Association.
For Josh, his love of coins revolves around $20 Liberty gold coins and burnished American Gold Eagles. Josh lives by the motto, “Pray for the best and prepare for the worst.” He has often said his mission is to, “save the world, one gold coin at a time.”
As for his absolute favorite coin, it is the $20 1879-O Liberty minted in New Orleans because there were so few made – 2,325 to be exact. This Type III coin is a beautiful specimen and considered an anchor to any Type III $20 Liberty set.
Adam Landry, Sr. Account Representative
Adam has worked for the company for more than 15 years and grew up, locally, in Groves, Texas.
Adam and his wife, Jennifer, have three daughters, ages 9 months to nine years old. Adam’s hobbies include playing golf and he also enjoys woodworking and is an avid fisherman. He is involved in various local charities and donates to St. Jude Children’s Research.
Adam collects golf memorabilia but he is also a coin collector and loves the $20 Liberty Series Type II and III gold coins that spanned from 1866 to 1907. He said, he loves the design and beauty of the $20 Liberty coins and appreciates the place in history that they hold for American numismatics.
Adam is well-versed in all types of gold and silver coins, as well as, helping his clients convert a portion of their retirement accounts to gold- or silver-backed IRA’s. He said he is proud to work at UCB because of its stellar reputation in the community and for it maintaining an A+ rating and BBB accreditation since 1995.
Jamie Talbert, Assistant Director
Jamie has been with the company for 26 years. Through those years he has built a strong reputation in the numismatic industry, while at the same time following his musical dreams in the country music industry.
His love of music and love of coins go hand-in-hand and his clients appreciate his honesty and candor in helping them not only find the right coins for their collections but also in converting a portion of their retirement accounts into precious metal IRAs. In addition to his success in the numismatic industry, Jamie has seen two of his albums and nine of his singles break into the Top 100 on the country charts.
Jamie and his wife, Jamie Lynn, have been married nearly 16-years and have two children. He enjoys hunting, fishing and playing golf when he is not playing music somewhere in Southeast Texas. He loves meeting new people and sharing his knowledge and interest in precious metals and rare coins with them.
Jamie donates his time and talents by performing at select children’s and veterans’ benefits each year.
He specializes in $2½ and $5 Indian gold coins because of their unique incused designs, which are beloved by investors and collectors, alike.
