Representatives

Get to Know the Professionals at Universal Coin & Bullion

Darin Foust, Director of Sales

Thomas Novak, Director of Sales

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.

Robert Patton, Director of Sales

Robert has been with our group for over 30 years. He has worked since Day 1 to ensure the company is well-respected and serves its clients with professionalism and integrity.

Together, Robert and his wife have five children, two grandchildren, and he enjoys spending time with them when they all can get together. His favorite hobbies include cooking and hunting. He and his wife enjoy camping. He has been a Boys Haven Board Member for many years and he has volunteered in support of many of his children’s activities.

Robert is proud that Universal Coin & Bullion has maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and that they deliver award-winning industry materials and service to our customers. But Robert is most proud of his team of knowledgeable representatives, their tenure and the service they provide to their clients.

His favorite coins are those produced by the Carson City Mint and the $2 ½ and $5 Indian gold coins – many of which are included in our innovative 20/20 program. Of the Carson City coins, he says, “I appreciate the history surrounding the popular Carson City Mint and the relatively limited number of coins it minted, and I feel good about providing my clients with some of the best Carson City gold coins available.” Of the $2 ½ and $5 Indians, he says, “They are particularly beautiful to me and popular as they are the first incused design coins struck by the U.S. Mint.”

Robert is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact him.

Ryan Verde, Director of Sales

Ryan has worked with our group for almost 30 years. He is married with three children (two daughters and a son). His hobbies are golf and the fishing sports, but his passion is coaching kids, including youth football, baseball and basketball. Ryan was a college baseball player. He has also served on area football and baseball boards and served as a volunteer at the area Boys’ Haven. At work each day, he is proud of our business standards and ethics, as we maintain an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and deliver award-winning materials to customers.

His favorite coins are the American Gold Eagle and Type II $20 Liberty gold coins. Ryan says, “The Gold American Eagles is the most popular gold bullion coin in the world, and it is both beautiful and provides financial security for our customers. I also enjoy helping clients easily diversify their IRAs with American Gold Eagles.” As for the $20 Libs, Ryan adds: “I really love the history of the Type II $20s. They were only minted from 1866 to 1876 and were our first double eagles with the motto ‘In God We Trust.’ My customers appreciate our ability to find the rarer examples of this series for their sets, many of which are included in our innovative 20/20 program.”

Ryan is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact him.

Nathan Begnaud, Assistant Director of Sales

Forest Hamilton, Assistant Director of Sales

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 of Sales

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.”

Jamie Talbert, Assistant Director of Sales

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.

Matt Anders, Sr. Account Representative

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.

Todd Bridwell, Sr. Account Representative

Ricky Doiron, Sr. Account Representative

Ricky has been with the group for over 25 years and is very knowledgeable in coins from the Carson City Mint, particularly $20 gold double eagles.

Ricky is from Orange, TX. and he and his wife, Heather, met through mutual friends and have been married for 10 years. He has an adult daughter and an adopted son. They support multiple charities, including the American Cancer Society and Autism Awareness.

An avid motorcycle fan, Ricky was paralyzed from the waist down in 2000 when he crashed and the bike landed on top of him. The injury hasn’t discouraged him or broken his spirit, in fact, he said, “my life is better after the wreck.”

He still loves motorcycles and going to car shows but he also focuses on helping his clients build their coin collections. He said he chose coins from Carson City because of their rarity and the mint’s history, which only operated for a total of 21 years. That makes “CC” coins exceedingly rare and sought after. He is also adept in helping his clients move a portion of their retirement accounts into precious metal IRAs.

“I like being able to help others build a collection and a financial security they can be proud of,” Doiron said. “And working in numismatics allows me to meet all types of people.”

Ricky said he is especially proud of Universal Coin & Bullion's A+ BBB rating and accreditation since 1995.

Curt Goodman, Sr. Account Representative

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.

John Linscomb, Sr. Account Representative

John joined our group almost 20 years ago. His background is interesting in that he grew up on a cattle ranch and continues his love of the outdoors. During hunting season, when he is not in the office or spending time with his family, you can find John in a deer stand. In the summer, he is known to hook a few lunkers, as well.

John is especially proud of the company’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and the fact they have been accredited with the BBB since 1995.

John is involved locally in the community and is a member of the Lion's Club in Sour Lake, just west of Beaumont. He has also volunteered with Boys’ Haven and provided food at several of their events. He and his wife have two children and stay very involved with their busy lives and schedules.

His favorite coin is the 1870-CC $20 Double Eagle, one of the rarest coins ever minted from the famed, and ill-fated Carson City Mint. Finding this coin in any grade is difficult and there is only one known specimen in AU-55. John is also a specialist in helping his clients with rollover accounts -- converting a portion of their IRA and 401k portfolios into precious metals. With gold and silver continuing to rise, now is the time to look at your options.

John's tenure with the group and knowledge of the precious metals industry sets him apart in the numismatic field. He is here for you and can answer most rare coin questions you may have

Chris Lyons, Sr. Account Representative

Jeff Medley, Sr. Account Representative

Jeff Medley is an experienced professional who has been with the company for almost 20 years. Prior to joining our group, he worked professionally as a respected residential, commercial and industrial electrician.

Away from work, Jeff enjoys quality time with his wife and two children. He likes to fish, hunt, golf and cook. He has served on boards of charitable organizations and volunteered for various activities at his church and the area Boys’ Haven.

Jeff’s favorite series of coins is the popular $3 Indian series. The coins have low mintages, low survival rates and are very popular with collectors and investors. Other favorite historical gold coins that appeal to Jeff are the rare 1879 $20 Liberty, popular 1873 dated gold coinage and classic American Gold Eagles. Jeff takes pride in helping clients diversify their IRAs with American Gold Eagles.

Jeff is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact him.

Keith Myers, Sr. Account Representative

Keith Myers is a veteran account manager and has been with the group for over 26 years. He is especially proud of their A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and the fact they have been accredited with the BBB since 1995.

Keith has been married for 27 years and has two sons. He likes to hunt and fish and spend time with his family.

Keith has served the community in his role as president of the local youth football league and vice-president of a Pony Baseball League. He has also volunteered with Boys’ Haven and provided food at several of their events.

Keith’s favorite coin is the historic and extremely popular $20 Liberty gold piece. He loves the beauty and rarity of the coin, as well as, telling the story behind this incredible coin. He is not only one of the “go to” advisers for rare gold and silver coins, his expertise in converting 401k/IRA accounts to precious metals sets him apart. With gold continuing to rise, now is the time to look at adding precious metals to your portfolio.

Klint Myers, Sr. Account Representative

Klint Myers, is a 20-year veteran employee of the group and has a background in the insurance claims industry. He has two children and his favorite hobbies are hunting and fishing.

His love of coins focuses on the $3 Indian gold coin. The uniqueness and rarity of the low-mintage $3 Indian, also called the $3 Princess because Lady Liberty is wearing a headdress traditionally worn by Native American Princesses, are why this is Klint’s favorite coin. And Klint is always willing to tell people about his favorite coin story, which is how the Saddle Ridge Hoard collection was found in California.

It doesn’t matter if it’s saltwater or freshwater, Klint is an avid fisherman and when it gets too cold to fish, if there is such a time, he does some deer hunting and occasionally goes duck hunting. But when he’s not hunting, fishing or adding to his own personal coin collection, Klint builds custom fishing rods and sponsors the local high school fishing team in his community. It’s his way of giving back to the community and helping educate kids about the outdoors.

Will Novak, Sr. Account Representative

Joe Persohn, Sr. Account Representative

Steve Solis, Sr. Account Representative

Mike Story, Sr. Account Representative

Darin Thibodeau, Sr. Account Representative

Mike Thillet, Sr. Account Representative

Chris Whiddon, Sr. Account Representative

Chris has been with our group for over 20 years and has a computer information systems degree from Lamar University, which he earned while also working at Sears Inc. He is married and he and his wife have a son.

Chris has an interesting story in that he had three job interviews on the same day in 2000 and chose to join our company over other career paths. He had been an amateur coin collector since his grandfather gave him his first collectible coin when he was eight years old. He didn’t realize at the time that there was a precious metals industry where he would spend his career.

Since then, he has been incredibly successful and helped thousands of clients find the special coins they were seeking for their own collections. Chris still collects coins and has an affinity for $20 Liberty gold coins and $2 ½ Indian gold coins, as well as coins recovered from the S.S. Central America shipwreck. He also collects guns and baseball memorabilia.

Chris is involved in the community through his volunteer work with All Saints Episcopal School and as a little league baseball coach. Chris is available for all of your numismatic needs, so give him a call for a personal touch.

Jordan Williams, Sr. Account Representative

Jordan Williams, an Account Representative with the group for over 12 years, grew up in Southeast Texas and graduated from Lumberton High School in 2005.

Jordan has two children ages five and six, and he focuses much of his time on his young family. However, Jordan does give support to the Garth House and coaches AAU Basketball. He is a fan of shooting sports and enjoys hunting and fishing.

Like most people working in the numismatics sector, Jordan loves coins but in addition to collecting them as a way to pass on the history of America to his children, he also collects sports cards, jerseys and signed sports memorabilia. His favorite coin is the gold Type 2 $20, as well as the $10 and $25 American Gold Eagles.

Jordan specializes in helping his clients rollover a portion of their retirements into Gold IRAs and desires to help people plan better for their financial futures.

He is especially proud of Universal Coin & Bullion’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and the fact they have been accredited with the BBB since 1995.

Robert Cambell, Account Representative

Katelyn Comeaux, Account Representative

Caleb Colton, Account Representative

Jacob Danna, Account Representative

Chad Davis, Account Representative

Joe Davis, Account Representative

Luis Guerrero, Account Representative

Richard Head, Account Representative

Robert Hollier, Account Representative

Robert has been with the group for almost 10 years and joined after earning Bachelor of Science degrees in Journalism and History from Texas A&M University.

Robert met his wife, Amber, when he went into a local bank to conduct a transaction and she was working there as a loan officer. It was love at first sight. Robert is from Orange, Texas and together they have four adult-aged children.

Locally, Robert helps out with Meals on Wheels through his church, St. Paul’s Episcopal. He also donates to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Beaumont Police Officers’ Association, the Texas A&M Former Students’ Association and the Humane Society of Southeast Texas.

Robert loves to collect WWII memorabilia and sports-related items. However, he is also a coin collector and the 1926 Sesquicentennial Gold Coin is his favorite because of the history behind why it was minted. He is also a fan of the incused-design 2 ½ Indian gold coin series and feels a sense of accomplishment upon helping his clients find the coins they are seeking to complete a series.

He specializes in 2 ½ Indians, as well as, key date $10 and $25 Gold American Eagles, plus Robert is very knowledgeable in helping his clients convert a portion of their retirement accounts in to Gold-backed IRAs.

Robert said he is proud to work with an A+ rated company that has been accredited with the BBB since 1995.

Francis Hooker, Account Representative

Jordan Horn, Account Representative

Bill Johnson, Account Representative

Brody Lafitte, Account Representative

Ken Laxton, Account Representative

Ken was born in Houston and then moved to New York before returning to Texas after high school. He has been with the group for almost 10 years and is proud of its A+ rating and standing with the Better Business Bureau – being accredited since 1995.

Ken likes to fish and hunt, especially for Texas White Tail deer and he also loves to cook. He said he enjoys trying recipes and sharing the results with his friends and family. Locally, he donates to Boys Haven of America and area law enforcement charitable activities. He also gives to the Wounded Warrior Project and is a big supporter of our armed forces. Ken also collects hockey cards, concert tickets and has a vast movie collection.

The $2 ½ Indian gold coin is Ken’s favorite and his passion for coins came from his father and grandfather, who both introduced him to the hobby at a young age. He said he loves the history of coins and how they tell the story of the nation.

“The $2 ½ Indian is one of the most unique coin designs our country has ever produced,” he said. Ken pointed out that part of that story includes how people turned in the coins for destruction due to their incused design, which some believed helped transmit germs. One of Ken’s favorite coin stories involves the redesign to an Open 3 from a Closed 3 on 1873 coins because the Closed 3 made the date resemble an 8.

Ken specializes in multiple types of American numismatic coins but he is also well-versed in helping his clients convert a portion of the retirement funds and 401Ks into gold IRAs.

Hunter LeBlanc, Account Representative

Justin Leverton, Account Representative

Justin grew up in Dallas, TX and became a Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack before moving to Beaumont to enter the numismatics field almost 10 years ago. He proudly served in the U.S. Army.

Justin met his soulmate, Lauren, through mutual friends and they have a daughter together. Justin loves spending time with his family through cooking, music and that old Texas favorite – barbecuing. He also has some skateboarding skills carried over from his youth.

Justin volunteers and contributes to Boys Haven by helping at-risk youth through various fundraisers and events.

Justin not only works to find coins for his clients, he’s also a coin collector in his own right. He said he collects coins for many of the same reasons his clients do – their legacy, to own and hold a piece of history and for wealth accumulation. He joked that he also collects his daughter’s toys on a regular basis.

Justin has an extensive knowledge of the 21-year history of the Carson City, Nev. Morgan Silver Dollar series of coins and he is also well-versed in the Type II and Type III Double Eagle gold coins, which spans a 41-year period in numismatics from 1866 to 1907.

“I enjoy the adventure and the challenges of working with a collector to put the pieces in place for them to build sets, series and date runs,” he said. He added that he is also proud of the company’s A+ rating and accreditation since 1995 with the Better Business Bureau.