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Entrepreneur
This Entrepreneur Follows His Childhood Dreams of Pirate Treasure and Dinosaur Bones
Entrepreneur Magazine profiles JR Bissell and how his passion for treasure hunting and paleontology became a thriving business.







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Entrepreneur
This Entrepreneur Follows His Childhood Dreams of Pirate Treasure and Dinosaur Bones
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AA
entrepreneur.com
When thinking of lost pirate treasure and
ancient artifacts, many may see these things as
something unattainable, sourced straight from
childhood story books and mythical tales. More
so, even if they are found, most still assume
they remain untouchable behind the thick glass
cages of museums and exhibits. The
unattainable stigmas surrounding these ancient
artifacts are accompanied by the vast history
that lay behind them; there are the legends of
pirates who sought after these goods, as well
as royals who once possessed them, all lost at
sea in treacherous hurricanes, until they are
once again touched by human hands 3-400
years later.
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entrepreneur.com
There are people who do not see these
treasures to be inherently unattainable as most
do, those that seek these treasures because of
their significance in meaning and value, serving
both as an artistic piece of history and
thoughtful investment. An example of someone
who wholeheartedly takes on this perception
and role is entrepreneur, J.R. Bissell. He
pursues these treasures for a living, running
Pirate Gold Coins (under Currency Grading &
Certification Inc.), which consists of artifacts
and treasures of all different kinds and
backgrounds. His well-curated digital museum
of these treasures consists of everything from
pirate treasure, Egyptian artifacts, meteorites,
ancient gold, crystals and even dinosaur
fossils.
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entrepreneur.com
Bissell notably listed the only Baby T-Rex in the
world for $3 million, which captured every
major news outlets. One of Bissell's main goals
is to change the financial and professional
perception of these treasures. While some may
view it simply as collectibles, he feels that their
great history and rarity makes them a financial
asset class. They become tangible
investments, something becoming increasingly
rare in today's age, in which these artifacts will
appreciate over time. In Bissell's own words,
"The history and thought behind who the last
person to hold these pieces might have been,
what it has seen, where it has been, can
completely fill your mind with thoughts of the
open sea, kings and queens, along with pirates
pillaging the oceans."
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entrepreneur.com
It is the history and depth of value that
differentiates these holdings, especially when
most of today's investments are online and
intangible. He discusses how you can take
multi-hour long seminars on a single coin,
comparing them to works of art – unlike a lot of
today's digital assets, such as a pixelated
photo of a rock somehow valued at over $1
million. Bissell believes collectibles are a great
safe haven as a hedge against stocks, and
other speculative investments. Bissell states,
"Stocks are living breathing organisms. You
can wake up tomorrow to a bomb shell news
story that will fundamentally alter your financial
state; such as the E.coli story with Chipotle."
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entrepreneur.com
He focuses on the incredible rise in price even
during a significant market correction, this
shows the stability and potential of collectibles
versus other markets. "Not only are these
artifacts absolutely gorgeous and an honor to
own, along with being great conversation
pieces compared to saying you own
.0000001% of Apple; they give you financial
stability in times of inflation and market
turmoil." He even brings his Treasure to the
21st century with NFT's backed by the physical
artifact which International Business Times
recently did an article claiming Bissell is
bringing back the Gold Standard through this
ingenuity.
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entrepreneur.com
When we ask what could possibly be next for
the man who already gets to play in such
fascinating market segments, he replies, "I
want to go all the way up, I want to have a seat
at the big boys table in the art market before I
die." Bissell doesn't want to just paint himself,
he wants to eventually deal in high end art.
Although we can't be sure what lies ahead for
JR Bissell, one thing is clear, his future looks
like it's history.