In Loving Memory of Johnny Harry Heleva

1951 - 2024

We lost a notable man in the coin and currency business today. John Heleva of Sacramento, California, felt like a lucky man because he was always employed at something he loved - the coin business. He died peacefully in his sleep, something we all hope for. Johns family was in Sacramento 165 years.  His wife, Dawn was born there.  He was born in Wiesbaden Germany 12/51. His father was active in the Berlin air lift.

John's love affair with coins began when he was bedridden in a body cast from age 5-7 for a  degenerative hip disorder called leg perthis.  His grandfather would bring him bags of coins to sort from the bank and he got hooked.  In high school he made spending money buying and selling silver.  John started with paper money in his early twenties when he says you could not give bank notes away.  He bought them cheap and watched it become a market.  He loved history and that naturally played into his interest in coins and paper.

Those of us who knew and traded with him soon learned he was a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge. He could've easily written a book with his general collectible information.

John had two storefronts in Sacramento for some time and two warehouses.  It took six trips in that old yellow truck, and an extra friend and driver that brought a big moving truck to get from California to Texas with most of the warehouse material.

John served as governor of the PDCA for a couple years. He left behind his wife, Dawn, three sons and one daughter, and several grandkids.

There's a thousand stories we could tell about John and they would be fun to tell. He's not a guy that you would forget! If you crossed paths, please comment below with a memory or thought about this extraordinary man.