Steven Markoff

Last updated

Steven Markoff
Alma mater Los Angeles City College
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • producer
  • author
Years active1965–present
Known forFounder of A-Mark Financial and ProCon.org
Notable workThe Case Against George W. Bush
Website stevencmarkoff.com

Steven C. Markoff is an American entrepreneur, film producer, author, and educator. He is the founder of the A-Mark Financial Corporation, a financial services firm based in Santa Monica, California that originally traded in rare coins and precious metals. He later created a series of websites (most notably ProCon.org) with the goal of providing nonpartisan information about a wide range of social and political topics. In the mid-2000s, Markoff served as an executive producer on several films including Alpha Dog , Next Day Air and Stander. In 2020, he published the non-fiction book, The Case Against George W. Bush , through Rare Bird Books.

Contents

Life and career

Steven Markoff is a native of Los Angeles. [1] He graduated from Los Angeles City College in 1964. [2] In 1965, [3] Markoff founded the A-Mark Financial Corporation, a Santa Monica-based financial services company that trades in rare coins and precious metals. [4] The company was originally known as the A-Mark Coin Company [5] (and later A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.). [6] A-Mark initially operated primarily as a wholesaler of rare coins and gold and silver bullion. [7] In addition to serving as chairman and CEO of A-Mark, [5] Markoff also held the role of president of the American Coin Exchange in the 1970s. [8]

In January 1976, Markoff (through A-Mark) purchased The Redfield Hoard silver dollar collection for $7.3 million. [9] The collection consisted of over 407,000 silver dollar coins weighing a total of 12 tons. [5] Later that year, Markoff facilitated A-Mark's purchase of the J.E. Wilkinson gold pattern coin collection, consisting of 45 coins valued at a total $5 million. The collection also featured the 1907 Indian Head Double Eagle pattern worth $1 million on its own. [10] The coin was formerly owned by King Farouk of Egypt. [11] Markoff saw continued success through A-Mark with sales exceeding $1 billion annually in the 1980s and 90s. [12] [13] In 2000, the Los Angeles Business Journal listed A-Mark Financial Corporation as the second-largest privately-owned firm in Los Angeles. [4] Greg Manning Auctions Inc. bought a majority stake in A-Mark for $16 million in 2005. [14] Thereafter, the firm changed its name to Escala Group, [15] then to Spectrum Group International Inc. [16] In 2009, it purchased the remainder of A-Mark. [17]

In 1997, Markoff founded the A-Mark Foundation with the goal of funding organizations and ventures that promote charitable, humanitarian, and/or educational causes. He also wanted to use the foundation to fund, produce, and support outlets that create nonpartisan research. This ultimately led to the 2004 foundation of ProCon.org, a nonpartisan online research database that discusses the pros and cons of a wide range of controversial social and political topics. Markoff would later create more specific websites that provided nonpartisan information on subjects like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and the September 11 attacks. [1] [18] ProCon.org was eventually acquired by Encyclopædia Britannica in 2020. [19]

In 2005, Markoff helped create the production company, A-Mark Entertainment. Other partners in the venture included Bruce McNall, Nick Cassavetes, and Robert Geringer. [20] Markoff served as a producer or executive producer on a number of films in the 2000s, including Alpha Dog (2006), [21] Autopsy (2008), [22] and Next Day Air (2009). [23] In May 2011, Markoff purchased an interest in Grauman's (TCL) Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. [24] Markoff also purchased the Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs, California in February 2012 [25] which he later sold in 2015. [26]

In November 2020, Markoff published the non-fiction book, The Case Against George W. Bush, via Rare Bird Books. The book discusses the George W. Bush presidential administration and Bush's handling of the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War. In the book, Markoff makes a case that President George W. Bush's handling of certain issues were actually crimes. [27]

Filmography

YearTitle
[28] 		RoleNotes
2002 No Good Deed Executive producerUncredited
2003 Stander [29] Executive producer
2005 Asylum [30] Executive producer
2006 Alpha Dog [21] Executive producer
2007 Timber Falls [31] Producer
2008 Camille [32] ProducerCameo as Niagara Falls Tour Guide
Autopsy [22] Producer
2009 Night Train [33] Producer
Next Day Air [23] Executive producer
Nine Miles Down Producer
2010BeatdownExecutive producer
2011 The Pool Boys [34] Executive producerAlso known as American Summer

Bibliography

YearTitleOriginal publisherISBNNotes
2020The Case Against George W. Bush Rare Bird Books ISBN   978-1644281352 Foreword by Richard A. Clarke

Related Research Articles

Coins of the United States dollar were first minted in 1792. New coins have been produced annually and they make up a valuable aspect of the United States currency system. Today, circulating coins exist in denominations of 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1.00. Also minted are bullion and commemorative coins. All of these are produced by the United States Mint. The coins are then sold to Federal Reserve Banks which in turn are responsible for putting coins into circulation and withdrawing them as demanded by the country's economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Mint</span> Produces circulating coinage for the United States

The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; that responsibility belongs to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The first United States Mint was created in Philadelphia in 1792, and soon joined by other centers, whose coins were identified by their own mint marks. There are currently four active coin-producing mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Mint</span> Crown corporation that produces Canadian coins

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The dollar coin is a United States coin with a face value of one United States dollar. Dollar coins have been minted in the United States in gold, silver, and base metal versions. Dollar coins were first minted in the United States in 1794.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential dollar coins</span> Series of circulating commemorative dollar coins

Presidential dollar coins are a series of United States dollar coins with engravings of relief portraits of U.S. presidents on the obverse and the Statue of Liberty on the reverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella (United States coin)</span> Four-dollar coin minted 1879–1880

The United States four dollar coin, also officially called a Stella, is a unit of currency equivalent to four United States dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan dollar</span> U.S. dollar coin (1878–1904, 1921, 2021–present)

The Morgan dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1878 to 1904, in 1921, and beginning again in 2021 as a collectible. It was the first standard silver dollar minted since the passage of the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the free coining of silver and the production of the previous design, the Seated Liberty dollar. It contained 412.5 Troy grains of 90% pure silver. The coin is named after its designer, United States Mint Assistant Engraver George T. Morgan. The obverse depicts a profile portrait representing Liberty, modeled by Anna Willess Williams, while the reverse depicts an eagle with wings outstretched. The mint mark, if present, appears on the reverse above between D and O in "Dollar".

This glossary of numismatics is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to numismatics and coin collecting, as well as sub-fields and related disciplines, with concise explanations for the beginner or professional.

The coins of Canada are produced by the Royal Canadian Mint and denominated in Canadian dollars ($) and the subunit of dollars, cents (¢). An effigy of the reigning monarch always appears on the obverse of all coins. There are standard images which appear on the reverse, but there are also commemorative and numismatic issues with different images on the reverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasher Doubloon</span> American doubloon

The Brasher Doubloon is a rare American doubloon of eight escudos worth sixteen dollars, privately minted in and after 1787.

One of the most profitable aspects of the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is its numismatic product line. The first numismatic coin from the RCM was arguably the 1935 dollar commemorating the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King George V. Though intended for circulation, it was the first Canadian coin commemorating an event. The decision to issue this coin was made in October 1934 by then-Prime Minister R.B. Bennett. There were economic and patriotic motivations for the release of a silver dollar, including a hope to boost the silver mining industry. In future years, the silver dollar would have a more emotional meaning for many Canadians because it was also the first coin to have the Voyageur motif on its reverse.

Since the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the Royal Canadian Mint has struck Summer and Winter Olympic coins to mark Games held in Canada.

The Canadian silver dollar was first issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The coin's reverse design was sculpted by Emanuel Hahn and portrays a voyageur and a person of Indigenous descent paddling a birch-bark canoe. The faint lines in the background represent the Northern Lights. The voyageur design was used on the dollar until 1986. It was then replaced with the 1987 Canadian 1-dollar coin. 1967 marked the end of the silver dollar as a business strike, or a coin issued for circulation. After 1967, the dollar coin was made of nickel, except for non-circulating commemorative issues for the collector market, which continue to contain silver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter J. Husak</span> American activist and writer (1942–2022)

Walter J. Husak was an American businessman who was the owner of the HK Aerospace manufacturing company in Burbank, California. Aside from ventures in the aerospace industry, Husak was also an avid collector of rare coins. On February 15, 2008, Heritage Auctions sold his collection of 301 rare cents in Long Beach, California. Two of the cents went for $632,500 a piece. The entire collection sold for approximately $10.7 million.

ProCon.org is a non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Santa Monica, California in the United States. It operates the ProCon.org website, an online resource for research on controversial issues. The content of ProCon.org is produced by five staff researchers, and its stated mission is "Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format." It was acquired by Encyclopædia Britannica in 2020.

Goldline, LLC was a retail seller of gold and silver coins, and other precious metals for investors and collectors. Goldline traced its formation to a Deak & Co. subsidiary created in 1960, a firm that in the late 1970s was the largest storefront gold retailer and later went into bankruptcy in the 1980s. The company was later bought and sold several times in the ensuing years. The company sold its assets to A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. in August 2017.

Rare Coin Wholesalers is a rare-coin company that specializes in United States rare coins. Located in Irvine, California, Rare Coin Wholesalers buys, sells, appraises and trades rare coins and precious metals. Originally established as a S.L. Contursi company in 1990, the owners have bought and sold over two billion dollars' worth of rare coins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaVere Redfield</span> American multi-millionaire (1897–1974)

LaVere Redfield was an American financier and multi-millionaire. Redfield made his fortune in purchasing oil land in Los Angeles, investing in stocks, and buying property at tax sales during the Great Depression. When he was robbed in 1952, the multi-million dollar burglary was one of the largest ever recorded. The investigation revealed a hoard of 270,000 silver Morgan dollars and postage stamps behind a false wall in his basement. After his death in 1974, his heirs found 407,000 more silver dollars hidden in his garage and home.

The Redfield Hoard was LaVere Redfield's collection of 407,000 silver Morgan and Peace dollars. The hoard was discovered in Reno, Nevada at the home of LaVere Redfield after his death in 1974.

References

  1. 1 2 Suchecki, Paul M.J. (February 20, 2015). "Both Sides Now: How a Funder Bankrolls Informed Public Debate". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni". Los Angeles City College. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Limited-Issue 25th Anniversary Gold Canadian Maple Leaf Now Available". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. November 1, 2004. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "TOP 100—Silence Is Golden for L.A.'s Largest Private Firms". Los Angeles Business Journal. October 30, 2000. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Bassett, Edward W. (August 25, 1976). "Gold Coins: Inflation Hedge?". Lebanon Daily News. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ Crouch, Gregory (October 27, 1987). "The Road to Failure at Valley State Bank". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ Fox, Stephen (September 19, 1976). "Coins good as gold". Escondido Times-Advocate. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Bag Of 10,000 Dimes Is Newest Investment". The Baltimore Sun. February 21, 1973. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Collection of silver dollars". The Berkeley Gazette. January 30, 1976. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  10. ↑ Robbins, Fred (June 25, 1976). "Gold pattern coin collection sold". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Million-dollar coin surfaces in N.Y. display". Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1976. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ Rutten, Tim (February 15, 1991). "Vietnam's Shadows in Persian Gulf". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ "A-Mark Financial Corporation". Encyclopedia.com. December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Greg Manning Auctions Buys A-Mark". Los Angeles Times. July 19, 2005. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  15. ↑ "UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK" (PDF). Sec. Gov.
  16. ↑ "Spectrum Group International Inc SPGZ Board". Investors Hub. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  17. ↑ White, Ronald (July 6, 2014). "A-Mark Precious Metals may profit from increased awareness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  18. ↑ Jamison, Peter (August 3, 2015). "Dept. of Water & Pow!". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Encyclopaedia Britannica Acquires ProCon.org". ProCon.org. May 29, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  20. ↑ Fleming, Michael (March 6, 2005). "Venture hits A-Mark". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Chang, Justin (January 27, 2006). "Alpha Dog". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Harvey, Dennis (January 12, 2009). "Autopsy". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  23. 1 2 McNary, Dave (February 11, 2009). "Summit delivers 'Next Day Air'". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  24. ↑ Glick Kudler, Adrian (October 4, 2011). "Chinese Theatre Getting Some Work Done". Curbed. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  25. ↑ Miller, Daniel (February 22, 2012). "'The Player' Hideaway Two Bunch Palms Resort Sold to Hollywood Producers (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  26. ↑ Hughes, Paul. "NB Investor Buys Resort in Desert Hot Springs". Orange County Business Journal.
  27. ↑ "The Case Against George W. Bush". Kirkus Reviews. September 26, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Steve Markoff". IMDb. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  29. ↑ Harris, Dana (September 22, 2003). "Newmarket 'Stander' bearer". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  30. ↑ Cockrell, Eddie (February 11, 2005). "Asylum". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  31. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 26, 2007). "Fishburne set to adapt 'Alchemist'". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  32. ↑ Gardner, Chris (April 19, 2006). "'Camille' real for thesp pair". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  33. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (November 3, 2007). "Danielak sells key territories on Rifkin-Eberts/A-Mark titles". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  34. ↑ Kaufmann, K (February 23, 2012). "Two Bunch Palms sold". The Desert Sun. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
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