Heavy Metal Beaumont: Universal Coin and Bullion

Universal Coin & Bullion was founded in 1994 by Lester Henderson, Robert Verde and attorney Tyrrell L. ‘Terry’ Garth in Beaumont, Texas. The business started out slow until the numismatist Michael R. Fuljenz took over as president of the company. Fuljenz had been collecting rare coins since 1972 and had always been captivated by coins since he was a young boy. Fuljenz is known as America’s Gold Expert due to his extensive knowledge on rare coins and his many appearance on television and radio.

The company grew rapidly under the management of Fuljenz. In 1996 the company moved from its 7th floor building in Beaumont located at the Calder Bank of America Building to a larger office complex at the Bank One Building . In 1999 co-founder Lester Henderson died of cancer. In 2002 the company built its own 40,000 square foot campus to house its operation and its sixty plus employees. In 2005 Universal Coin & Bullion became the largest client of the USPS in Beaumont. In 2007 competitor First Capital Reserve was acquired by Universal Coin & Buillon.

In 2008 Universal Coin & Bullion became the official dealer in bullion for the National Rifle Association. The partnership with the NRA further propelled Universal Coin & Bullion as a reputable company in the numismatic industry. In 2014 Universal Coin & Bullion was listed as one of the founders of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for donating $100,000. In 2018 they were instrumental in bringing to the 2018 NRA Convention in Dallas, Texas, a display of recovered gold and silver from the wreck of the SS Central America valued at 14 million dollars. An additional 2 million dollars worth of gold and silver from other sources they also displayed. A year later Universal Coin & Bullion made some of the recovered treasure from the SS Central America available for purchase. Lee Greenwood partnered with Universal Coin & Bullion in September 2020 as a spokesperson for their company.