How I Built an $80k/Year Side Hustle Around Ancient Coins

When you think of side hustles, flipping 2,000-year-old Roman coins probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

But for Dean Kinzer, what started as a nod to his dad’s hobby turned into a $86k/year side hustle, one built around history, storytelling, and a very specific type of collector.

Dean runs KinzerCoins.com and The Ancient Coin Hour on YouTube, where he shares his love for ancient coins and educates others who are curious about the space.

Here’s how he did it.

Tune in to Episode 668 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:

• how Dean turned a collector’s passion into real income
• why ancient coins are the ultimate niche product
• the low-risk strategies he used to build an $80k side hustle

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From Childhood Hobby to Unexpected Opportunity

Dean didn’t exactly set out to become the guy for ancient coin collecting.

His dad was a lifelong collector and part-time dealer of both coins and baseball cards.

Growing up, Dean would tag along to shows. But like many kids, he drifted away from it as he got older. It wasn’t until his father’s health declined and Dean was managing his estate that something shifted.

“I got to these coins like a tribute penny of Tiberias with Libya on the reverse,” Dean said. It just really didn’t make sense to him that he would just be selling this.

“This is 2,000 years old. It’s not like a wheat penny. This means something.”

He then joined a Facebook group with about 10,000 members focused on medieval and ancient coins. This opened his eyes to how little accessible education there was around this space, especially for Americans.

Carving Out a Niche Within a Niche

There was not a lot of content about ancient coins on YouTube, and if there were any, it wasn’t in a way Dean could understand.

So he decided to create it himself. “If there’s a void, I’m gonna fill it.”

He launched The Ancient Coin Hour with co-host Josh Benevento — a seasoned numismatist and a Grammy-winning opera singer. “He’s the technical expert, and I’m the talking head,” Dean shared.

The show is designed to guide beginners what to look for, who to buy from, and how not to get scammed.

There isn’t a quick and dirty way to tell if something’s fake, but with learning, they can teach it to the audience.

They bring on experts — auction house owners, dealers, authors — so listeners get exposure to the right people early on.

Building Trust for the Community

The early days of Dean’s content creation wasn’t glamorous. Nobody would watch, not even people he knew in the business.

It forced him to get clear on purpose. Was he making content for advanced collectors or for people just discovering the hobby?

Dean chose the latter and decided to focus on education and community building.

“You can hold history in your hand,” he said. It’s a tangible, physical connection to the past, which is a nice message.

So he stopped trying to sell people on coins as an investment and spoke directly to history buffs.

“One of the things that you can do with ancient coins is you can hold the history in your hand.” If you love history, why not collect something that ties you directly to it?

That niche within a niche — history lovers who didn’t yet know about ancient coins — became his focus.

Sales Channels and Revenue Streams

Dean now brings in around $80,000 a year through several revenue streams:

• Website sales
• Auction representation
• A paid subscription service for rare coin early access
• Coin shows and in-person events
• YouTube ad revenue

The First Sale

His first big sale came just weeks after launching his store. It was a coin during the time of Mithridates VI Tetradrachm, who is well known as the poison king.

Dean listed the coin, someone bought it immediately for $12,000, and just like that, the side hustle became real.

It was the happiest day he had.

“It made me feel like I can do this. I just gotta find the right people.”

Auction

One lesser-known service Dean offers is auction representation.

Collectors will come to him and say, “I want an Alexander the Great coin,” but they don’t know how to evaluate it, so Dean will offer to do the research, hunt it down, give them options, and bid on their behalf.

He takes a 5% fee, and helps them avoid overpaying or buying fakes. This service is especially helpful in a field where knowledge gaps can be expensive.

Paid Email Subscription and Early Access

Dean also launched a $9.95/month paid email service that offers:

• Early access to rare coins
• A standing discount on all purchases

He just released his second list of 20 coins. Some of them are so in demand, they don’t even last one second on the site.

He admits keeping subscribers happy adds another layer of work. “If people pay and don’t get value, they won’t stick around.”

In-Person Events and Museum Collaborations

Dean isn’t just online; he’s bringing ancient coins to new audiences in real life.

He recently did a pop-up at South by Southwest featuring ancient coins, shipwreck coins, and Japanese samurai coins.

He’s hoping to do more events like that, possibly one at an upcoming F1 race in Miami. He’s also exploring partnerships with museums, where he can help showcase coins that aren’t normally on display.

Dean also regularly attends larger coin events like the ANA (American Numismatic Association) show in Chicago, one of the biggest gatherings in the space.

Inventory, Sourcing, and Margin Strategy

Dean’s gross margins are between 30% to 40%, with smart sourcing strategies to reduce risk.

“Cash is king,” he advised. “You can’t buy more inventory until you move the stuff you already have.”

He tries not to tie up cash in slow-moving inventory and now relies more on consignment, especially from dealers who aren’t selling at shows during off-season months.

There’s also flexibility in pricing since there’s no price guide for ancient coins. It’s more about storytelling and connection.

Products That Sell: Ancient Coins and Historical Hooks

Dean focuses on starter-friendly items:

• Boxed sets of Constantine-era coins
• Lower-priced individual coins (around $60)
• Popular figures like Alexander the Great or Athenian Owls

“These move faster,” he said. For the higher-end stuff, you sit on it for a while unless you already have the buyer in mind.

Still, that premium market can be extremely loyal. Some people will fly across the country just to get a specific coin.

Tools/Tech

Dean built the entire operation with off-the-shelf tools:

• Squarespace for his website and email
• Shopify for certain e-commerce functions
• Socials: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (he skips X)
• YouTube: where he now has over 46,000 subscribers
• Vcoins, an online marketplace dedicated to collectors.

He’s tested outsourcing, especially with social content, but says editing takes up more time than anything else.

He suggests that you’re going to need to outsource at some point.

Still, being in a low-competition niche has its perks.

“It’s easy to become the tallest person,” Dean said. “That’s why I’ve been gung ho trying to get the message out there because I’m the one.”

Any Mistakes or Surprises Along the Way?

If he were starting over, he’d rely less on ads and more on relationships.

He’d also figure out consignment earlier — to avoid investing too much upfront.

What’s Next?

Dean’s big goals:

• Hit six figures in revenue
• Partner with a museum
• Launch more pop-up events
• Expand his paid subscriber base

“History is the most important thing to me,” he said.

He believes that this hobby of collecting ancient coins has real potential.

Americans spend tons on collectibles, so why not ancient coins? They touch everything: art, architecture, culture. It just makes sense.

Dean’s #1 Tip for Side Hustle Nation

“Network, network, network.”

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