Paul Hollis was born in Metairie in Jefferson Parish, the third son of Judy and Ken Hollis. He graduated in 1990 from Grace King High School in Metairie, at which he was the student body president. Hollis held his first job – for a lawn care service – at the age of thirteen and worked through high school as a restaurant busboy. After studying martial arts for many years, he attained his black belt in karate and began teaching at Elmwood Fitness Center before his senior year. At Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Hollis opened his first small business, a karate school. He received a degree in political science from LSU in 1994. Paul met Ashley Tastet in 1996, and they married a few years later. In 2003, the couple had their daughter, Bree. In 2006, the Hollises settled near Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. In 2013, Paul and Ashley had their second child, son Zachary.
Business
Hollis began collecting coins in 1978, at the age of six, when he received a Peace dollar from a grandmother. He still has the keepsake coin. Hollis was employed by as the youngest salesperson at Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, one of the nation's largest rare coin and precious metal firms. He worked there until 2001, when he attained the position of "numismatist". In 2003, Hollis started his own firm, Paul Hollis Rare Coins, supplying collectible coins to television home shopping networks located in Tennessee and Minnesota. Paul Hollis Rare Coins now specializes in ancient coins that circulated during the earthly lifetime of Jesus Christ. Hollis is one of the few numismatists to visit and undertake an in-depth of study of each of the United States Mints. He has achieved status of expert in treasure coins, often being interviewed by national and international media outlets. In the winter of 2004, Hollis joined the Odyssey Marine Exploration to salvage coins from the SS Republic. In 2009, Hollis gave 1,000,000 Lincoln cents. He also gave 1,050 Adams dollars to students at the middle school he attended, John Quincy AdamsMiddle School. In 2008, Hollis notably arranged for and escorted the 1844-0 Proof $10 Eagle, worth $2.5 million, to be on display at the Old U.S. Mint of the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge. This allowed twenty thousand persons to see the coin where it was minted,
Legislative career
Hollis was elected to the Louisiana House in November 2011. His District 104 was newly redrawn as a result of the legislative redistricting plan, Act 1 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2011, signed into law by GovernorBobby Jindal on April 14, 2011. The district covers parts of the St. Tammany Parish communities of Mandeville, Abita Springs, Covington, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell. During his first year in office, Hollis was part of the Louisiana Bicentennial Task Force and assisted with an exhibit at the Old State Capitol and the writing and production of the "History of Banking and Finance in Louisiana" in cooperation with the Secretary of State's office. Hollis serves on the Commerce, Education, and Retirement committees. In May 2017, Hollis obtained House passage, 70 to 27, of his bill to make it easier for voters to recall public officials. Currently, the threshold for obtaining signatures is too high for most recall petitions to bring forth an election, particularly in heavily-populated areas. Recall organizers must define in the petition the reason for targeting an elected official. If approved by the Senate, the bill would require 20 percent of registered voters to sign a petition to set up a recall elections in jurisdictions of greater than 100,000 voters; for those between 25,000 and 100,000 25 percent is required. For areas under 1,000, the requirement is 40 percent. In communities of between 1,000 and 25,000 voters, one third must sign for the election to be held.
Writing career
Hollis is the author of the book American Numismatist, written for the American Numismatic Association. He traces U.S. history through the coins that were struck along the way. With many significant pictures and images of coins, the book is considered a resource to help beginners learn the trade. John Albanese, one of the world's top-ranked coin graders, wrote a foreword to Hollis' book.
Acknowledgments
Hollis has received the:
Business Champion Award from Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
A 97 percent rating from the Louisiana Association of Business and IndustryABI
Best U.S. Coin Book 2012 award for American Numismatist
Hollis was nominated by former Louisiana House SpeakerChuck Kleckley to serve as a member of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family. He is also a member of the newly formed Gulf Coast Legislative Council.
