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Nestled in the White Mountains is the largest collection of U.S. coins in the widest range of grades available in this country. The owner is the Littleton Stamp and Coin Company, a mecca for coin collectors globally. Littleton's vast inventory includes over three million items in stock, ranging in value from 10 cents to $30,000 each and dating from 500 B.C. to the present.
The company's business statistics are staggering. It publishes nearly 500,000 catalogs yearly. With over 300,000 active customers, three to four postal service trucks per day transport over a million pieces of correspondence annually between Littleton and its customers. The customer service department handles over 8,000 conversations annually. Despite this large number, Littleton prides itself on the personal touch and works with customers individually to find specific coins.
It is the largest family-owned and operated stamp and coin retailer in the United States. And even with 180 employees, it is still growing. Littleton's success wasn't overnight. In October, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary in business.
The company was founded by Maynard Sundman and his first wife, Fannie, in 1945. A stamp enthusiast since childhood, Sundman started a mail-order stamp business in 1935 from a tabletop in his parents Connecticut home. World War II interrupted his plans and Sundman went off into the Army, where he earned the Bronze Star. Two weeks after his discharge, Sundman and his wife moved to Littleton, N.H. The Connecticut couple chose Littleton because it had a post office large enough to handle Sundman's vision of a mail order stamp business. The community also reflected the Sundmans values--honesty, quality and delivering on a promise made.
In 1954, Sundman expanded and began selling coins. A mere 10 years later, the Littleton Stamp and Coin Company was the largest postal customer in northern New Hampshire. The growth was expected--especially since then well-known...