Donald H. Kagin was born into the numismatic world and started sorting bags of Lincoln cents by date for his father, famed numismatist A.M. Kagin, at the age of five. His love of history and art fueled his interest in collecting coins at an early age, including writing research papers and giving presentations about numismatics while in high school.
While at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Kagin worked with the dean of Arts and Sciences to create the nation’s first Bachelor of Arts degree in Numismatics. This led to him earning the nation’s first Bachelor of Arts degree in Numismatics while simultaneously earning another B.A. in History. Then he pursued graduate studies at the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati Ohio. And he studied at the Smithsonian Institution, Drake University and the American Numismatic Association Certification Service in Washington D.C. He researched at the American Numismatic Society and Johns Hopkins University. All of this resulted in Kagin earning the first Doctorate in Numismatics.