Q&A with Jen Ingram

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Too often, life passes by superficially: shallow greetings, eating meals with a screen turned on in the background, skimming the first few sentences of a news article. Some of us tend to navigate our journeys on the surface, but those who take the time to go a little deeper find abundant treasures. For Jen Ingram, coins used to be shiny pieces gifted by her great-grandparents. However, she started to look closer when she began collecting state quarters with her mother. Once Ingram saw the stories fused into these metal discs, she continued to collect them, learn their history, and connect with numismatists around the world. For her, coins share a universal language and offer a way to honor legacy.

The desire to uncover hidden stories and connect with others led Ingram to establish her consulting company, Calibrated Lens, in 2019 to help organizations enhance productivity, performance, and brand presence. Since then, she has led transformational initiatives for major financial, real estate, corporate, and nonprofit institutions and also launched an exciting product that integrates coins and culture, which she will further explore in her NumismaTalk webinar on March 12.

Sydney Stewart: How does numismatics connect to your consulting firm? 

Jen Ingram: Numismatics is a natural extension of the mission behind my company—to expand perspectives, elevate overlooked stories, and inspire people to see value through a more inclusive lens. Numismatics Noir™ is one of our flagship initiatives, created to highlight the rich yet underrecognized presence of black/African American history on U.S. currency.

Through this initiative, we created the Numismatics Noir™ Coin Card Deck—a collection of more than 30 coins produced between 1946 and 2025 that feature African American people and honor their contributions and experiences. The deck serves as both an educational resource and a conversation piece, allowing people to hold history in their hands in a fresh, accessible way.

SS: What inspired you to launch Numismatics Noir?

JI: I was inspired by the same spirit that drove the telling of the movie Hidden Figures—the recognition that there are incredible stories of African American brilliance, perseverance, and contribution that exist but too often remain unseen. Just as the film revealed the hidden impact of African American women in shaping America’s space program, Numismatics Noir reveals the overlooked presence of black/African American history and culture etched into our nation’s currency.

SS: What have you learned from creating the card deck?

JI: My career has always centered on research, storytelling, and creating platforms for overlooked narratives, and that foundation directly shaped my growth in numismatics. The skills I developed—digging deep into archives, connecting patterns across history, and translating complex information into accessible stories—were the same ones I brought into coin collecting.

SS: What is the most challenging part of your work, and what do you love most about it?

JI: The most challenging aspect of my job is making space for stories that have been overlooked for so long and ensuring they’re shared in a way that feels both accurate and accessible. It can be difficult navigating a field like numismatics, which is traditionally seen as niche or exclusive, and breaking down those barriers so that new audiences—especially young people and underrepresented communities—feel like they belong in this space. There’s also the challenge of raising awareness: these coins exist, but bringing them into the light requires constant education, creativity, and persistence.

The most rewarding aspect, without question, is seeing people’s eyes light up when they discover something they never knew existed. Whether it’s a student realizing that black/African American history is literally minted into U.S. money or a collector finding deeper meaning in their hobby, those moments of connection make all the effort worthwhile.

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A version of this article appears in the January 2026 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).