After a tradesman career in wallpaper hanging, Patrick (“Pat”) McBride became a living history reenactor portraying Benjamin Franklin in 2019.
Pat has always had an interest in history as a long-time coin collector, but becoming Franklin was inspired by a suggestion from his good friend and 25-year reenactor, Dennis Boggs (who portrays Abraham Lincoln): “You know, Pat, you would make a wonderful Ben Franklin. You certainly have the personality for it!” Pat was already portly and balding, so he took the next economical step by letting his hair grow and purchasing a tri-corner hat.
He quickly immersed himself in the 18th century by reading everything about Benjamin Franklin he could get his hands on. After a few years of reenacting, he’s accumulated a wardrobe of colonial clothing from various vendors.
His appearances include regional and national coin shows, history centers, colonial fairs, club gatherings, and social events. He is based in Pennsylvania but is available to travel and has performed in various states.
Pat McBride has collected U.S. Coins since 1962. He joined the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN) in 1984 and is currently the association secretary. As PAN Life Member #18, he has presented his Rare Coin Basics talk at PAN Spring and Fall coin shows for the last five years. Pat was among those at the forefront to keep Pennsylvania a numismatic sales tax-free state. He has won various PAN achievement awards including the PAN Frank Gasparro Award. McBride is most recognized for his tireless efforts in organizing PAN’s Spring and Fall coin shows. He publishes the award-winning PANeNEWS electronic newsletter. He is the PAN social media voice including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. McBride is the PAN website administrator at www.pancoins.org.
McBride is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society, one of the oldest numismatic societies in the country. He created a beautiful non-competitive exhibit of the society’s history to commemorate the society’s 100-year anniversary as an ANA club.
The 1715 Fleet Society is honored to have Pat as a member. On a side note, Pat is a candidate running for one of the vacant Governorships of the American Numismatic Association. More about this will be published at a later time.
More about Pat McBride as Ben Franklin can be found here.
