Retiree completes coin collection

Hobo · 01-11-2009, 10:32 PM

It must have been a slow news day in Searcy, Arkansas.

Retiree completes coin collection

Quote:

When Therlow Abbott's daughter, Diane Garrison, was given change after a purchase Dec. 31, one of the coins caught her attention. Soon she gave it to her father, and he was overjoyed.

Abbott had finally obtained the last of 50 commemorative quarters he had been collecting over the last nine years, each minted in honor of one of the United States of America.

“It made me feel good because it completed my collection,” Abbott said.

. . .

Collecting coins is not something Abbott would ordinarily have done, he said.

“I'm not a collector,” Abbott said. “I just happen to have this gadget I got for a Christmas present and I just stayed with it until I got it finished. I wanted to see if I could do that and I made it.”

. . .

Abbott feels the quarters, with a face value of $12.50 and a value to collectors of more, have a sentimental value for him.

“They're probably worth some money, but I'm not sure how much,” Abbott said, saying he wouldn't sell his collection.

This guy would be very disappointed if he tried to sell his collection. Get a load of how he places his coins in his board:

Quote:

The last quarter he got was, appropriately enough, in honor of Hawaii, the last state to join the union. The order of issuance from the mint compared to the order the states entered the union.

“I was just proud enough to get it and I got the glue and glued it to it, then came to the newspaper office,” Abbott said.

GLUE?!?!?!

sketcherpbr · 01-11-2009, 10:36 PM

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh well, as long as he's happy with it, that's all that counts right????? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

davidh · 01-11-2009, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sketcherpbr

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh well, as long as he's happy with it, that's all that counts right????? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

So now we know that depending on who you talk to, collecting State Quarters

1. is a way to break newcomers into the hobby
2. is a waste of time if not done "correctly"
3. is a source of derision towards those who didn't know any better

Come on - give the guy a break! He's battling a couple of deadly diseases but his hobby has given him a diversion and pleasure at least for the past ten years. I hope the continuation of the series with the territories and national parks gives him continuing pleasure.

"There, but for the grace of God, go I"

desertgem · 01-11-2009, 10:46 PM

Hats off to him. A true collector like many of us were at first. He is happy with his coins and isn't worried at all about his investment. There are many rol searchers here, except they probably don't use glue.

No problems with inheritance tax, loss of value from cleaning or coin damage, no long hours watching ebay for that last coin, no need for bank box or home security system and safe......

Probably sitting at home with the dog at his feet, watching the Wheel of Fortune, and not typing on the internet.

Jim

Hobo · 01-11-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidh

So now we know that depending on who you talk to, collecting State Quarters

1. is a way to break newcomers into the hobby
2. is a waste of time if not done "correctly"
3. is a source of derision towards those who didn't know any better

Come on - give the guy a break!

Sorry, I wasn't mocking the guy. I was simply pointing out how some non-collectors unknowingly damage the coins that they have collected.

AdamL · 01-11-2009, 10:54 PM

Rofl

bqcoins · 01-11-2009, 10:59 PM

You know, I still have my very first "coin collection" that I completed when I was in scouting. I was 6 or 7. A cent from each year from as far back as I could find in my parents piggy bank (1959) to 1982 was glued to a piece of red felt that my mother secured in a shirtbox covered in aluminum foil, for a professional look. I even scrubbed those cents with tarnex to get them nice and shiny for my scouting meeting. Yeah, I've come along way since starting as a hoarder with absolutely no knowledge what so ever. But I enjoyed it along the way. As long as this guy enjoys it too, who are we to rip on him.

coleguy · 01-11-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

He's battling a couple of deadly diseases but his hobby has given him a diversion and pleasure at least for the past ten years. I hope the continuation of the series with the territories and national parks gives him continuing pleasure.

Agreed. It wasn't so much about him completing a set of coins as much as it was about a man finding pleasure in the little things amidst all the things bad in life, like fighting for his life. It was a nice article.
Guy~

Nickeldude · 01-11-2009, 11:08 PM

hahahahahahahahaha thats the funniest thing I've heard all day. Oh well at least he is happy with them.

Collect89 · 01-11-2009, 11:11 PM

I have that same coin board map. It's not easy to press the quarters into those holes. I took me all of 10 years to fill it.

Very best regards,
collect89

CamaroDMD · 01-11-2009, 11:42 PM

The fact that he's gluing them in doesn't bother me. He put together the collection from circulation and probably put them into one of those folders. Even if he hadn't glued them...you have to give them a good push to get them in those folders so they'd be fingerprinted if they weren't already. The way I look at it, these were circulated statehood quarters and therefore aren't worth more than 25 cents...with or without glue. He'd probably be a little disappointed to learn it's worth exactly $12.50 and not a cent more...but he had fun putting it together and that's the true purpose for this hobby; be a serious collector or not.

mark_h · 01-12-2009, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroDMD

The fact that he's gluing them in doesn't bother me. He put together the collection from circulation and probably put them into one of those folders. Even if he hadn't glued them...you have to give them a good push to get them in those folders so they'd be fingerprinted if they weren't already. The way I look at it, these were circulated statehood quarters and therefore aren't worth more than 25 cents...with or without glue. He'd probably be a little disappointed to learn it's worth exactly $12.50 and not a cent more...but he had fun putting it together and that's the true purpose for this hobby; be a serious collector or not.

Here! Here! To me this hobby is about enjoying.

AdamL · 01-12-2009, 02:02 AM

Well said guys. I'm happy for the guy if its giving him pleasure. My dad has a small hoard of common date circulated Mercs that are only worth melt. But that hoard was assembled by my grandfather searching rolls when he got terminally ill in the 70's. It is all about enjoyment. But as a coin collector, I couldn't help but chuckle at the article, even if they were only worth 25 cents anyway

rohumpy · 01-12-2009, 06:37 AM

Hurray for the guy. Collecting the coins probably gave him at least one reason to get out of bed each morning. Someone needs to give him a board for the territories and national parks issues.

Shame on all who made disparaging remarks.

6StepStucky · 01-12-2009, 11:05 AM

I doubt if he would be able to find anywhere for $12.50 the same results he got for the amount of time it took him to complete the series. Doctors, I think not; hospitals yet another no. Now all he needs is a frame so he can display it and continue to have those happy moments which to me are priceless.

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