Last night at work I found a 2013 s great basin quarter in my cash drawer. Everything I read on this quarter says they weren't put into circulation. How is this possible?
Someone put into circulation. They did not get put into circulation by the mint but that doesn't stop someone else from doing it.
Some kid in a coin collectors home.. "I need some money for snacks.. I wonder if my dad would notice if I take some of his coins?"
As a stupid, lost (partly due to a long lost pill addiction in my teens) and desperate idiot, I remember taking my Father's silver & clad proof sets (mind you, he had a huge numismatic collection) in garbage bags and cracking them out and cashing them in to pay for my habit. Literally, the most ashamed & low point for me - he knew his entire collection by memory down to each coin, so I know he must've known what I was doing, and he didn't stop me. When I grew up, I tried to repay him before he died, and he wouldn't have it. He told me to "pay it forward" and "stay out of trouble" (i.e. no more addition) and that we were good. I've never met a more honest, level-headed, and loving man in my life. Now, I have almost replaced most of the sets that I stole from him (some of the early '40's silver proof sets are pricey). My penance, I suppose.
Way to go. I was an idiot at 13. I knew my mother had a Peace Silver dollar in her purse and I wanted to get something at the store. We lived about 5 miles from downtown, so I had to bike it to the store. I got what I wanted from the store and spent it all. When I walked into the the house, my mother was there as well as the store clerk (actually the manager) was there with my mother. He had returned the coin to her. She took my bag of goodies and I was going to have to work at the store to pay for my goodies (candy). It turned out that I had to work at the store for a week. The minimum pay in 1959 was about 50 cents an hour. I wasn't too swift on high finance then, but I was paid $3 which should have been 6 hours, yet I ended up working 24 hours. When I got home, my mother gave me my goodies. I could hardly look at them, so I gave them to my 2 sisters and 1 brother. I have strived to be as honest as I could be. The store manager and I became good friends. He did when I was in military training at Ft Dix, New Jersey. The Army, as hard as they are, gave me emergency leave to go to his funeral. Don't tell me stealing doesn't it pay... at least it paid for me.
Congrats on turning it around, AmishJedi. Your dad had the right idea: "make amends" is all about amending - changing. Sounds like you did, and you're honoring the memory of a good man.
Thanks, brother. I've tried to do right, honor our family name (passing along his pearls of wisdom down to my boys), and stay clean. So far, so good - it's been 32 years. I miss him every single day. Cancer is evil on Earth. Stay safe!
welcome to CT Chad Thompson and great find. keep up the good hunt like we all do. good luck pat yourself on the back AmishJedi and when you feel the pat, thats your dad brother. that was a true confession of what addicts do to feed their addiction. from reading your tale i can tell you hated yourself when you were taking your dads coins, you hated yourself when you spent your dads coins. the only way you will stop hating yourself is to exactly what your dad said to do "pay it forward" you will find peace when you do just that. good luck brother.
Thanks, Mike. Appreciate it. He used to always tell us kids when we were little "If you fall down seven times, stand up eight." I finally can forgive myself, but I'll never forget the shame. It has been a great lesson for my own boys, and so far (knock on wood) they haven't made my same mistakes. Peace to you, brother.
Your father was a special person. I did Social Work in that field and have seen other parents do the same. He was, in effect, giving it to you so you wouldn't go stealing from others, get caught doing so, and going to prison. (Hope you didn't go that route later). You were blessed to have him as your father.
Indeed. He worked his whole adult life as a steel worker - never made a ton of money, but spent most of it on us and my Mom. So I know he had to save up to buy his coins - he didn't have any extra income like I have been blessed with. And no, thankfully I never was arrested - not that I wouldn't have deserved it. Your perspective on why he would've "let" me take his coins is spot on - sparing myself and others. Makes perfect sense - the things we do for our children.
Good for you. It's not easy beating any addiction so kudos to you. Speaking of cancer, I'm on my 3rd year of being 'clean' from that evil crap. Is that what took your father?
He smoked from age 13 to 60 (Camels). At age 60 or so, I remember him throwing up blood (seemed like pints) all over my Mom's new beige carpet, and going to the hospital. Funny thing is, the doctor told us the blood wasn't from his lungs (not yet, anyways) but a busted blood vessel in his nose. He winked and said "I'll leave it to you to tell him the truth." Pop thought it was his lungs, and we didn't tell him any different because he needed to quit. Trying to tell a stubborn, Irish-American steelworker to do something is like, well...impossible. My Mom took 3 cartons of their brand new cigarettes (we didn't have a lot of money growing up) and threw them away. Neither of them smoked after that day. She, would later die of the same type of lung cancer he did - that's why I don't smoke and my kids don't smoke. He quit at age 60 and didn't get the combined small cell carcinoma (late Stage III when he finally went for help) until age 79. He refused any treatment and died at home w/Hospice care at age 81 - a full life, but cut short. I watched a mountain of a man get reduced to 124 pounds. Never again - that's why I harp on my kids to stay clean and not to smoke. Keep up the fight, brother! Glad to hear you are in remission...as they say: "You had cancer, but cancer never had you." Keep kicking its a$$!
