The Coin Before the Storm

Thanks to everyone who has sent private messages expressing concern over my absence. I feel loved

Things are not good but hour by hour progress is being made. I live in the US Virgin Islands. Hurricane Irma laid waste to the island with 185 mph sustained winds gusting to 225 mph. Unless you have a concrete monolithic dome all bets are off for supposed "hurricane-rated construction". My home sustained modest but not fatal structural damage in Irma and had a substantial amount of water intrusion. I'd gotten most of the waterlogged stuff out when hurricane Maria arose seemingly out of the blue. I fled two days before Maria and wasn't able to get back for two weeks.

The islands were already crippled by Irma-- widespread structural damage (including the hospital, which was evacuated and which remains minimally functional)-- I don't think we could have stood a minor tropical storm. Maria was also a Catagory 5 when she struck. It was horrible. Her eye traversed St. Croix, the one US Virgin Island which was relatively spared by Irma. St. Thomas and St. John also had hurricane-force winds but worst of all was the torrents of rain and flooding. Lowlands were submerged. Mudslides, rockslides, and landslides made some roads impassable. A mudslide at the beginning of my dead-end street caused a muddy river to churn towards and into my condo.

When I returned two weeks later there was still a pool of water in the master bedroom. I lost at least half of my possessions, maybe more. Mold is of course everywhere. I'm going through things as fast as I can and that isn't very fast and I have to wear a very cumbersome respirator (all that mold!!) and rain boots. Hot hot hot. It's like an oven in there-- a steam oven. Not fun at all. I'm also working, although only a few days a week.

Most of the island (I'm on St. Thomas) is without electricity. Some people have generators but few have the type which can withstand running weeks/months on end, and getting fuel is tough. I don't have a generator but one is on the way. It might be here in a month. I hope I can get a couple of 100 lb propane tanks delivered by then.

My home isn't habitable but I'm optimistic that it can be made livable again. I've been sleeping at the office which thankfully has a robust generator. Ahhh, air conditioning! Running water!! A refrigerator! I needed to move out of the office though but there isn't much to choose from. Everything is damaged, nothing has power or water. I'm renting an apartment below the house of someone I know. They run a small generator for a few hours in the morning and in the evening so during those hours the pump runs the cistern. The water isn't drinkable, probably iffy for bathing, but it's something. I'm getting pretty tired of granola bars and crackers.

Oh, right. This is a coin forum. I do have a coin to show

As Irma approached I was awaiting a wonderful provincial of Julia Domna. It was a nail-biter. Tracking showed it was on island the day before Irma, but most businesses were closed in preparation. Our office was open until noon-ish and that was pushing it. It was coming by FedEx and usually they deliver late in the afternoon. If it wasn't delivered it might be lost in the hurricane. Actually, most of the post offices were destroyed so that was a legitimate concern!

FedEx delivered it in the late morning! I forgot all about it until a few days ago because I had a few other things on my mind. I'd stuck it in my work bag. Obviously I'm unable to shoot my usual images at the moment, so here's an edited version of the auction picture:


CILICIA, Seleucia ad Calycadnum. Julia Domna
AE 22 mm, 7.3 gm
Obv: IOVΛIA ΔOM CЄBACT; draped bust right
Rev: CЄΛЄVKЄΩN KΛAVKA; Europa, holding billowing veil, riding bull right being guided by a flying Eros; below, Triton with crab headdress, holding rudder and dolphin
Ref: SNG BN 984; SNG Levante 742
Ex Dr. P. Vogl collection; ex Bankhaus Aufhäuser (sold 18.09.1992, with dealer's ticket)

My coin books are all packed up (I think most of them survived the storms, yay!) so I haven't checked references. I love this little coin. What an exuberant reverse! Europa, bull, Triton with a dolphin...

All of my coins made it through the storms .

Feel free to pile on whatever you'd like. I can't access CoinTalk regularly at this time-- cell signal is spotty at the place I'm staying and I only have internet access at the office. I'll check in when I can though.

 

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Glad to hear your ok TIF sorry about all of the destruction that has happened to you I hope everything works out ok, at least you and your family are safe. Oh and of course nice coin.

Thanks,
Jacob

 

Thanks for staying in touch @TIF. I am sorry to hear that you are going through all of this hardship. I hope things get better soon.

 

I don't expect to have power at my home before sometime next year, although sometimes miracles do happen

 

Best to you @TIF ! I am so glad you are safe, unhurt, and are moving forward. What a tragedy.

Gorgeous coin, and I am so glad it was delivered. Nice to have little momentos of happiness among all the hardship.

 

Wow what a story! Glad you, your coin s, and references are OK as well as your residence. Wonderful new coin and I'm glad it got to you safely.

 

It's good to hear from you @TIF. I'm glad you're doing okay.

 

I think it's fair to say that anyone who has not survived a category 5 hurricane (which includes nearly all of us CoinTalkers, I suspect) cannot fully appreciate the HELL you are going through @TIF . I hope things begin to improve more quickly for you, and I hope this forum and some coining will give you a bit of mental respite from digging-out and drying-out.

 

Nice to "hear your voice" through the storm !

Q

 

Atleast you're ok, things can be replaced eventually. Sad to hear how bad things are there though.
On the plus side that's a great coin

 

To get some idea of the incredible power of Irma, watch this time-lapse video shot at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, 15 miles from my place. You can see when the eye passes (calm). The back side eye wall was even more intense than the leading eye wall. The camera died soon after the back side eye wall hit.

 

CT isn't the same without you TIF. I hope things return to reasonably normal for you very soon and you're sharing your lovely coins with us.

BTW, that is very beautiful 'hurricane' coin. I'm sure you will always remember the story behind it!

 

Glad you are safe and hope you recover your home soon.

 

Wonderful to have you back, even if it's part time.

Any chance you can use portable solar power until the grid is functioning again?

 

Good to have you back @TIF, releived your OK. A great little coin to sustain you, glad it made it through.

 

Glad to hear you are okay @TIF ! Beautiful coin

 

Wow! What an ordeal!!!

It's really good to hear from you! I'm glad you and your coins are okay and you have a plan in place to move forward. I hope the island recovers quickly and fully. I know that's asking a lot.

 

Good to hear you are ok @TIF Hope everything turns out ok quickly.

And where do you find these Domna coins that I never knew about? lol Really nice.

 

Glad to hear you're safe Tif. I've been through two floods in upstate NY so I have a little bit of an idea of what you're going through. Hang in there. It's a blessing that you have friends in the area you're residing at.......you're in my family's thoughts and prayers this evening.

 

Wow, some people make up the craziest excuses to get off work.