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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;The Penny Lady®, post: 2444910, member: 16948&quot;]Last month I wrote an article for the Fly-In Club’s Longacre’s Ledger to honor Alan and, if you don’t mind, I thought I’d share it here:</p><p><br /></p><p>**********************************************************</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/Alan_zpsrr7oc4ea.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My Mentor</p><p><br /></p><p>Several years ago, I published the story of how I got my start in numismatics in the Longacre’s Ledger.&nbsp; For those of you who may have read it, you may recall that I didn’t become involved in numismatics until I was an adult when I inherited coins from an aunt.&nbsp; Not knowing anything about coins and not wanting to get “duped,” I decided I needed to learn all I could before selling them.&nbsp; Having a full time job and a family, I didn’t have a lot of extra time to learn about all the different types of coins I’d inherited, so I decided to start with one series, the Indian cent, and learn it really well.&nbsp; That meant, studying, reading books, viewing grading videos, attending shows, examining lots of coins, and most of all, speaking with knowledgeable people.</p><p><br /></p><p>Being from Southern California, I decided to go to the Long Beach show where I approached and spoke with several kind and friendly dealers, but out of all the ones I met, Alan Kreuzer of Castro Valley, California, was the one who took the time to talk with me, answer all my questions, and teach me about Indian cents.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sadly, my friend and mentor, Alan Kreuzer, passed away a few weeks ago, and I will miss him greatly.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have had many mentors throughout my numismatic road but Alan had the largest impact on me.&nbsp; Alan taught me the basics of grading and how to look for good quality Indian cents.&nbsp; I also bought various grades of mint state common date Indian cents from him so I could learn to define the grade levels for myself.&nbsp; In the coming months, Alan continued to teach me about detecting hairlines, submitting coins to a grading service, particular supplies I would need, the important key dates, and what I feel was the hardest thing to learn, differentiating between artificial and original toned coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to teaching me all the nuances about Indian cents and copper coins in general, Alan also taught me how to be a coin dealer by letting me work at his table, learn how to deal with customers, and watch how he conducted business.&nbsp; But to me, one of the more significant things I learned from Alan was the importance of socializing and spending time with my fellow coin dealer friends.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the end of a long day on the bourse floor, Alan would bring me to his wine-tasting dinners and introduce me to all his friends, many of whom have become my good friends as well.&nbsp; It was at these dinners where I would listen and learn not just about coins, but also about the “inner workings” of the coin industry, who was who, big deals that were in the making, and funny stories about other dealers, you know, all the inside “gossip.”&nbsp; This was invaluable information, and I soaked it all in.&nbsp; Now when travelling to coin shows, in addition to buying and selling coins, thanks to Alan’s example, I especially look forward to spending time with my numismatic friends and nurturing those relationships.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to Alan, I have learned that, as a dealer or a collector, the bonds we create with other like-minded folks is what helps keep our numismatic passions invigorated, helps us stay in tune with the market, helps us learn about new varieties of coins, helps us find that one coin we’ve been hunting for, and then gives us an audience with whom to share these new finds.&nbsp; And being part of coin clubs, whether local or regional, isn’t just about promoting knowledge, it’s about promoting comradery.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I strongly urge each of you, if you aren’t already, get involved in coin clubs, attend meetings, share your knowledge and interests, write articles about your collections or new finds, take the time to answer the questions of a curious new collector, and be like Alan, BE A MENTOR.&nbsp; You never know, you too could have a life-long impact on a new budding numismatist!</p><p><br /></p><p>**********************************************************</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Friday was also busy in the morning.&nbsp; Throughout the day, a few forum members stopped by.&nbsp; This is Winston/Stone</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5729_zpsa4hzjboo.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bob/Watersports</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5730_zpswax4gxml.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>That afternoon, I opened a bottle of Callaway and shared it with several of my dealer friends, it didn’t last long!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5739_zpso5bpngv5.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>As I posted in a separate thread, there was some commotion on Friday at the show.&nbsp; My friend, Karl Stephens, discovered that a fellow dealer’s coins that were stolen a couple weeks ago in San Bernardino were being offered to the dealer next to his table.&nbsp; He asked his neighbor dealer to stall the thieves, but the thieves caught on and simply walked away, leaving the stolen coins on the dealer’s table and headed for the door.&nbsp; Karl took after them and yelled to the security guards to detain the thieves, which they did.&nbsp; However, one of the thieves decided to try and bolt for the door and, as you will see in this video, he was quickly tacked to the ground by one of the security guards.&nbsp; The takedown was caught on video by someone at the Stacks Bowers table.&nbsp; The guy in the flowered shirt is my friend Karl.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/Long%20Beach%20Theft_zpsvsbqim0l.mp4" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/Long%20Beach%20Theft_zpsvsbqim0l.mp4" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/th_Long%20Beach%20Theft_zpsvsbqim0l.mp4" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On Friday, we just went across the street to PF Changs for dinner.&nbsp; My dealer friend Joe brought a bottle of wine to share.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5755_zps5fhfdivk.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5742_zpsxajcb8nf.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5743_zpsxgh3hpxe.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I can’t go to PF Changs without having their wonderful pot stickers!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5744_zpsjvptcue2.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>There are lots of restaurants around the convention center and the harbor so there is lots of activity on Friday night, and it’s very much a fun party atmosphere.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5759_zps8oh6nwbb.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5756_zpswqtcmaqz.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5761_zpsqmpbj7pj.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Saturday morning when I arrived at the parking structure, there were several police vehicles and a tow truck blocking the main entrance.&nbsp; I found out later that the police had been looking for the thieves’ vehicle and discovered it in the parking lot.&nbsp; They already had the key to the vehicle and when they opened the trunk, they found the rest of the stolen coins!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5763_zpsuwyfot1r.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>When I got to my table on Saturday morning, I quickly went to work getting my submissions ready for PCGS and taking care of some other business.&nbsp; When I went to submit my coins, the PCGS table was swamped!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5767_zps0lztl6wu.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Collectors.com is another great resource to find coins you may be looking for.&nbsp; Many dealers’ websites, including mine, automatically “push” the inventory on their website to collectors.com so people can search one website for a massive variety of coins.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5769_zpsku7wf86v.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I noticed this guy with a beautiful parrot and just had to check him out!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5773_zps137u1los.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5805_zpsfpe3oewx.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, once again, it was time to pack up and head home.&nbsp; I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the show and seeing all my friends again.&nbsp; And again, thank you everyone who stopped by my table to inquire about my hubby and to wish him well.&nbsp; Everyone has been so kind, we really appreciate it, even Penny!</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq139/thepennylady/2016%2006%20Long%20Beach/IMG_5671_zpszcffk3em.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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