Our former member Ken Dorney has asked me to convey the following sad message: "One of our own, James Pickering, has passed away. James was a wonderful individual, one of those people who was truly a hero, a WWII hero, and champion of coin collecting. He was one of those individuals that was truly a pleasure to know. I know, its difficult to understand if one never spoke to him, but if you did you would instantly love the guy. As such I am not certain how I can convey how incredibly this person was to our hobby. I could go on, detailing his love of British and Roman connections, but I just cant. I am having difficulty, I miss him so very much." Here is a link to his obituary that Ken sent me: https://adairfuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/261934/James-Pickering/obituary.html#tribute-start "James Pickering, 92, of Tucson, Arizona passed away peacefully on March 30, 2022. He was born in Burnley, England on August 28, 1929. At age 20, he moved to the United States, where he proudly served our country for 23 years in the Air Force. James retired at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant and fondly remembered his service as one of the greatest hallmarks of his life. James went on to work in the aerospace industry for Learjet and AlliedSignal (Honeywell), where he met his loving and devoted wife of 33 years, Beverly. A great historian and avid storyteller, James enjoyed having long conversations with his many friends. He was grateful for his long and full retirement, which allowed him to pursue his numerous lifelong passions. He was a sought-after expert in cacti and enjoyed growing them and sharing his knowledge of them for 72 years. He loved history, the Old West, and collecting antique firearms and ancient coins, among many other hobbies. James was one of the original members of the Historical Arms Society of Tucson. He was a superb calligrapher, and his beautiful writing graced the hundreds of love letters he wrote to Beverly during their marriage. He generously shared his gifts and talents with those around him. James is survived by two daughters, Mary Ann (Peter) Christensen and Kathleen Diane (Jeff) Krauscher from his first marriage to Cass Middleton; Beverly's children David Allan (Vicki) Sturms and Sandra Lynn Rapoport; grandchildren Maren (Cody) Bell, Anna Christensen, Ryan Krauscher (mother Kathleen Krauscher), Brody, Jessica and Stephen Sturms (father David Sturms), Brian (Deborah) Rapoport, Jenna (Brian) Abbey (mother Sandra Rapoport); and great-grandchildren Jensen, Ryker, Anders, Oscar and Bodin Bell (mother Maren Bell) and Hayden and Ellia Abbey (mother Jenna Abbey). James will be greatly missed by many, but his sense of humor, love, service to others and booming voice will live on in our hearts forever. He will receive military honors during his funeral service at high noon on Friday, April 15 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 15950 N. Luckett Road, Marana, Arizona, 85653. A visit to the gravesite will follow. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Pickering, please visit Tribute Store." I was very sorry to hear this sad news. I remember asking not long ago if anyone had been in touch with @Jamesicus and knew if he was OK, as he hadn't been here since last July. So I was afraid that something like this had happened. May he rest in peace.
Sorry to hear he passed away, condoleances to his family. I enjoyed his posts here, especially about his passion for the letters on Julio-Claudio bronzes. May he rest in peace.
I have sent him a thought several days, hoping we would see him with those Flavian and Julio-Claudian bronzes that he found joy in. Sorry to hear he is gone, and condoleances to those that were close to him. A coin for James, then.
This is very sad news. Jamesicus' humor and numismatic knowledge will be sorely missed. He used to mention his age and deteriorating health now and then on this board, and I always admired his witty dignity in dealing with this situation. My condolences to his family and friends. They lost a wonderful person.
Sorry to hear this news. James was knowledgeable, kind, and generous. He was an expert on the London mint. Here is a coin he gave me when he was refining his collection.
Though we never met, I can appreciate his presence through the words of others. Condolences to his family and may he Rest in Eternal Peace.
Very sad to hear, in my limited exchanges with him he was a gentleman, and reading his post about my own collecting area were always informative.
Sorry to hear that, condolences to the family. I enjoyed his posts and the attitude to life conveyed in them. ATB, Aidan.
I am so sorry to hear of his passing. I hope it is some consolation to his family to know how much he meant both to the community here at CT and to the numismatic community at large. I can only hope to have such a long and meaningful life.
Very sad news. I had a few lively debates with him about British coins. I'll repost a coin in my collection that came from his. I only posted it last month. Agrippa As issued by Caligula, 37-41, with Claudius Countermark, 41-54 Head of Agrippa, M AGRIPPA L F COS III. Neptune standing left holding dolphin and trident, S C; TIAV countermark for use in Britain (BMCRE, Vol I, Tiberius, No. 168 (RIC, Vol I, No. 58) Plate 26). From Ken Dorney Ex James Pickering. It appears in this interesting post by @jamesicus about British countermarks: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-couple-neat-countermarks.346539/#post-3702719
Thanks for letting us know, Donna, though it's news that's sad to receive. James was a great guy - knowledgeable yet humble, passionate about his hobbies, and always kind with his words. I am remembering with a chuckle when he puckishly teased us in a post on his 91st birthday that his wife had bought him a Ferrari, and I'll always have a picture in my mind of him carrying around a clutch of his favorite coins in his shoulder-strapped "man purse". Here's to James... two coins from his collection that I'm honored to now be taking care of... CARAUSIUS AE Antoninianus. 3.65g, 22.9mm. "C" mint (Camulodunum/Clausentum), circa AD 286-293. RIC V 335. O: IMP C CARAVSIVS P AVG; Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right. R: PAX AVGGG, Pax standing left, holding branch and scepter; S-P across fields, C in exergue. Ex James Pickering Collection COMMODUS AE Sestertius. 21.49g, 30.6mm. Rome mint, AD 185-6. British victory issue. RIC 452; BMCRE 560. O: M COMMODVS ANTON AVG PIVS BRIT, laureate head right. R: P M TR P X IMP VII COS IIII P P, S-C; Victory seated right on pile of arms, holding palm and shield, VICT BRIT in exergue. Ex James Pickering Collection
Will miss you James. Here’s a short description of his collecting history. It’s from @Severus Alexander ’s AMCC 1: « James Pickering (or “jamesicus” as he is fondly known on CoinTalk.com) began collecting and researching Roman coins at the age of sixteen when he was still living in Lancashire and Yorkshire just after World War II. Upon emigrating to the U.S. in 1950, he continued with his hobby, focusing primarily on Julio-Claudian bronzes. Naturally his interests expanded, and in 1985 he started acquiring coins from the Tetrarchy. It didn’t take him long to become fascinated with the London mint issues as well as their Carausian predecessors. By the 1990s he was a known specialist in the area, and later cooperated with Hubert Cloke and Lee Toone in online discussions, helping to trace the evolution of this coinage from the invasion issues of Constantius through to the London mint output under Constantine. Cloke and Toone’s work culminated in their magnificent volume entitled The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine (Spink, 2015). »
I'm so sorry to read that. I will keep in my mind and my heart the Gentleman he was Condolences to his family Q
