Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;physics-fan3.14, post: 2509578, member: 19165&quot;]My grandpa was a collector, back in the 60&#039;s - 80&#039;s. He sold off most of his collection, but he saved just enough to jumpstart the imagination of a young child back in the early 90&#039;s. </p><p><br /></p><p>My very first coin was a 1986 Statue of Liberty Proof Dollar, which he gave to me on my 1st birthday. Growing up, I stared at that coin in wonder. How reflective it was! And how beautiful were those cameos (of course, I had no idea that&#039;s what they were called). From a very early age, I can remember my mom telling me how special that coin was, and that I could look at it but not touch it. </p><p><br /></p><p>For my 10th Christmas, Grandpa gave me my first RedBook (I still have that, too). There was a bundle of Whitman Thumb-busters, with just a few coins in their slots (a few silver Washingtons, a couple of Kennedys, and a half dozen Ikes). This was a fortune! The untold riches which had befallen me were more than I could imagine. I spent hours upon countless hours pouring over that RedBook, absorbing as much as I could. I imagined seeing, holding, and owning all of the intriguing coins I read about, figuring out which designs interested me most, and which coins were the most valuable. I scoured my pocket change, trying to find a rare or valuable coin - and filling in all of those folders he had given me. </p><p><br /></p><p>Over time, my tastes have matured as a collector. But the joy of those early years stays with me - all due to the encouragement of my grandpa. When I published my book, one of the most special moments was being able to give him a copy, and seeing the pride in his eyes as he read the first few pages. </p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, my grandpa died tonight. Last week, they found a blood clot in his neck that left him paralyzed from the neck down. They performed surgery to remove it, but he wasn&#039;t able to recover. He will be missed! </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a picture of me (much, much younger), and my brothers, with my grandpa:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk68/physicsfan/various/14224691_10206654268746514_6898815548933927539_n_zps1zfag6sk.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>And here is that Liberty dollar that he gave me: </p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk68/physicsfan/various/JPA1%20obverse_zpsacjsdgxw.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><img src="http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk68/physicsfan/various/JPA1%20reverse_zps1hc9hti3.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in