Featured Numismatic Heirlooms- A tribute to my great grandfather (Cool Pictures)

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by kazuma78, Sep 24, 2019.

  1. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    My great grandfather, Leroy Zachman, was the first coin collector in my family that I know of, and so I must get my numismatic genes from him. He was born in 1884 and started working for a bank in Marion, Ohio in 1909. At the time he started working there, it was the called "The City National Bank of Marion Ohio", which had a national charter number of 5650. When starting at the bank, they must have had the most recent issue of national currency around, as I have the Serial #1 note from Charter #5650 with his signature on it. An interesting note on his signature, it is more crisp, careful and clearly defined on this note, than issues in later years- maybe due to his wanting to be neat- a good impression in his first year there.
    MArion National Serial 1.jpg MArion Ohio National back.jpg


    Around the same time he began working there, he also started saving coins which had been freshly minted. I believe this is when he first began in numismatics. He saved several rolls of freshly minted 1909 V.D.B. Lincoln cents which were from the Philadelphia mint, being the closest mint to Ohio. The coin slabbed and pictured is one of those coins. Also, I gifted one of these coins to @lordmarcovan , who I promised to do this write up for.
    DSC_0772_1.jpg
    DSC_0773.JPG


    The next numismatic evidence of his collecting which I have, comes from 1913. Like in 1909 when he saved some of the first issue of Lincoln cents, he also saved some rolls of freshly minted 1913 buffalo nickels. I have some of these which he originally saved as well, of which the example below is one.

    1913ms67f.jpg 1913ms67r.jpg

    After 1913, the next scrap of information I have about his numismatic interests comes from some more national currency from the bank, after the bank went through some changes and changed name and charter number. The new name of the bank was "The National City Bank and Trust Company of Marion Ohio" Charter #11831. Pictured below are some notes from the new national currency issue from that bank with his signature on them, including a couple Serial #1 Notes and an uncut sheet of currency.
    5national1f.png 5national1B.jpg 10national1F.jpg 10national1B.jpg
     
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  3. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    1307551_o001-2.jpg 1307551_r001-2.jpg

    After this large sized currency came the next issue of national currency, this time small sized. Before these small sized pieces came about, I believe all of the notes were hand signed. With the new small sized pieces, I believe the signatures were all copies, which were printed directly on the notes at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Below are the serial #1's with his signature on them.

    small sized1s.jpg

    Apparently he didn't save any rolls of the new issue pieces in silver. Or if he did, I have no record of it or pieces from it. To include any of the new issues in 1916, 1921, 1932, etc. The next evidence of coins that he saved from the bank that were new issue were 1938. He saved some rolls of 1938-D buffalo nickels. The coin below came from one of those rolls.

    38obv.jpg 38rev.jpg

    He must have bought some other pieces along the way and had an avid interest in numismatics through the years. I have some old catalogs from B. Max Mehl which he must have saved from the 1930's and 1940's. As an interesting follow up piece, I also have a newspaper article from 1964 about coin collectors in the Marion, Ohio area in which a bit is written about him and he is quoted on some of the information I posted above. He specifically mentions starting at the bank in 1909 and also in keeping some of the currency I have photos of, including the uncut sheet and also the serial #1 notes.
    20190924_190842.jpg 20190924_190929.jpg 20190924_191135.jpg
    I was never fortunate enough to get to meet him. From family accounts he not only loved to collect, but also loved to share numismatics with others and the history that went along with the coins and currency. In the 1950's and 1960's he also helped one of his daughters assemble a collection of coins of her own. After falling on some hard times during the great depression, I think he enjoyed living vicariously through the purchases he helped her make for her collection. He passed away in 1974 but I believe he continued to collect up until the final years of his life. I hope that as I develop my own collection and numismatic interests, he can look down and be proud that I inherited his numismatic genes.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2019
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  4. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    Some additional information I gathered about Charter #11831:

    The National City Bank and Trust Company of Marion, Ohio issued national currency between 1920 and 1935. During its life, it issued $2,153,850 worth of national currency in 9 different types and denominations.


    I am always on the look out for notes with his signature on them and have bought many over the last 15 years or so.

    I hope that anyone who reads this finds it interesting and enjoys the history.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2019
  5. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    Very cool history. I'll definitely be following along.

    Thanks for taking the time to compile some of your family history.
     
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  6. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    Question for you. It seems all those notes have two different serial #'s. One is top right and the other bottom left. Why? Which one is actually the serial #?
     
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  7. TheFinn

    TheFinn Well-Known Member

    A definite heirloom. I'm glad LordM made you write it up. SN#1s are great. Congratulations. He didn't just work at the bank, he was in management.
     
  8. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    Thank you for sharing this with us.

    Chris
     
  9. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    I understand that one is a government serial number and one is a bank serial number. On large size there are both.
     
  10. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    That is awesome and I'm also glad @lordmarcovan got you to share this with all of us!
     
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  11. Dave Waterstraat

    Dave Waterstraat Well-Known Member

  12. Peter T Davis

    Peter T Davis Hammer at the Ready Moderator

    Thanks for sharing. I love reading stories like this.
     
  13. physics-fan3.14

    physics-fan3.14 You got any more of them.... prooflikes?

    That was a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
     
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  14. Nathan401

    Nathan401 Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

    What a great story!! This is what Numismatics is about, imo. Incredible pieces you have there!
     
  15. Mkman123

    Mkman123 Well-Known Member

    holy cow Kazuma that is neat and interesting to learn about your great grandfather!!!
     
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  16. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Yay, thank you for this writeup, and the pictures. I will borrow some of them, and link to this, when I do my own writeup for that Leroy Zachman 1909-VDB cent you gave me. It will be going off to PCGS soon, but you knew that already. ;)
     
  17. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    You got a @Peter T Davis response! A personal reply from the Great Oz himself! Now that's something.
     
  18. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Side note- I wonder if I printed this out, and some of our private conversation, if PCGS would put his name as a pedigree on the slab label?

    Seems a bit of a longshot, but might be worth a try...
     
  19. messydesk

    messydesk Well-Known Member

    Cool story! Thanks for taking the time to share it.
     
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  20. trussell

    trussell Active Member

    I'm drooling...need a new keyboard!
     
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  21. GoldBug999

    GoldBug999 Well-Known Member

    Fantastic presentation and photos of some truly remarkable coins, notes and the history of your great-grandfather. Thank you very much for sharing all this!!
     
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