Dad's 1875-S US $.20 Coin

My father once gave me an 1875-S 20c piece when I was a kid. The coin, while loose and probably dipped at one point, would have probably have graded VF(35) or EF(40), depending on the day the grader is having. I left it out on the window sill in a manila sleeve to give it some color (long term process--as a teenager I was experimenting), and my mother invited a workman into my room when I was at school. The coin was stolen.

While losing a valuabe coin devastated me, what hurt the most is that I purchased the coin from a legendary Philadelphia based coin dealer who is the wife of another legendary dealer my father bought coins from when he was a kid. This coin once belonged to David, then his wife Cathy, who were a part of my father's life I didn't get to interact with as much as I wanted to. The loss of a coin that linked me to my father's roots hurt the most. I have since bought my own 1875-S 20c piece that is a bit nicer than the one I had as a child, and with some really cool color, but that pedigree of belonging to people who knew a side of my father I wanted to see more of myself meant everything to me.

My point: I am glad this coin is meaningful to you. That is reason enough to get it graded (it will be preserved and protected in a slab!) and treasure it no matter what silly number it gets. Having your own story attached to a coin is worth more than the difference between a F(15) and a VF(20).