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 Replies: 24 / Views: 3,868 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3098 Posts |
My father was a coin collector. He is the reason why I've collected coins for the past fifty years. Most of his collection consisted of rolls of circulated Wheat Cents and silver coins he pulled from circulation in the early 1960s. Raising eight children he didn't have money for any pricey coins and his collection was a modest one. With one exception. He had a circulated 1899-S Gold Eagle. It was given to him by his mother when he graduated from high school in 1939. I remember marveling at this big gold coin when I was a child. He died in 1999 and in his will he stated that if one of his children wanted the coin they could purchase it for the gold value from the estate. For the past twenty-one years the coin sat in a lock box in my mother's condominium. She passed away last week at the age of 97. She died peacefully and painlessly in her own bed at home. I was able to be with her for several days the week she died. After the small graveside service (no regular funeral service due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions), two of my sisters and I went to her condominium to take a few things she had left to us. None of my seven siblings collects coins or is interested in the gold eagle, so I brought it home with me. It is amazing that my grandmother had this coin. She was a librarian a small town in Texas and the main bread winner for her family in the 1920s and 1930s. She managed to help her three sons go to college. My father and one of his brothers both became Lutheran ministers. His other brother earned a medical degree. That is quite a testimony to my grandmother. She somehow held on to this coin through the Great Depression and gave it to my father over eighty years ago. He kept it as a special possession for the rest of his life and now I will hold on to it as an equally prized possession as well. I only wish I had asked my father to tell me the story of how his mother acquired it so long ago. This particular gold eagle has seen quite a bit of circulation, but it now holds a special place in my collection.   Paul Bulgerin
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Memories far more valuable than the coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
And stories not shared, despite the coin's value, remain
a treasure not passed down.
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New Member
United States
44 Posts |
Beautiful story and thanks for sharing it!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8938 Posts |
Sorry to hear of her passing. A great story along with a nice coin. Do any of your kids have an interest in coins? Not that I think (or hope) you'd pass anytime soon, but it would be nice to hand it down to someone who could appreciate it to its fullest. Make it a generational heirloom
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8516 Posts |
A priceless coin Paul. Thanks for sharing it.
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Valued Member
United States
337 Posts |
You know much of the history. This is the real value.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5668 Posts |
Condolences on your mother's passing. What a priceless heirloom with a wonderful history.
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
My Condolences. Very nice story. You may want to print it out and keep it along with the coin. John1  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
There's nothing quite like a hand me down especially starting from your Grandmother . Nice coin ; Nice story behind it .  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3126 Posts |
First my condolences to you and your family. This is a beautiful story and this con should be the pride of your collection. Thanks for sharing your story.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1308 Posts |
Paul, I'm sorry for your loss. What a great story to go along with a coin, priceless in my opinion. My great grandfather had a cigar box of Morgan & Peace dollars, that I used to go through often as a child. When he passed, the coins were gone forever, what I wouldn't give to handle those coins today. My dad was also born in 1939, he has a double eagle in his belt buckle, that will one day be mine. We too are in Texas, me in Houston, dad in Weatherford. Thanks again for sharing your memories. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
A touching and well written story. Condolences. I think the Eagle is perfect for you. Thanks for starting off my day.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
My dad packratted anything and everything. When he died I sold all the coins as the estate's PR, for my mom. His modern mint sets didn't interest anyone in the family, but they had some value for the gold.
Last Christmas we visited the family, at their old house. My brother had dug out a box containing a lot of my old stuff, which had been buried for years in dad's pile. After years gone missing, there was the old Whitman book of Lincoln cents my grandpa had given me. As a county treasurer he had diligently filled as many of the holes as he could. Nothing of extraordinary value, except to me.
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
04/17/2020 08:40 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3098 Posts |
Thank you for all the kind comments and condolences.
I was blessed to have wonderful parents; loving, devout and kind.
I will admit, that after all the years of waiting for the coin, there is a bit of sadness now that I have it because I know what has happened for me to possess it.
I still have almost all of Dad's rolls of circulated Wheaties. They are in old paper rolls held together with faded tape. Many of them have his scribbling handwriting on them.
He had a small metal box filled with his collection of foreign coins, mostly British pennies and Canadian coins. I have left that box exactly as he left it. I do enjoy looking through the coins in it; a bit of Dad for me.
Paul Bulgerin
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Replies: 24 / Views: 3,868 |
Posted 04/16/2020 11:46 pm
