The Numismatist Question Book By Jeffrey G. Terry

A little while ago, I bought this handmade Q and A book by 13 year old, Jeffrey G. Terry at a library book sale. As you can see, the book was signed by Terry to that legendary mentor of budding numismatists, Larry Gentile, in 1979. Believing that I had stumbled upon someone special, someone who was destined for great things in the world that he clearly loved, I poked around a little online to see what I could see. Sadly, the only thing that I could find was that Terry had passed away at his home on Long Island in 2010 at the age of 44. That was it. Surely Terry had made more of an impact than that. He wasn't just writing books about coin collecting, he was making them. At 13! At 13, he was already thinking about how to help the rest of us become better at this hobby of ours. So I thought I'd post this and give those who may have actually known him an opportunity to pay tribute. Of course, 44 is way too young to go. How much more tragic is it that his contributions to the world we all love may have died with him? Even if you didn't know Terry, I think it is entirely appropriate to pay your own kind of tribute to the young man's spirit if nothing else.