A Plea To All Collectors! - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 11 / Views: 1,467
oldno7 Valued Member United States 137 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 7:03 pm I apologize for the length of this post, but please bear with me In August of last year my brother in law(Bill) was found dead on the floor in his house. It was natural causes and a complete surprise to everyone. He had not been sick and did not have any significant health issues. He was only 58. Bill had been collecting coins for at least 40 years. He also would sell coins at gun shows and flea markets. His wife had 0 interest in coins and knew absolutely nothing about them. All she knew was that he liked collecting them and that they could be worth money. When we started going through Bill's stuff we started finding coins everywhere! He was a pack rat and did not have an inventory of coins or ANY organization. We almost through away a 1/10Th ounce gold eagle that was in the bottom of a box of junk in a 2x2 flip. He was so disorganized that I found a 1913-S Type 2 Buffalo nickel, 1932-D Quarter and a 1895-O Morgan mixed in with a bunch of common stuff! So far we have found a large amount of coins to include over $200 face value in wheat's that were not sorted! We have also found what I believe are the coins that he would take to shows to try and sell. Here is the big problem and the reason for this post. We still have not found his real collection! We have looked all through the house and have not found it. Bill and I have talked about coins a fair amount and I have not seen ANY of the coins that he and I talked about. I know for a fact that there are a LOT of coins missing. I do not know if he got rid of them or they are just hidden real well. I do not believe that he got rid of all of his good stuff. I BEG everyone here to please try and organize/inventory your coins and PLEASE let you loved ones know where they are or at least leave a note in your SDP or something so that they can be found. Report this Post to the Staff

pls Rest in Peace United States 1729 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 7:12 pm My heart goes out to you in the loss of your loved one. You mentioned "SDP", which I took as an acronym for "Safety Deposit Box", so I assume that you're aware of any coins he might had had there. I recently inventoried some completed folders and then moved them, along with a few very valuable coins, to a safety deposit box and then let my brother know that I'd done so. Is there any chance that he had a second box? I certainly hope that the main collection hasn't been "lost" ... or worse. Good luck with your search. Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 7:29 pm I used to document everything. But as time went on I thought why use what time is left to do that. He was rather really young so really sorry for that loss. At 58 he should really have been out having fun, not what happened. I don't know what kind of person he was but if just a coin collector, it was for fun so why bother documenting anything. Sure would be nice for you but that's you, not him. I suspect he did what he did because that is the way he was and so he enjoyed what he did. Report this Post to the Staff
IBGolden Pillar of the Community Canada 598 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 7:44 pm Try a metal detector... everywhere. I have seen posts on constructing hiding places. I feel such info online is not a good thing, and I typically don't participate in such discussions. I 'spose the value of things (whether financial or emotional) determines the amount of ambition in concealment. I have few words to console... Sorry for your loss Report this Post to the Staff
jimineez Valued Member United States 287 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 8:16 pm Sorry for your loss & I wish you luck in finding an end to this dilemma! Report this Post to the Staff
OneBowl Pillar of the Community United States 759 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 8:28 pm I am truly sorry to hear about Bill. Good advice. I'm sure some people around here have stuff hidden in crazy places. Be sure to check your state's unclaimed property listings over the next few years. If he had something stashed in a financial institution, it will eventually show up there, even if he left no trace anywhere else. And thanks for thinking of others. Report this Post to the Staff
vermontensium Moderator United States 16677 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 9:01 pm I am very sorry to hear that. Thank you for sharing that. It IS important. swcoin.ecrater.com Report this Post to the Staff
rachums107 Pillar of the Community United States 3345 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 9:10 pm Please accept my condolences for your loss. Have you tried looking in walls or underneath floorboards for the coins? He might have planned to tell you about them when he got older, and for now just hid them to keep them safe. Report this Post to the Staff
specksynder Pillar of the Community United States 1080 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 9:33 pm oldno -- I posted an almost identical plea a year ago after sorting through my granddad's collection. Grandma knew no details about the collection, and she said one of her biggest concerns was she didn't know if he viewed the collection as a hobby, an investment, his retirement fund, or whatever. She felt that would have helped her decide what to do with it. Report this Post to the Staff
carmykle Pillar of the Community United States 2448 Posts	Posted 03/29/2011 9:46 pm Sorry for your loss and thaks for the advice. Report this Post to the Staff
emh Valued Member United States 85 Posts	Posted 03/30/2011 08:37 am Sorry for your loss. Had a similar thing happen with my grandfather. it's been over 10 years since his passing and we are still findings small caches of coins all over the place. Sometimes in random places, like in the bathroom cabinet in a cigar tube! Going through that processes really made me think about things. My grandmother had no idea what he had and all I had to go on was random notes. I can't tell whether they were lists of coins he had or lists of coins he was looking for. I took that as a warning and decided to organize everything I had into a nice record book, along with dates of purchase, purchase price and all that. I've also taken to keeping the collection in a single place to avoid my family going on treasure hunts later on down the road. Report this Post to the Staff
coppertop5150 Pillar of the Community United States 958 Posts	Posted 03/31/2011 03:43 am They are exactly organized how he wanted it.. I bet he knew exactly where that gold coin and 13-s nickel was.... As for the other coins you have yet to find its really not that important. He collected for his own right.... A collector does that... A collector does not care about what happens after he dies.... A strange thing here happened in my city... A guy died and left all his valuabe stuff to a masonic lodge He had gold, coins, painting The children came in to take the stuff. The police showed up and removed them all from the property and the masonic people filed tresspassing/ injunctions to keep the family away I dont know what happened to your fathers stuff if he had more things then you have found. But maybe uts been sold/donated to others over the years I mean its a sad situation... But his most beloved coin that he cherished the most might only be worth a few bucks ,if he collected stuff he liked while the more " vaulabe coins " like that gold 1/10 was stuffed in the bottom of a box but he might have had the common wheats in a nicer location be cuase he liked looking at wheat cents. So lets say he was " organized " and left everything in a style that was ready to be handed over to someone else , it prob would have taken the " fun " out if his collecting. He enjoyed collecting part of that ENJOYMENT is have a place in the corner of a room where we can ( he could )look and do what we want with coins as we wish... My coin area looks like a tornado went through it to a normal person but to me its perfect, if I had to keep it all organized it would become more of a job then a hobby and take away the fun with any of it Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 11 / Views: 1,467

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Main Coin Forum

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.28 seconds to rattle this change.