Influence of our Inductors

When I think of the coins which are standouts in my collection, many come to mind. There is my 1932-D Washington, my 1893 Eagle which recently earned an MS62 grade from PCGS, and, to the surprise of some, a plain 1964 Kennedy half.

Now, on the surface, this piece does not seem like much. It is not one of the accented varieties and nor is it one with doubling on the die or a re-punched mintmark. Instead, this one was given to me by my grandfather when I was just getting into the hobby and it is one which triggers good memories when I view it.

There I was at 11 years old in Canada. I had opened other presents and then this one came in an old and musty-smelling box. He had put it into a plastic flip, and, not being as knowledgeable as I am now, I found myself transfixed by this simple item which was my first exposure to a lesser-known kind of American coin type.

“This must be really rare, grandpa must think I am pretty special,” I would say.

Of course, I later learned they were not and thankfully he always did, but, sadly, Lawrence William Daniel Pretzer would not live to see the things I have done and how I have since moved forward as a numismatist. He died in 2009 at 72 and while my memories are a bit faded now, I still wonder what he would think of my place in the hobby and whether we would have had similar tastes as no one else in my family remembers his collection or just what the exact contents included in it were.

Pieces and bits have been detailed to me over the years, but, after he died, all of it ultimately got sold to a random dealer for the likely low sum of about $1,500 CAD.

Though, I suppose this is always the case with this and anything else. In the end, nothing is for everyone, and, while we often chart our own paths, influences come back to shape us in ways we did not expect in our younger years with earlier ideas.

You cannot reach all, but, if you can get one person into coin collecting, silver stacking, or anything else, I encourage you to try and remember just who moved you into this hobby. Like my grandfather, they probably value the connection and still influence you today in ways you may not even realize with your collecting work.

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