Collectors are known to search – diligently – for the
“perfect” coin.
Usually this translates to the “highest graded” coin “for the
money.” Seminars on condition grading are offered at all ANA coin shows. And,
the every seat is sold.
Young numismatist and baby boomers (a bimodal group) eagerly
learn to delight in
smooth fields, sharp details, and strong strikes.
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| 1802 Draped Bust relic cent exploding with Corrosion. |
And, there is nothing wrong with that. I like new cars. Plus, we got a new lawn mower -- a red one. Smooth, sharp, strong.
But relics?
Here, we have a beautiful cent. It challenges us to
consider its story. It was spent, lost, and then found. It is 200+ years old.
It is likely a dug coin, so it came to collectors late. No provenance.
Think of it as raw history. It looks the part. It is a perfect survivor, a relic.
It is a mystery. Who lost it?
The aesthetic of relic cents is one of bold colors – copper turning in the fall season,
electrons breaking from their orbits.
At a deeper level, we can appreciate that
Mother Nature was taking this one back.
That is, until I stepped in to save it.
Loving the unloved is unadulterated collecting. No worries about grade, value, and rarity – all the silly things that many obsess about. No, this one is just for me.
