Inspiration

Several years ago I discovered a quote that irrevocably shaped my collecting. The words reflected a sentiment that I always felt but could not articulate.
     I have always been a collector. I was born with a kink in my frontal lobes that set me off hunting for old objects. Collecting is in my blood, my DNA -- every cell. I am obsessed with relics of the past. But there was something deeper rumbling inside of me.
     I was mystified until I found this quote. The following quote was written by an "Observer" in the American Journal of Numismatics (1867):

Every coin or medal of historic interest is a potent talisman to evoke the past and people in it with resuscitated life, to secure the present against oblivion, and give earthly immortality to its heroes. The owner of a numismatic cabinet is a necromancer and a ruler of the spirits, and can fill his lonely chamber with the shapes of the departed and majestic phantasms.

     I am found. I believe that relics are animated with the spirits of everyone who touched them. I am a necromancer. My challenge is to tell the story.

Old Matron Head Cent in VG8 -- plus a bit of damage.
Well, maybe a lot of damage. This cent could have been used
as a wheel on a child toy or on a dolly to roll heavy boxes.

     I do not care about the marketplace. And, the spot price of silver? Who cares! Slabs annoy me. If I spend money on a coin or token, it is because I want to put my fingertips to it, feel the pulse, imagine its history, be awed. When you really think about it, we transform objects into something special when we collect them. We elevate them to some outer-worldly status. This process is magical.
     As for me, I hunt for magic in places where you least expect it. I look for ordinary objects that were touched, used, and/or loved by folks who are long gone. Wear and corrosion, even damage, tells a story. I connect with those who have turned to dust by possessing these fragments of their past.
     Common things like bottle caps and rusty toys speak to me. But, old coins and tokens shout out the loudest. After all, nickels and dimes are imbued with yesterday's dreams. I believe that this magic still resides within the rims of each penny spent. Any coin with a good story is a keeper: cents, tokens, colonial coppers, bits of hammer silver.