Relic Coins

Awful Beauty

Why do we love relics?

Because they are survivors. Because they have been found. Because they are mysterious. Because they show the cruel workings of Mother Nature. Because they predict our future. Because we get to step-in and save them.

Relics are beautiful. They are true. They have an authority that is unquestioned. There is an aesthetic that one has to develop to appreciate them -- a whole new set of skills that provides a break from our usual grading concerns.

Charles Dickens said that relics and ruins have an "Awful Beauty."

The collecting field is ripe with relic coins. Whereas most folks chase after unbroken arcs of luster, crusty relics are overlooked. And yet, they have the power to jolt us in unexpected ways.

Relics were there. They were part of the action. They make us wonder. What happened? When? Who lost it? And, how? Lustrous coins have no stories.

But is wonderment enough?

I think so, but I am in the minority. Relics will never make the Big Top, as most coin collectors strive to own the best, to compete, to buy wisely, to become investors ... and to worry.

Lost Cents; Dead Owners
Appreciating Coins in Decay

So I want to remind folks about my new "old" approach to collecting: The way of the necromancer.

If you want to re-experience the childlike wonderment that an old coin sparks (in this case, a coin that looks the part -- crusty and corroded), then go out and find my book:
LOST CENTS; DEAD OWNERS.

You can find my book on Amazon or at Books123. It is an easy read with color photos. It sets the stage for collecting in a new way -- like a necromancer.

No matter how entrenched you are in the MS Morgan or Eagle craze, I believe you will find my book stimulating. Some of my ideas will be appearing in the upcoming issue of The Numismatist -- so look for it.


I think coin collecting needs a jolt. LCDO will jolt you. And we need it; our obsession with the new and shiny is killing us.