Fond Memories
Hello again! I bet you are all about tired of hearing from me, but I'm going to post anyway haha. Today's story begins in Christmas of 2017 when I was one month shy of 13. By this time in my life, I had been dabbling in numismatics, however I was very far from an experienced collector. I made sure that every wheat penny I owned sat in vinegar for at least 24 hours, and that I had no coin with an ounce of grim on its face. Needless to say, I have numismatically matured very much since those years, however I don't think I have matured mentally very much haha. I had a dream during that time to visit the biggest (and possibly only) local coin shop in a 100 mile radius from where I live. For those know-it-all old timers, it was Rust Rare Coins in Salt Lake City, UT owned by Galen Rust, a former member of the ANA Board of Governors. Last year, his involvement in a 60+ million dollar ponzi scheme came to light, and his business (along with my fathers) was brought down along with him. But I digress. I wanted nothing more then the ability to go to his shop and purchase some coins. On Christmas morning, I ran to the tree, and saw a classy envelope with the Rust logo on it. I knew this could only mean one thing, and I ripped it open. Sure enough, it contained a $100 gift certificate for his store. It wasn't even a week before I convinced my dad to drive me down there and wait for a few hours while I browsed. One of the coins I instantly fell in love with was the coin I have inserted below. Obviously, it is a commemorative celebrating the upcoming Chinese Year of the Dog (2018). I loved the frosted style of the proofing process, and knew I had to have it. My dad (always the budget skeptic) thought that $25 was far to much for a 13 year old to be spending on an obsolete metal disk, even if it was silver. The staff member (who happened to also be my dad's business partner at the time, and a good friend of mine) had my back and convinced him that it was indeed worth it. I was able to snag this beauty for a killer price, and I still hold on to it along with another coin I bought: the 2001-s silver proof kennedy half. Both of these coins quickly rose to the pinnacle of my meager collection, and were the catalysts of my passion. However these coins mean a lot to me for another reason as well. Bear with me, as I must take a quick detour. I heard that all of my family pitched in a little for the gift certificate, including my older brother. Less that a week after I bought these coins, my brother turned 18, and decided that he no longer wanted to be part of my family, and cut us all off without any good explanation. It was a very hard next few years for the remainder of my family. I recently had the opportunity three weeks ago to finally see him again for the first time in 3 years. Our relationship is very far from healed, but we have taken a big step. To me, these coins represent the better times when I was young and naive. A time when there were no stresses in my life--a time when my brother and I would play together, and love each other. The main reason I can't sell these pieces because they represent my brother, and his gift to me. Especially in a time where I doubt I will ever receive another gift from him, these coins are utterly irreplaceable. As the holidays draw near, I look back fondly at the good times he and I shared, and these coins will help me cherish that. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and sticking to the end! Cheers, NM
