Who was you mentor when you started collecting varieties?

[hasfam]

Many of us have had one or two people who not only shared their love of the hobby, but patiently shared their knowledge. Taught us over and over again until we got it. When I first started diligently searching for and learning about die varieties in the 90's, I frequented a chat or discussion group..coincollecting.net or something like that. On there I met some really cool people. Many were very helpful. But the person who really took me under his wing was Bill O'Roarke. We became friends over the years and he was so patient with me. Celebrating with me my triumphs and kindly encouraging me through my frustrations. We still keep in contact once or twice a year, but haven't talked about coins for a long time. Just updates on family, pets, church etc. Finally, I discovered coppercoins about 3 years ago and this forum shortly afterwards. As a result of this web discovery I came into contact with Bob Piazza. His kindness, patience and unintmidating expertise has probably taught me more about this hobby in the past 3 years than what I had learned in the 15 years before.
A special Thanks to you Bill and Bob.
Who was your mentor?

[coinman2009]

Didn't have any direct mentors, but couldn't agree more, on this site,and coppercoins.,and just amazed at what the internet has done for this hobby! Many thanks go out to the people that have led the way in the variety area! Couldn't ask for a better bunch of people!

[RWBILLER]

Hi
My mentor is Bob Piazza - he also is one of a few friends that I would trust helping my family if -God forbid- something happened to me!
Roger

[snowman]

Mine was watching Robert Chambers on the Coin Vault many,many years ago.. he was trying to sell NGC 1995 DDOs

I never bought anything from the show but he showed some interesting varieties that day i never heard of

I've been collecting for 40+ yrs so if i didnt watch that show ....
I probably wouldnt be here on Lincoln Cent Resource

[liveandievarieties]

What a great topic Rock! It's ironic I was just thinking about this the other day.

I have several people who encouraged me that I need to be appreciative of.

My first exposure to the die variety world was through Ken Potter's COINage magazine ads in the 1980s. Something about them just fascinated me. So I started searching with a magnifying glass at the age of 12 (a bit over 20 years ago). I had some success early on which cemented my obsession.

Locally, there were three guys who made a difference. First was Mark Emtman of American Coin and Vault in Spokane. He was incredibly patient and always took the time to show me any 20th century die varieties he encountered, even though his specialty was bust and seated liberty die varieties. He introduced me to Cherrypicking through a VHS video of an ANA presentation by Bill Fivaz and JT Stanton, years before there was a Cherrypicker's Guide.

A local collector by the name of Marvin Erickson began buying die varieties from me when I was about 15 years old. Marvin is one of the foremost Indian Cent Variety Specialists, he has worked closely with Kevin Flynn and Rick Snow and is credited in their books dozens of times as well as in the Cherrypicker's Guide. It was pretty amazing being too young to be legally employed, yet selling off some coins and having $500 in my pocket! Marvin traded me coins to get me my 1916-D Mercury dime, something he found in pocket change as a kid.

Finally, is Ray Crocker. He opened the Coin Corner in the mid 1960s and was one of the last old-time coin dealers in town when he retired over a decade ago. He was the type of guy who was just as happy to BS with you about coins for hours as he was selling to you. Guys would congregate in his shop just to talk and enjoy eachother's company. You don't see that anymore. One of the first die varieties I Cherrypicked was a 1945 Doubled Die Reverse War Nickel. I paid Ray $1 for it and showed him the variety. He was so impressed that he offered me $15 on the spot. Ray always afforded everyone respect and decency, qualities that are rare in shop owners now. A week ago yesterday, Ray passed away of a heart attack at the table while enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with his family. He is sorely missed. On the bright side, Ray was happy and healthy to his last moment in life. He fished on a nearly weekly basis. I last saw him a couple of months ago. Previous to that I hadn't seen him in over a decade. When I reminded him who I was and told him that I was selling coins full time, he got this huge smile on his face, it was incredibly rewarding. *sniffle*

[SuddenAdoration]

What a great experience for you! I never had a mentor, I had coins given to me as a child which I then passed down to my son. However we never knew much about them until this past summer when I stumbled on this forum. So everyone here has really been my mentors, and the best! So thank you to everyone here! (my old profile was Karahbell) If any of you live in SoCal, it would be great to meet and want to be my mentor.... then I could pick your brain because I still have so many questions and SO much to learn.

[1sgret]

Mine was John Wexler, and now it is the members of this Forum!!!

[copperlover]

Whatever I have learned is from BoB Piazza ,Jason C, Joe K, John Wexler. I am not ashamed to say I knew very little until I started here and Bob and Jason would always send me back to study what I thought was a Variety. I had to read some books and even when I came back to posting I still got it wrong, Then Joe Kept posting some great coins so I told myself that I had to do better. In stepped MR. LiveandDie (CHRIS) and guided me on how to process rolls and where to find them. I have been doing much better since that time. Bob has been there all the way and I am still learning to this day.

Lucien

PS I have also learned so much from Billy Crawford.... so much... he's missed.

[busyeye]

I've been pretty much on my lonesome...but not since joining LCR, I like to pay careful attention to all of Jason's threads, they've been so helpful. Pretty much I most respect all of the experts opinions here on the forum, so thank you all for giving of your time, much appreciate it!

[lara4228]

I have one mentor: YOU.

Thank you.

Lara

[RWBILLER]

What a great answer!
Me?
Roger

[DoubleYou]

Basically I started collecting coins at age 6. My dad gave me two wheat pennies without telling me, and I, being the curious kid that I was, asked why those pennies had a different back and had "ONE CENT" and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" so big and bold in the back in the middle of two wheat ears instead of the typical memorial back. He had long long ago collected coins for a small amount of time, and was able to tell me they were wheat pennies. Later he dug up some of his pennies he had collected from his childhood which he had put in self-made cardboard holders similar to the Whitman folders, but merely boards. He had many spaces missing, and I searched hard to fill in those spaces. My grandfather had a small collection of coins he had once collected that I would look at in awe almost every Christmas when we'd visit. I was given a brittle 1936 copy of the old coin scrapbook magazine. I eventually threw it away, much to my regret, because it was so outdated and brittle. I also came by a 1990 Redbook. Mind you, this was in 1998.

Then the State quarters came out, and that nurtured my interest in coins. I'd collect every single example of the state quarters that my dad would give me in his allowance. I called my coins, "specials." I would put them in a small treasure chest and look at my "specials" every once in a while. My grandfather gave me a 2000 edition of COINS magazine, and that fueled my knowledge even more. By 2002 I was regularly purchasing the COINage magazine available at my local Wal-Mart. That fueled my collecting interests more, and I bought 400 "unsearched" wheat pennies from a coin company that still advertises the same lots in there, last I checked at anyrate. I read all the articles, increasing my knowledge of coins. I began subscribing to Numismatic News in June of 2004 and poured myself all over its pages and articles. Billy Crawford would write stories of new doubled die varieties, and BJ's 2004 doubled die obverse + reverse was a highlight that spiked my interest in die varieties, but it wasn't till after the craze with the 2005 MN doubled dies that I really started getting interested. Ken Potter kept those regularly updated, adding new ones almost every week. Then in 2006 I started searching. I found the 2006 doubled ear, sent it in to Ken Potter, who got the wheels turning, and I was hooked. Got me the Cherrypickers' Guide and every other coin book on die varieties I could afford and poured myself over their pages. I learned a lot. Joined CONECA for 2 and a half years, which I stopped when I came down to college. Then I found LCR, and I really learned a lot, and still am.

So, who were my mentors? For coins themselves, my father and grandfather. For die varieties, Billy Crawford first, Ken Potter second, Cherrypickers' Guide next, John Wexler fourth, BJ Neff and others in the ERRORSCOPE, and then Chuck Daughtrey's brilliant Lincoln cent guide, and finally all you guys here.

Sorry for the long-winded story...

[kloccwork419]

I always liked pennies. When I was younger my dad always had tons of pennies in a big jug and would make me count them to get enough money to buy tickets to wrestling..lolol.I had to pull all the wheats out but never knew anything about them besides being old. I never really giot into searching or keeping any coins til I joined this site. Since then its been Bob, BJ, Joe, and feel like I grew in knowledge along with Jean. (wherever she been lately). I remember neither of us knew alot at the beginning and I can give all the credit to LCR members. So I would say between my dad,LCR, and Hulk Hogan..lolol..Its a tie..

[mustbebob]

My mentor was my Uncle, many decades ago. Since then, I learned from all the biggies in the hobby (Wiles, Potter, Wexler, Daughtrey, Crawford), but there is always a chance I will leave someone out. I am still learning from the folks on this forum. It is truly never ending, but am even happier when I am teaching or mentoring. I do merit badges with scouts, teach the kids in the neighborhood etc. I couldn't be happier.

[jcuve]

I went from utter confusion,to the CPG, to the early days of LCR and the old crew; people like Bob, Brad, Joe, Jean, Roger, Billy and BJ.