"My Apologies, Mr. Lincoln."

I recently spoke with an old college roommate. We've not seen or heard from each other for 40 years. It was a great phone call, and since then, I've found myself thinking more and more about the "good ole days".

One such memory centers around the discovery of the 1972 DDO Cent. I was in the Air Force at the time, stationed at McGuire AFB, New Jersey. This was prior to my venture into numismatics. I can recall guys in the barracks rushing to the Base bank to buy rolls of pennies- I couldn't be bothered.

A friend did find one of the "sought-after oddities", and immediately passed it around for all to see. And, in turn, each of us firmly grasped the coin between thumb and forefinger, so as not to drop or damage it while we took a close look.

I now have to laugh to myself in embarrassment as I think about what we did to that coin. What that "skin oil and perspiration soaked" coin must look like, today!

MY APOLOGIES, MR. LINCOLN.