Or how a simple MS66RD penny reminded me of my youth.

The mail came yesterday afternoon and expecting nothing more than the usual barrage of holiday sales flyers, the short walk down to the end of the driveway started out as nothing more than the daily ritual. With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in full swing, I did not expect any of my recent acquisitions to arrive until early next week. My wife and I had just finished decorating the Christmas tree and we had begun our usual transformation of our home with the rest of Christmas regalia that adorns our house. There was joyous and cheerful spirit riding the atmosphere around my house. Reaching the mailbox and opening it, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small package waiting for me. Already feeling particularly good, the anticipation of what was in the package hastened my return trip back to the house. It was the 1957 MS66RD Lincoln Wheat Cent.

In and of itself, there is nothing particularly spectacular about a 1957 Lincoln Penny. I knew though that with only 129 1957 Lincoln cents graded higher by NGC, all MS 67RD, and a FMV for those running around $2500 this MS66RD would most likely be the highest grade I could include in my set. Yet there was something special about this coin. I have received most of my coins by mail but this solitary red cent caught my eye and started my mind drifting back to the long by-gone days of my youth. It was the mid-1960?s, I was not even 10 years old, and I would sit cross legged on the floor tenderly going through the jar into which my parents would through their loose change. It was the pennies that always drew my most fervent interest and the bright copper ones always mesmerized me. It was a few years later that my parents bought me my first penny folders which I still own. Like with any modern coin collecting, it was the most resent years and current year holes that I filled first. I remember the thrill I felt every time I found a bright red wheat penny for that folder. My mom would pretend to be excited for me although I didn?t realize that until a few years later. As I grew into my early teen years, my mother got a job as a teller at a local bank and I had a seemingly endless supply of change. As luck would have it, my father got a part time job about that time in the heart of the city, just down the street from the local coin store. I would go to work with him on Saturdays and spend hours in that coin shop. I still remember the name of the store, Bay State Coins. I haven?t been back to my hometown in probably too many years. My family has all moved away and is spread from Texas to Florida. I suspect the coin store has long since melted into the pages of history and sadly my mother is also no longer with us. But my memories are alive and well, mom is still with me in my heart and my love of coins and specifically pennies is thriving.

Well, it?s 40 plus years later and it was a good feeling to know that the exuberance of my youth is not lost. My two sons have also found those simple joys of collecting. I am enjoying sharing the exploration of currency with my 24 year old son and I always look forward to when my youngest son visits because he is just discovering the whole great universe of coin collecting. It was his fascination with state quarters that brought me back to rediscover this great hobby.

So, I will leave you with a picture of that MS66RD 1957 Lincoln Cent.

Dennis