Found! A Personal Numismatic Item Missing for 20+ Years!

cmerlo1

I found the below 1972 DDO-003 in circulation as a kid in 1979. I took it to Alamo Heights Coins in San Antonio, and the owner recommended I send it to ANACS to get it authenticated, which, with the help (and financial backing) of my mom in 1980, I did.

While I've always known where the coin was, I've been looking for that photo cert for probably 20+ years. I'd written it off as lost in a move or one of those things that just disappears before you realize it's missing.

Finally, a few weeks ago we were cleaning out or garage. The box from the bulletin board I used to have on my wall with clippings, photos, etc. had been there since we moved in. The bulletin board was no more, and I had salvaged what was on it before we threw it away, so the box was no longer needed. We had last used it when we moved into the house in 2004.

I looked in it before throwing it away, and it looked like there were still some things that had fallen off of it in the bottom. I emptied the box, and lo and behold, there was the photo cert!! I had forgotten I once had it on the bulletin board, and it must've fallen off when we put the board in the box during our move. The box (and its remaining contents) had suffered some water damage, but the cert was still mostly intact.

This is the exact coin that got me interested in varieties. In 2013, as a side gig, I was hired by ANACS as the Texas Regional Rep and am still with them today. This coin first made me aware of ANACS, and what they did.

My plan is to get the coin re-certified and slabbed by ANACS (maybe with a custom label, if @ANACSPAUL approves), and frame it with the cert.

The moral of the story is (and this is wife-approved) is clean out your garage more often!

I did post portions of this to the 'What coin year is most important to you' thread last week, but thought it should have its own thread.

CaptHenway

I may have written that up, but it was probably Ed Fleischmann. We both did varieties, but he was with Collectors Clearinghouse in 1972 as the varieties were being discovered and assigned numbers.

TomB

That is a fantastic story and I am very happy for you that it is again found.

thebeav

How cool is that ?
Nice long-ago find !

erwindoc

Im not telling my wife about this thread! She has been on me to work on the garage for several months!

cmerlo1

@CaptHenway said:
I may have written that up, but it was probably Ed Fleischmann. We both did varieties, but he was with Collectors Clearinghouse in 1972 as the varieties were being discovered and assigned numbers.

I wondered about that!

Shurke

That’s a great story. Glad to hear you found the photo cert.

OAKSTAR

Great story! Glad it didn't end up in a garage sale! 😉

1630Boston

Very nice