I released my 1795 Flowing Hair silver dollar from its PCGS holder. Let me explain.

Some time back, I released my 1795 Flowing Hair silver dollar from its PCGS holder. Let me explain; walk with me. If you own an early silver dollar that has been evaluated by one of the third-party grading companies - and you've never held it in your hands raw, you're missing out. I have a ritual. I like to hold the hard, cold coin in my hand a few times a year while sitting at my special desk, a mid-to-late-eighteenth-century Georgian drop front desk fashioned from curly maple. The drawers and casework are dovetailed for both strength and beauty. In observance of my practice, Monday next week is one of my much-anticipated holy days. On that upcoming Christmas morn, I will pull it out and hold it in my hand - the way Robert Scot intended. I have done it before, and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Let's just say, it's thinner than I had imagined. For those concerned souls out there, I always handle it over a soft towel, just to be safe. The desk, by the way, is absolutely amazing! I only read novels there and study coins. That's it. I never use electronics at that desk. I have another, less antique desk for that.

This venerated two-desk disposition is as much a religion for me as I could conceive. The space is sacred. Sometimes, I imagine trying to inconspicuously lug around a substantial pile of newly minted 1795 (or 1794) dollars at a crowded public auction. For the fortunate few, that was perhaps a weekly event - some two-hundred-twenty-eight years ago.

note: edited to add a picture