The most important coin in my collection and the story behind it
fishteeth
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I have posted this coin a few times, but thought I would put it in its own post. I was home sick today and had a chance to go through some family history
Sorry for the long post, and forgive any spelling/gramar
The one thing that originally drew me into coin collecting as an 8 yr old kid was the idea that I was holding something really old.
As I grew older I began to understand the history behind my coins and this has fueled my passion for collecting. I feel one reason
I tend to be drawn to coins in VF-EF is that these coins were actually a part of history. These circulated coins were used in commerce by
every day people, some were carried as keep sakes and others were even carried into war.
The coin posted here is, to me, the most important coin in my collection. I became the caregiver of this coin in the early 1990's when my Grandfather
found out I had gotten into collecting old coins. At the time he was living in Florida and tauted me for months that he was bringing me a very important
coin for my collection when he came to visit. I will always remember the day I received this coin. We spent most of a beautiful summer afternoon going
through pictures, maps and stories all dealing with his time as a Seabee in the South Pacific during WWII. He talked about being cut off on Gudalcanal
and surviving on wormy oatmeal, being dive bombed by Japs every night, being stuck below decks on transport ships while Kamikazee pilots were crashing
into surrounding boats and how for years after he returned from the war he could not stand the sight of death (even a piece of road kill would bother him).
He talked of the many islands he landed on, the airstrips he helped build, his trips to New Zealand and Australia between Island invasions and
even how after his first experience being attacked at sea he never again was able to go below decks, no matter how cold or wet it got.
What my grandfather and the others who fought in WWII went through is something this spoiled 30 something can never imagine, but I am
very thankful for those who gave up their youth and sometimes their lives for what I have today.
In 1998 my grandfather passed away, I was still too young to truely understand what he had been through. Luckily my great-grandmother was a
meticulous record keeper. She saved every bit of v-mail, every picture he sent home and every newspaper article that had anything to do with the Sea Bees.
Two years ago my father gave me 4 large boxes, within them was a treasure trove of family history.
It contained everything from artwork done by my Great-Great Grandfather during the civil war, to the letter my Great-grandfather sent to his wife
telling her that he was on his way home after WWI. Within this box was the treasure trove of WWII corespondence.
here are some pictures that help tell the story of this most important Walking Liberty Half.
My grandfather picked this half dollar up in San Francisco right before he shipped out. To pass the time on the trip to the South Pacific he smoothed
the obverse off and turned it into a second dog tag. He then carried the coin throughout the war. The coin has a fair ammount of corrosion, which
I can only immagine came from the jungle environment and salt water. His first stop was guadalcanal. His Seebees went in right behind the marines
to construct an airstrip. My grandfather spent most of his time driving truckloads of cruched coral to form the base of the airstrip.
I will try and give some history with each of the pictures.
These pics show his uniform sleve and one of the many V-mails I have. My grandfather always said he wasn't a very good soldier
He never really got promoted and said he liked it that way
Some pictures he sent to my great-grandmother- all of the pictures below have the Passed Censor stamp
My grandfather was the Drummer in the Seabee band, behind morgan horses, drumming was his second love
Pictures of the truks dumping crushed coral
His tent on Guadalcanal
Standing by his truck. Told me by the end of the war they were pushing trucks, bulldozers and other
heavy equipment into the ocean to make room for the new stuff that kept arriving
Bet my grandmother wasn't too happy about this picture, taken before he left California
This pictures shows the guy in front of my grandfather being the thousandth, millionth or whatever soldier to enter this USO. The look on my
grandfather face is priceless as the guy in front got a medallion and a cash prize. All my grandfather got was a picture of the event
Sorry for the long post, and forgive any spelling/gramar
The one thing that originally drew me into coin collecting as an 8 yr old kid was the idea that I was holding something really old.
As I grew older I began to understand the history behind my coins and this has fueled my passion for collecting. I feel one reason
I tend to be drawn to coins in VF-EF is that these coins were actually a part of history. These circulated coins were used in commerce by
every day people, some were carried as keep sakes and others were even carried into war.
The coin posted here is, to me, the most important coin in my collection. I became the caregiver of this coin in the early 1990's when my Grandfather
found out I had gotten into collecting old coins. At the time he was living in Florida and tauted me for months that he was bringing me a very important
coin for my collection when he came to visit. I will always remember the day I received this coin. We spent most of a beautiful summer afternoon going
through pictures, maps and stories all dealing with his time as a Seabee in the South Pacific during WWII. He talked about being cut off on Gudalcanal
and surviving on wormy oatmeal, being dive bombed by Japs every night, being stuck below decks on transport ships while Kamikazee pilots were crashing
into surrounding boats and how for years after he returned from the war he could not stand the sight of death (even a piece of road kill would bother him).
He talked of the many islands he landed on, the airstrips he helped build, his trips to New Zealand and Australia between Island invasions and
even how after his first experience being attacked at sea he never again was able to go below decks, no matter how cold or wet it got.
What my grandfather and the others who fought in WWII went through is something this spoiled 30 something can never imagine, but I am
very thankful for those who gave up their youth and sometimes their lives for what I have today.
In 1998 my grandfather passed away, I was still too young to truely understand what he had been through. Luckily my great-grandmother was a
meticulous record keeper. She saved every bit of v-mail, every picture he sent home and every newspaper article that had anything to do with the Sea Bees.
Two years ago my father gave me 4 large boxes, within them was a treasure trove of family history.
It contained everything from artwork done by my Great-Great Grandfather during the civil war, to the letter my Great-grandfather sent to his wife
telling her that he was on his way home after WWI. Within this box was the treasure trove of WWII corespondence.
here are some pictures that help tell the story of this most important Walking Liberty Half.
My grandfather picked this half dollar up in San Francisco right before he shipped out. To pass the time on the trip to the South Pacific he smoothed
the obverse off and turned it into a second dog tag. He then carried the coin throughout the war. The coin has a fair ammount of corrosion, which
I can only immagine came from the jungle environment and salt water. His first stop was guadalcanal. His Seebees went in right behind the marines
to construct an airstrip. My grandfather spent most of his time driving truckloads of cruched coral to form the base of the airstrip.
I will try and give some history with each of the pictures.
These pics show his uniform sleve and one of the many V-mails I have. My grandfather always said he wasn't a very good soldier
He never really got promoted and said he liked it that way
Some pictures he sent to my great-grandmother- all of the pictures below have the Passed Censor stamp
My grandfather was the Drummer in the Seabee band, behind morgan horses, drumming was his second love
Pictures of the truks dumping crushed coral
His tent on Guadalcanal
Standing by his truck. Told me by the end of the war they were pushing trucks, bulldozers and other
heavy equipment into the ocean to make room for the new stuff that kept arriving
Bet my grandmother wasn't too happy about this picture, taken before he left California
This pictures shows the guy in front of my grandfather being the thousandth, millionth or whatever soldier to enter this USO. The look on my
grandfather face is priceless as the guy in front got a medallion and a cash prize. All my grandfather got was a picture of the event
0
Comments
www.brunkauctions.com
Larry L.
find the next keeper of the history!
Thanks,
bob
I always loved the Seabee's motto "We build, we fight".
Thanks for this post.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
One night he was out on traffic duty, and was supposed to be picked up at 7PM to go back to their operations center, where he would be available for other assignments until Midnight. The guy with the truck was watching a USO show, and didn't pick him up until after 8. Boy was he mad.
While he was out, the Navy requisitioned an MP to help enforce the no smoking rule on a ship out in the harbor loaded with mines. During the night it blew. After the war they named the VFW post after his late comrade, Alexander Helemet.
Glad your Grandpa made it back too. A lot of good men didn't.
TD
On my Dad's side, James Kivett was in the Navy on the LCI-502 which is like an amphibious vehicle as far as I understand. He was at Normandy on D-Day.
On my mom's side, Claude Harrison was in the Air Force. He absolutely loved working on airplanes, so I believe he was a mechanic. He's been disabled for as long as anyone can remember, and spend his days in the VA hospital in Durham, NC.
Thanks so much for sharing, Chris. An amazing lot of family heirlooms you have there.
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This 1909-S Saint and accompanying note of congratulations were given to my grandmother as a wedding gift by her uncle, Max B. Mehl. The date 1909 represented her birth year and she left the coin to me. It is a perfect keepsake to remember her by.
<< <i>I have posted this before over the years, but the most important coin in my collection, is the only coin in my collection.
This 1909-S Saint and accompanying note of congratulations were given to my grandmother as a wedding gift by her uncle, Max B. Mehl. The date 1909 represented her birth year and she left the coin to me. It is a perfect keepsake to remember her by.
>>
Not too shabby either!
TD
AB
Hoard the keys.
I envy you both for having such a great family memento that happens to fit a hobby you're passionate about.
I have some nice family heirlooms too...but no coins.
Dad was at Pearl Harbor on 12/7, USN Rigel, left the ship in a stationwagon assigned to the ship early in the morning to pick up supplies, as he returned, the attack began. He got out of the wagon and took shelter under a tarp covering supplies on the dock. After the first attack, he took the wagon and began taking wounded to the hospital, spent the rest of the day doing this. He was also a SP, I have a picture of him the next day directing traffic, had the wildest look on his face, they thought the invasion would be coming next. The Rigel was a repair ship, taking care of subs, as soon as an island was taken, they would move up so that the subs would not have to make the trip back to Pearl.
Thanks for sharing such a great memory and reminder just why this hobby and it's history is just a tad more special than so many others.
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
That half is a real treasure! Thanks for sharing.
Cartwheel
P.S. To help keep his loved ones from worrying so much while he was at sea, my father told them he was never more than a couple of miles from land; they figured he could easily swim that far. What they didn’t know was that he meant a couple of miles from the bottom!
Cartwheel's Showcase Coins
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Another remembrance if you don't mind.
When I five years old (1957) we were at a Veterans Day Parade (these were a very big deal back then). I remember vividly my father pointing out the star of the parade. It was a very old man. My father said to look at him and never forget. The old soldier he referred to was 105 years old and had been a bugler with the Union Army at age 12. I can still see him waving to the crowd.
Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
Awesome story, thanks for sharing.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
My dad was also a WWII Navy vet, a fighter mechanic on the Hornet. He worked on hellcat fighters. He and one of my uncles were just so reluctant to talk about their experiences and, evidently, this was and is very common. Never understood why until I began reading WWII history. UNspeakable events finally being brought to light..now I begin to understand why vets don't want to re-live a lot of their experiences.
Several years before my dad died, he gave me his coin collection which I treasure. In his collection I found his Navy dogtags. They're not coins, but are they are the most treasured item I own.
Many successful BST transactions with dozens of board members, references on request.
<< <i>When I five years old (1957) we were at a Veterans Day Parade (these were a very big deal back then). I remember vividly my father pointing out the star of the parade. It was a very old man. My father said to look at him and never forget. The old soldier he referred to was 105 years old and had been a bugler with the Union Army at age 12. I can still see him waving to the crowd. >>
Now that is really awesome! I remember back about 1962 my brother would play "Taps" at the Memorial Day event. I remember seeing all the "old" widows. These "old" widows were ones who lost their husbands in World War I! The sad part is, they weren't really "old." Some of them were in their late 50's and early 60's! But to a child, I guess they were old. As I approach the big 6-0 in a few years, I guess 60 isn't really that old......
Thanks to everyone who made this a great thread!
Larry L.
I may add new pics as I come across interesting items.
That 20 Dollar saint posted by Coinguy is amazing.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks,
Greg
www.jpac.pacom.mil
Ps. I'll post a special coin sometime (if I can bloody find it) with a pretty cool story...here's a teaser...the coin is US, but it was found in North Korea.
I've read William Manchester's "Goodbye, Darkness" so many times it's starting to fall apart. A fantastic memoir and history of the Pacific War, I highly recommend it! Kaz
I was to young to ever go to MAX MEHLs business but i have been told alot from the old timers around here.
NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"