Owner Comments:
I was born in 1980. Wheat back pennies, and pre-1965 quarters and dimes, were the only old-style coins I found in change in my lifetime. My dad told me to pick out any wheat back pennies or pre '65 silver.
In this collection, this penny, the mercury dime, and the buffalo nickel, are the only old coins I knew as a kid. Maybe my dad showed me a barber dime or quarter, and I thought it was incredible, but a nickel from the '30's was already incredible. I never saw, or knew there were, gold US coins until I was an adult.
In 2015 Dr. James G. McClure died. He was a dentist. He was descended from the Reverend James G. McClure, who put together a collection during his lifetime from the late 1800's through the early 1900's. His family held onto the collection another generation or two before it was sold in 2016, right when I started this collection.
There is a nice article about who the Reverend was here: https://coinweek.com/auctions-news/heritage-offers-rev-dr-james-gore-king-mcclure-collection-june-long-beach-expo/
"The Rev. Dr. James Gore King McClure was born in Albany, New York in November 1848 and died at the age of 83 in Lake Forest, Illinois in January 1932. A much-admired community leader, he served variously as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church and president of Lake Forest College in addition to being a founding president of the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He was a member of the Mayflower Society, a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland – and an avid coin collector.
“This is a truly remarkable collection,” said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions, “not only because of its size and scope, but also because it has sat, largely untouched, in a safe deposit box in Illinois for decades. Dr. McClure acquired many of these coins at the time of issue, either from circulation or at the bank, and others were gifts from friends.”
McClure began collecting coins at a young age, possibly in the late 1850s, and certainly in the early 1860s. His numismatic interest continued throughout his life, encompassing U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens.
“Certainly Rev. Dr. McClure’s collection ranks among the most important time-capsules of U.S. coins ever offered,” said Scott Schechter, Vice President of NGC."