This year, as a 60-turning-61 white man, I am going to highlight African Americans that have had some kind of influence in my life. Some are famous, some are friends, and others are just people. #blackhistorymonth
I had Mr. Brown for Geometry my first year at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He was in his late 30s, wiry, and in shape. He wore tight shirts that showed some chest, gold chains, and rings.
He knew his stuff; I loved the material.
I was reading a Red Book for US Coins in class one day (I collect coins), and he got my attention, and said, “What’s the favorite coin you have?”. I told him that I only had one coin, a 1900 Morgan dollar, and a 1964 Proof Set. I made a killing a few months earlier when the Hunt Brothers tried to corner the silver market, turning about $20 of coins into $200 about three weeks before the silver market crashed back to normal. He told me, “Congratulations!”.
A couple of days later, he caught my attention as I came into class. I stopped at his desk, and he opened a drawer, pulled something out of it, and tossed it on the desk. It was a 2”x2” coin wrapper with something in it. I picked it up, and looked. It was a 1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny, in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. This is one of the most famous coins in the US collection. He said, “This is MY favorite coin.” I told him, he had taste.
I did not really interact with him much after 10th grade, but it was cool that we had numismatics in common.
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