EAC 2026 Reg

EARLY CENTS AUCTIONS

THE BOB KEBLER COLLECTION OF HALF CENTS

My journey into half cent collecting began when I was thirteen years old. I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and Roger Cohen just happened to live only two houses from ours. In December 1971 Cohen gave my brothers and me a copy of his newly published book “American Half Cents- The Little Half Sisters”. He said if any of us read it and could then answer 3 questions about half cents he would let us come with him to the next local coin show. I answered the basic questions correctly (I wish I remember what they were) and for the next five years Roger would drive me to around three coin shows a year. What a way to get hooked on half cent collecting! I dreamed of cherry-picking a rare variety, but that never did happen with Cohen patrolling the bourse at the same time. Over the next 10 years I formed a respectable collection for a high school and subsequent college student. For the next twenty years my half cent collecting took a hiatus. In 1980 I was admitted to St. Louis University School of Medicine. The rest of my life I have remained in the St. Louis area. I am in my thirty-ninth year as a general practice

pediatrician, a career that has been extremely rewarding, fulfilling, and challenging on a daily basis. I am planning on retiring at the end of the summer. My wonderful wife is from St. Louis, and we have been married forty-one fantastic years. She has been unbelievably supportive of my passion for half cents, even though she says, “looking at copper coins is like watching paint dry.” My two daughters live a few hours away and both have chosen the education profession, one a first-grade teacher and one an elementary school teacher-librarian. Both are superb at what they do, and any student who is lucky enough to have them as their teacher will be much better for it. In 1999 my interest in half cent collecting was rekindled. Over the next several years I settled on building my collection with several parameters: collecting by variety, with only one coin per variety; pedigree emphasizing coins from as many different owners as possible; and best condition and eye appeal as can be afforded by my budget. It has been a tremendous experience building my collection to where it is now. At times difficult choices had to be made to keep with the one coin per variety rule, such as keeping a coin with a better condition or a different coin with better pedigree but worse condition. By another stroke of good fortune, St. Louis also happened to be the home of half cent collector supreme R. Tettenhorst, and over time we forged a very special friendship. I was honored to be asked by Tett to organize the archival material of first Roger Cohen and then Tett, a project that took several years but has been the most important and cherished of my numismatic career. I joined EAC in 2000 after being introduced to the organization by Shawn Yancey. It was the best decision I have made as a copper collector. The education provided has been the cornerstone of forming my collection. I have been an active EAC member, submitting several articles for Penny-Wise, attending all but two conventions since 2007, providing exhibits at several of the conventions, serving as Chairman of the 2022 EAC Convention in St. Louis, and currently serving as EAC National Secretary. Most important to me are the many friendships that have arisen through my association with EAC. I chose to auction my half cent collection at the EAC Convention as my way of giving something back to EAC.

88 CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA MAY 2, 2026 5PM EDT, EAC CONVENTION 2026