Houston Jan 2025

The Al Nelson Collection

I bought my first middle date large cent in 2014 from Rod Burress and my last cent from the June 29th Early Cents Texas auction. According to Jack Conour’s “List”, my set is the 7th finest known. Accumulating these 246 varieties has been challenging, fun, and expensive. I am only 78, in reasonably good health, financially sound, and confident I could improve the quality of this set. So, why stop now? I am auctioning off my coins to help my daughter, Elizabeth, achieve her dream. Elizabeth taught physical education to special needs students in Lake County, Illinois for almost twenty years. When they aged out of public education at 21 or 22, they went home. As adults there was nothing for them. In September 2020, in the heart of the Covid-a9 pandemic, she founded Matthias Academy in Benet Lake, Wisconsin. Matthias began with 14 student and a small faculty located in an unused old building rented to them by a nearby Benedictine Abbey. Today there are 146 students, more faculty, and a broad offering of classes and activities for special needs adults with a large variety of different skills sets and physical and emotional challenges With the purchase of an 88 acre farm in nearby Salem, Wisconsin (with a mortgage), Matthias has purchased two homes and is now building homes with modifications specific to three special needs adults who live with a Matthias employee. A generous portion from the sale of these coins will be given to the school. There are so few opportunities for special needs adults that 35 new families have moved into the southeastern Wisconsin area. I would like to thank some of the many collectors and dealers I have met. In alphabetical order my thanks go to Lucas Baldridge, Jack Beymer, Jack Conour, Tom Deck, John Dirnbauer, Pierre Fricke, David Johnson, Jim Long, Chris McCawley, Tom Reynolds, Harry Salyards, Kevin Vinton, Joan and Rod Widok, and Shawn Yancey. And a word from Elizabeth: Thank you for looking at this set of coins my Dad has so patiently put together. When he shared that he wanted to sell this collection to help the adults of Matthias, his decision wasn’t a surprise at all as both of my parents are two of the most selfless people I have ever known. This collection sale and your awareness of the need, will only help these ones who desserve the most opportunity yet seem sometimes to be offered the least. Thank you for opening your heart to learn about a population that is often forgotten. Whether they live in state institutions, nursing homes or their aging parents’ homes, these adults are very much a part of our world and an extreme blessing to know. Thank you , Dad for your willingness to fill a need our world has neglected. You are a hero. Thank you.