Ralph Rucker Collection Fixed Price Pt II

Then, everything changed. In the summer of 2005, I became aware that the magnificent collection of Mr. J.M. Wadlington was being offered for sale. Mr. Wadlington was the 11th person who had ever as sembled a complete Sheldon-numbered collection of Early Large Cents, and he had done so way back in 1997. So at the same time that I found out who actually owned the elusive S-79, I was offered this coin for my own collection. It was a bolt out of the blue. This of course required me to drastically reassess all my previous goals and intentions regarding my collection. There were still 8-9 other major varieties that I did not have, which “normally” seem to have been acquired (at least by many of the men I had observed earlier) before getting the S- 79 as the last coin for completion of the series. If I passed on the offer, the likelihood of ever seeing this coin again was slim, and I could not reasonably ever even dream of completing the collection. But if I accepted it, notwithstanding the huge emotional and financial impact that would affect my family, I could hardly withhold an unequivocal commitment to proceed to complete the series. I simply could not do one without the other. The total support I received from my family to this commitment was decisive, and I accepted the offer for this coin. Equally as stunning was the revelation that fall that John Wright, a truly fine gentleman who has contributed so much to the knowledge of these coppers, was going to liquidate his extensive 236 col lection. We (several weeks previously) had a lovely visit with John and Mabel Ann Wright, with my son and daughter-in-law, at Chris McCawley’s home where the Wrights were entertained by several of my grandkids and their mother’s very obvious pregnancy. So it was evident to me that a number of speci mens of the other great rarities of the series were coming on the market, an opportunity on which I did not hesitate to capitalize. During the next year and a half I was able to acquire the remaining needed coins, culminating with the S-2 at the 2007 EAC Convention in St. Louis. This has been a pleasurable and fulfilling quest for over two decades, even before the goal of a com plete collection was contemplated. Seeing friends and exchanging information with other collectors in EAC is indeed a pleasure, as are the educational seminars at the conventions. There is always more to learn and plenty of coins to upgrade. What I love about Large Cents has not changed since the begin ning searches for pleasing common varieties in small coin shops. The thrill of holding and studying each new acquisition and trying to document the history of each coin as far as I can remains an ongo ing endeavor. Editor’s Note: I had to encourage Ralph to share his saga with all of us, and after reading it, am I ever glad that I did! Thank you, Ralph! The stories of the assembly of so many collections are lost for all time--the collector never gets around to telling the tale, or (unlike Ralph’s straightforward narrative) there are details which are best left unpublished, or the heirs of a deceased collector fear unwanted publicity: for example, I know for a fact that the heirs of Willard Blaisdell forbade Del Bland telling the story of Willard’s collection. I also think that Ralph’s commitment to complete the set once the rarest piece of the puzzle (the S-79) had fallen into place bears emphasis: the rarest, choicest examples needed to complete any collection often appear “out of turn”--and when they do, it’s either stretch to acquire them, or frankly acknowledge that that particular ‘hole’ may remain forever unfilled.