HOW HOWARD GIBBS BEGAN COLLECTING Public Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 8, Number 39, September 11, 2005, Article 25
HOW HOWARD GIBBS BEGAN COLLECTING
Every collector has a story about how they came to be a collector.
Collectors may be born, but they also have to be inspired. The
following is an excerpt from an undated two-page document
written by Howard D. Gibbs, the Pittsburgh-area numismatist
known for his collection of odd and curious money of the world.
The original spelling and punctuation are kept intact."In 1902 while convelescing from scarlet fever I found a small
box containing a few old coins which belonged to my Mother.
As soon as I was allowed out of the house the neighborhood
was scoured to find kids who had any old coins which could be
swapped for arrow heads, a piece of gold ore or whatever they
would take. Soon I had just about all the coins in the area and
was looking for other worlds to conquer. Accidentally I learned
that a jeweler way out on Frankstown Avenue had a tray of old
coins in his window and since we kids got a free swim at the
East Liberty Natatorium every Saturday morning I stopped in
with my wet bathing suit over my shoulder and wonders to behold
found you could actually buy a coin from somewhere faraway
country for a nickle or a dime.""I heard that a Bank downtown on Fourth Avenue had a display
of unusual money. It was only fifty blocks to town and what was
that when there was something of interest. It turned out that a
man by the name of Faren Zerbe was exhibiting case after case of
the strangest money. Some were made of iron. One iron piece
was real long and had a tail on one and and a wing on the other.
Mr. Zerbe explained that this was called 'the coin with a soul'
because if the ends got broken the soul would escape and the coin
was no longer spendable until the medicine man of the tribe had
re-incarnated the soul (for a fee of course)."The purpose of Gibbs' document was to describe the history
of his collection and offer it for sale to any institution willing to
place it on display. He adds: "Under no circumstance nor at
any price will I permit this collection to be given or sold to a
museum who will not appreciate it and where it will end up
gathering dust in their 'morgue'"- 2005-09-11
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