I was born in Springfield, Mo. in1946, and I grew up in the state. I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1969. Afterwards I worked at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office while attending night law school at George Washington University. I graduated law school in 1974 and thereafter worked as a patent attorney with a number of private corporations, most notably Genentech and Gilead Sciences in the San Francisco area. I retired to San Antonio, Texas, in 2003.
I had (and continue to pursue, to limited degree) collecting coins, but found that interesting material began to diminish significantly in the 1990s and “condition mania” had become a plague. I was ready for a new start. That came in the year 2000 with the Holabird Filer II auction of mining stocks. That sale, and others to follow, were an education thanks to Fred’s extensive historical lot descriptions and the opportunity to preview in Reno the artistry of scripophily up for auction. I particularly was attracted to the beautiful engravings on bank note company-printed stocks and bonds, and that field has been my collecting specialty ever since. Scripophily anchors my long-term interests in art, history and finance.
I volunteer for the IBSS, serving as its US Chapter President and Chief Editor of the Society’s journal Scripophily. A long-term activity has been recording appearances of engraved stocks and bonds, with my personal databases including nearly 100,000 entries. I also like writing articles and news for Scripophily. The worldwide friends I have made in this hobby have been a plus. My only regret is that I didn’t start earlier