Jim Bisognani: My Most Influential Person

Well, my fellow coindexters, many of you are likely prepping for a long Memorial Day holiday weekend as this article publishes. As a youth, that holiday came to mean three things to me: flag waving, parades, and barbeques! Then, in my early teens, I understood the history and gravity of the day. Yet, it also ushered in the great summer season — and most importantly, for this young coindexter — it meant that summer vacation was a mere few weeks away!

The arrival of June was a mere stepping stone to summer vacation. As a youth, the seemingly endless summer season was ours to enjoy. We could have fun and frolic for the foreseeable future. It was a grand welcome and an exciting time. Of course, ever since my preteen years, coins were (as they are now) a driving force to enjoy and further learn about. In addition to numismatic nirvana, there was ample time to spend with classmates, bike rides to new adventures, time to attend a family barbecue or two, and participate in some wonderful softball games (sometimes lasting until twilight met darkness). Ahh, those memories are now distant, yet so sweet...

Unfortunately, this year's holiday weekend is tempered with some unfortunate family news for yours truly. It was a few Fridays ago that my older brother, John, who had been suffering with pneumonia, called me with the devastating news that they had discovered he had lung cancer.

Per John, "Yep, it's stage 4. I asked the doctor, 'how could I get lung cancer?' I never smoked or anything. The doctor paused, then said, 'just bad luck.'"

Needless to say, that Friday was memorable. Upon hearing the news, an endless swarm of emotions raced through my head. Numismatics was not among them (at least, not then). We talked for several hours, with John in relatively good spirits about the battle plan ahead. "I'm going to beat this," he assured us. I ended the conversation with our love and prayers.

I didn't really get much sleep that Friday evening. Then, Saturday morning (May 9) eventually rolled around. As usual, I made the morning rounds, instinctively turned on the computer, and took a gander at spot metal prices. As I checked my work email, I saw a message from a fellow coindexter. The subject line read: You've Been Nominated. The body read as follows:

"Hey Jim, great article you just posted. Like you, I used to play a lot of softball back in the late 1970s, so your article brought back lots of good memories. Just wanted to let you know I nominated you as one of Coin World's 100 Most Influential People. Their list is always dominated by big-name, high-dollar folks. It would be nice to see someone like you recognized; someone who is active at the grassroots level, a place where most of us coindexters reside. Keep up the good work! - Dan G."

Well, suffice it to say, after reading that email from Dan, a feeling of purpose, recognition, pride, and thankfulness overwhelmed me. Numismatics — those wonderful coins — and a fellow coindexter came to the rescue! I replied quickly:

"Dan, as always, your feedback and input mean a great deal to me. The fact that you nominated me as one of the 100 Most Influential ‘coindexters’ is very special... I am not sure who has the final say and how one goes about nominating, but if you could drum up more support, it would be terrific!!! As always, be safe and happy collecting. - Jim B."

I went on to search about the nomination process. And, my fellow coindexters, if you're so inclined, go here to vote for yours truly, or any and all of the 300+ listed nominees. At the bottom of the page, you'll find a blank box with "Other - Write In" to make your vote. The list — as always — is formidable, and many deserving nominees are there waiting for your vote (including me). The deadline for submissions is May 30.

When Beth and I visited my brother last weekend, John was feeling better and asked how I was doing. I said, "John, I'm doing fine." He then reached for his old flip phone, anxious to show me some pictures. "Look at this one, my brother," he said. It was my headshot and the link to the Weekly Market Reports. John said, "Yeah, I show everybody your picture and the link to the site. 'That's my brother, he writes articles about coins!' I tell them." Though John was never a collector, he was proud of his little brother's numismatic obsessions and achievements.

I mentioned that one of my fellow coindexters had nominated me as one of Coin World's 100 Most Influential People. John said, "I hope you get on that list." As Beth and I were driving home, a distant, all-but-forgotten memory flashed in my head, and I remembered — I owe a great measure to my brother John for kickstarting my numismatic journey!

This Wednesday, as John was in the middle of being administered his first of three rounds of chemotherapy, he called me. "Hey, brother," he said, "I'm a few hours in with chemo and wanted to give you a call to let you know what's happening. How are you today?"

"I was thinking about you," I replied, "and trying to keep things together while working on the article for this week."

"That's right, you're a writer, my brother," said John.

My quick reply was, "That's right, John, and I'm going to mention you in the article this week!"

"Oh, no, why?" he asked.

"Because you got me started with my obsession with foreign coins," I explained.

John said, "Oh yeah, I remember when you were about 8. I said to you, 'get involved with coins — collect coins.' And I gave you that Canadian coin set, remember?"

I had all but forgotten about it until the other day when Beth and I visited. He had also helped when he was working at the old Rockingham Hotel...

I was the summer of 1968. My brother John — nicknamed, somewhat unflatteringly but accurately, "The Flea" — was working as a bellhop at the old Rockingham Hotel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This hotel was in the heart of downtown. Almost immediately to the hotel's left was the historic John Paul Jones House. Anyway, in the course of the day — in addition to the bevy of mainstay local patrons — there would be many world travelers who would come and stay at the Rockingham. So it was quite often (and fortuitous for me) that foreign coins would supplement The Flea's domestic tips. John would almost always give them to me at the end of his workday.

There were coins from Europe, Asia, and South America — everywhere, it seemed. I recall the excitement when I first picked up a Mexican Peso. We were studying about Mexico in school. All the excitement of the Aztecs, Cortez, and Juarez came to life, and here was a coin that had actually circulated in Mexico, and it was now in my hands! I had already started my Lincoln Cent collection, and now I had a whole new appreciation for the wild world of numismatics.

John said, "I got you started with coins, and you took off like a bird!" Yes, I did, and I for one am going to nominate my brother, John Bisognani Jr., as one of the 100 Most Influential People. My brother, my numismatic mentor. Love you, brother — fight on!

Until next time, be safe and happy collecting!

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