Michael S. Shutty

I was born collecting. I did not choose this path; rather, a kink in my brain has moved me to hunt for evocative relics. This is how I make sense of the world -- one piece at a time. I am smitten with objects that were touched, used and loved by folks who are long gone. I connect with them by studying the bits they left behind. I suppose that I am a necromancer of sorts, as it is my belief that traces of these previous owners reside within the relic. Coins and tokens are among my favorites, but my list is long. Indeed, an evocative old coin that is worn from a thousand fingertips and corroded by the hand of Mother Nature is a joy to behold. Such pieces provide a springboard for my research and writing. My books tell these stories, and it is my hope that the words spark similar flights of imagination in others. I have a blog that explores this approach to collecting called Coin Collecting Necromancer -- check it out. I also collect communion tokens from old churches. These crude bits of lead and tin tell stories about an era when life was hard and discipline was strict. I have a blog for that too; it is called Collect Communion Tokens. Finally, I am a student of the collecting enterprise, and as a clinical psychologist who is necessarily introspective, I continue to explore this irrational amusement that we call collecting. But when it is all said and done, I believe that we collectors are fortunate to have found a passion so engrossing as hunting for coins, tokens, or whatever strikes us. And for me, the "whatever" includes a growing list of relics -- I confess, I know not where I am headed.