QUADRIGA Ancients:
Who We Are

Member of the American Numismatic Association
(ANA Member #181192)

Master of Arts in Elementary Education, 1996
Johnson State College
Johnson, Vermont 05656

Vermont Elementary teaching license issued March 1996

Bachelor of Science in English/English Literature, 1993
State University of New York, College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820

I am a licensed elementary educator who has been teaching in northern Vermont since 1995. I have also had a deep interest in numismatics from an early age, and have since turned my hobby into a business - partly to help upgrade my own collection, partly to help reduce my surplus and duplicates, and partly to keep my mind active when I'm not playing tournament Scrabble. I'm the guy who buys and sells the coins, and I'm also the guy who designed and constructed this website. In short, I am Quadriga Ancients.

Like many American numismatists of my generation (i.e. the generation born just long enough after 1964 to miss out on the Great American Silver Coin Hoarding Frenzy), my hobby began with collecting Lincoln cents and Jefferson nickels out of circulation. Over the years, and with the guidance of my father and grandfather (presumably the men from whom I inherited the collectors' gene), I became interested in earlier type coins that I never had the fortune to have found in circulation - Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, Morgan dollars, and so forth.

As I became older, my interests diversified to include foreign coins and currency, and I found myself spending hours searching through dealers' so-called "foreign junk boxes" at every coin show I attended. It was not until I was in college, though, that I found an ancient bronze coin, housed in a 2x2 cardboard and Mylar flip, with an attribution and approximate date of mintage, in one such "junk" box. The price was five dollars, which did not seem like enough money for a coin that was (presumably) 1,600 years old. I asked the dealer whether (A) he had made a mistake in throwing such a piece into his junk box, or (B) the coin was a fake, a novelty reproduction, or something. The dealer assured me that the piece was genuine, and furthermore, that such coins were plentiful enough to be priced at such reasonable levels. He went on to say, "Why, are you really interested in that stuff? I think I have a few more of those around here somewhere," and pulled out several more small Roman bronzes, each identified and in separate flips, again, at unbelievably affordable prices. Does the phrase "hooked for life" mean anything to you?

As an elementary school teacher, I have used coins, currency, old newspapers, obsolete stock certificates, portable Victrolas, and so on to enrich my lessons. It's been no surprise to find that my students have much more enthusiasm for history if they can hold a piece of history in their hands.

Feedback is welcomed, encouraged, and generally appreciated. Let me know what you think of the site, what works, what doesn't, how it could be improved, or just write and say hello. I will respond to all email; however, keep in mind that the end of the month in particular is a hectic time (uploading the new catalogue, scanning images, etc.), so please don't be discouraged if I take a few days in responding. Though most of the questions I get are about coins listed in the catalogue, I am also glad to answer questions you might have about ANY numismatic matter, general or specific. Thanks very much!

Quadriga Ancients
St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819-4263

(802)-748-4669

email: trolhaus@vtlink.net

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