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I hope you enjoyed our 2021 ramblings through the Bluegrass State in this column “From the Colonel’s Desk.” We explored highways and byways connecting Kentucky to the rich history of American coins, tokens, paper currency, medals, private money, and related collectibles.
Some of these artifacts evoke the ups and downs of hard-working dreamers and doers like land-baron Dr. Philip Parry Price (thrown in prison for trying to woo British workers to his Kentucky settlement) and bourbon king Samuel Taylor Suit (who built a castle for his wife).
Some tell exciting stories of people who found treasures through luck—like the farmboys who unearthed a jug of gold coins in their uncle’s tobacco field—or by perseverance, like Gaius Whitfield III, who unlocked his family’s ancestral fortune using a key left behind by his father.
Some connect us to the day-to-day lives of Kentucky farmers, merchants, and other workers, showing us how they made their money, and how they spent it.
Some immerse us in the horrors of war, the struggles of financial hard times, and the sadness of personal loss.
Others speak to the inspiring deeds of men and women both great and humble.
In the coming year, we’ll explore more of these highways and byways in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There are so many stories to tell, and so many interesting pieces of history to collect. I’m glad you’re here for the journey.
Dennis Tucker, Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, is the publisher of Whitman Publishing, a leading producer of storage and display supplies, reference books, and other resources for collectors and hobbyists. He was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel in March 2021 for his career in book publishing and his promotion of the Bluegrass State’s status as an important subject in numismatics. His column “From the Colonel’s Desk” explores the Commonwealth’s diverse connections to American coins, tokens, medals, paper money, private currency, and related artifacts.
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