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SCOOP NEWS Southwest Michigan Seek & Search Club |
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Well
it's here - 2010 finally made it. I am sure many of us never dreamed we
would see the day when the calendar said 2010. I remember a year and a half ago going to my youngest daughter's kindergarten graduation. Grace looked so cute in her little white cap and gown. As she approached the stage to get her diploma I noticed the sign on the stage said "Class of 2020" I thought to myself whoa! That sounds like forever from now. Then I realized it is only 12 years away! Our club saw many great things in 2009. We had many new members come into our club, while silver and gold continued to soar to some of the highest prices in years. Many great finds were made in 2009 also. We saw jewelry full of diamonds, the oldest group of coins and tokens the club has ever seen, as well as many great relics and whatnots. That being said, 2010 should bring some more awesome finds by all of us as we gain experience and the equipment continues to get better with technology. 2009 also saw our 20th year as a club. I heard from Al that he had done the newsletter for 15 years straight. How can a we ever thank him for so many years of service to our club? Not only is Al one of the founding members of the club, he has spent so much time serving the club that he loves. He has put together wonderful stories from days gone by for the newsletter, he has given countless donations from his shop as door prizes, he also served as MC and comedian for our find of the month contest at each club meeting. Al is most likely most responsible for our membership being as large as it is too. I know when visiting his shop, countless times I have seen him tell people about the club and share a newsletter with them. It never failed, soon many of them would show up at the meetings and find out how great the club was and many would become new members. Through the last year Al also had a new challenge in his life, and that was cancer. Through this battle that no one wants to ever face, Al still was able to do the newsletter and continued to run his shop as he fought a good fight and came out on top. His cancer is gone! Many a man would have hung up the newsletter job, and maybe even taken a leave of absence from the club, but to Al it was a labor of love. I know that through all the years of his service the biggest reward that Al has received is all the friends that he has made. Many times Al has told me that maybe he needed a break from the newsletter, but he would always muster up another one and we were able to enjoy another month of good reading. I knew when he told me most recently that he was ready for a real break that he was serious. That being said, as 2010 begins you will notice a new name on the newsletter as editor. Anna Matecun, our wonderful club secretary, has agreed to take on the task. She is more than qualified, and very professional in how she does things. Al assures me that he is still willing to take part as he will send some of his wonderful stories to share and if needed from time to time will do a newsletter too. Back to my original question. How do we thank someone for so many years of service? I think the answer is simple. The next time you see him at his shop or the club meeting, simply go to him and say "Hey Al, thank you!" Can't wait to see what 2010 has to bring for us treasure hunters. |
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THANKS, Club! By Anna Matecun Our December meeting was again a great success and a time enjoyed by all. The food was great, we had an excellent selection of door prizes and auction items that brought in the highest amount ever for us! We want to give a special "THANK YOU!" to all the club members who donated items for the auction. We would not be able to have this event without you -THANK YOU for your generosity! Auction items and high bidders were: • 3 Embossed Coins-------------------------------------------------------------------------(Brian Matecun) • 1883 Morgan Silver Dollar-------------------------------------------------------------- (Tim Peterson) • 1880 Morgan Silver Dollar --------------------------------------------------------------(Tim Peterson) • 1886 Morgan Silver Dollar --------------------------------------------------------------(Tim Peterson) • 50 Uncirculated Lincoln Pennies --------------------------------------------------------(Denny Noel) • Bag of Rings & Coins --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Ron Jenner) • 3 Foreign Coins----------------------------------------------------------------------(John Assenmacher) • 3 American Coins --------------------------------------------------------------------------(Eric Andrews) • Bag of Coins ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Billy Knapp) • 14 Old Coins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Ronald Hale) • USA 4-Piece Set----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Eric Andrews) • Civil War Trivia Book ---------------------------------------------------------------------(Mike Walker) • Tool Belt with Accessories ---------------------------------------------------------------(Carlisle Flegal) • Sand Scoop---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Carlisle Flegal) • Treasure Book ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Ron Jenner) • Civil War Collectors Price Book----------------------------------------------------- (Bob MacDougall) • Jar of Honey--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Brian Matecun) There were also four items that nobody bid on: 3 2-piece Franklin Mint, 2 local coins/tokens, a table runner and a road atlas. Thank you, also, to those who brought food items and door prizes - some of you do this every single month! Again, we would not be able to do these things without you! I think that we have a very special group of people in our club - everyone is always willing to help out in some way, whether that be through donating items, running the lights during our FOTM slide show, getting out plates/napkins for snack time, setting up or putting away tables and chairs, and so much more. The unselfish giving of both time and resources is a rarity these days and we are grateful to have each one of you as part of the club! You are what makes our club so special! One person who should be
given an extra special "Thank you" is Carl Tackett from T & W
Coins. He is the coin dealer that Mike purchases coins from for prizes
and seeded hunts. For our auction, he DONATED most of the coins/tokens
that were bid on. We have prepared a letter to express our gratitude to
Carl for his January is "Show" Month By Anna Matecun This month at our club meeting we will have "show" night, where you can bring in your collection of whatever it is you collect and put it on display to share with others. This night is "show" only - please do not bring items to sell. This, of course, has to be a "G-rated" collection. You know, family friendly; after all we are a family club! Oh! And no weapons of any kind - those aren't allowed in the Plainwell Community Center. So bring your collection - coins, jewelry, Coca Cola items, penguins, pull tabs, or whatever it is you collect, and put it on display for all to see. The more collections that are brought in, the more fun it will be for everyone. And who knows, maybe you'll find out that someone else in the club collects the same thing as you do! |
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WINNERS Our Fishbowl Silver Cache winner was----------------------------------------------------- John Corbin! Our silver dollar winners were --------------------------------------Greg Stonerock and Doris Arndt! Our 50/50 winners were ------------------------------------------------Carlisle Flegal and Keith Payne! Our turkey winners were
--------------------------------------------------------Jack Short & Al Holden! Congratulations, everyone! 2010 Club Dues are Due! By Anna Matecun If you haven't paid your 2010 Club Membership dues, there is still time! Remember, anyone who has not paid his/her dues will not have member privileges, like competing in the Find of the Month, door prize drawings, participating in seeded hunts, coin raffles and receiving this monthly newsletter, just to name a few! Please pay your 2010 dues at this month's meeting or mail a check or money order payable to SWMSS for $20.00 per family or single to: John Dudley 55344 C. R. 384 Grand Junction, MI 49056 Please include your name, names of family members who will be involved (spouse, children under 18 who live with you), phone number and address. Find of the Month Winners Jewelry 1. "Lord of
the Rings" gold-filled ring 2. Dolphin
Ring 3. 1950's
Brownie Ring 4. Sterling
Silver Ring 5. 10K Gold
Ring with 22 Diamond Chips The winner was the 10-K gold ring w/22 diamond chips found by John Corbin . Great find, John! Coins 1. 1877
Seated Liberty Dime 2. 1864 Two
Cent Piece 3. 1789
Spanish 2 Reale 4. 1824
Large Cent The winner was the 1789 Spanish 2 Reale found by John Assenmacher! Good Job, John! Fob, Badge & Token 1. 1863
Civil War "Cobb & Fisher" Store Card 2. 5 Cents
in Trade Token 3. 1860 Abe
Lincoln Political Token The winner was the 1860 Abe Lincoln Political Token found by John Assenmacher. Congratulations, John! Most Unusual 1. Union
Army Civil War Button 2. Old Toy
Oil Truck 3.
Victorian
Button
4. Uncle
Sam 1957 Play
Cent
5. Civil
War Era Eagle "R" Button 6. Early
1960 Lesney Matchbox Truck 7.
Neckerchief
Slide
8. Mid
1800's N.Y. Central RR Baggage Tag 9. 1800's Brass Barrel & Firing Mechanism of a Boot Pistol By: John Assenmacher 10. A
Buckle for Something 11. Horse
"Heart" Rosette The winner was (again) John Assenmacher's with the 1800's Brass Barrel & Firing Mechanism. Nice job, John. (I think I'll change my name to John…) Miscellaneous 1. 1935
Silver Certificate One Dollar Bill 2. 1896
Brass Padlock with
Keys
3. Ball
Mason Jar with Wire Bail
The winner was the 1896 Brass Padlock brought in my Mike Walker. Very nice item, Mike! February Banquet By
Anna Matecun The Board Members are busy planning our annual Club Banquet to be held on Sunday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. at Stir Max Chinese Buffet located at the corner of S. Westnedge Ave. & Kilgore Rd. Now, even if you are not a big fan of Chinese food, you will find something here that you like. They have a good selection of American fare on their buffet and even have steaks that they will grill up for you! And if you do like Chinese food, I highly recommend the chili chicken. A little spicy, but very delicious! This is the same location that we had our banquet at last year and a good time was had by all! We played some games, and had plenty of prizes. And we had time to sit around and talk and just get to know each other a little better. John Dudley is checking into a group discount for us, so we'll have more information on
the cost at the next club meeting. The Scoop News 6692 Whitehorse Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49048 The Scoop News is the official newsletter of the Southwest Michigan Seek & Search Club. The newsletter is edited by Anna Matecun. The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Plainwell Community Center. From U.S. 131, take exit 49A and go east on M-89. go through three traffic lights, then another 1/8 mile. Turn right into the drive just before the second set of railroad tracks. The building is near the road on the south side of M-89. Parking is in the rear of the building. Enter on the west side. Meetings are open to the public. |