BEASTLY TALES

THE NUMISMATIST

Numismatically speaking,
Helmut, our hero, was seeking,
A very rare coin of the realm,
Such action could well overwhelm.
Helmut Sheiskopf was a rare coin collector,
He’d try anything, including a metal detector,
To add to his collection of coins most rare,
Numismatics was the sole subject of which he did care.
What he was now, desperately seeking,
Every avenue conscientiously tweaking,
Was an Australian 1930 penny,
But, so far, he hadn’t found any.
Such was worth over sixty thousand dollars,
And the long searching of numismatic scholars,
Was failing to bring any to light
And for any found, the copper had to be bright.
To have any chance of reaching top price,
In Mint Condition they had to be, yes, very nice.

Because 1930 was in The Great Depression,
Collectors had always to heed the confession,
Always seeking such could make one's eyes squinted.
That not many of such coins were ever minted.
The rarity made such coins a collector’s dream,
With only a handful available in the numismatic stream.
Now, for Helmut to meet his needs,
To a 1980 penny his problem cedes.
A 1980 penny used with skill,
Yes, a 1980 penny could fit the bill.
After all, what’s 50 years between friends?
If it permits one to meet one’s ends.
By carefully filing the figure “8” in a vertical half.
One creates a figure “3”. Oh, what a laugh!
Thus 1980 becomes 1930 in a trice.
With potential to bring in money. Very nice.
Of course, a 1980 penny, being fifty years newer,
Must be more shiny, to a casual viewer.
So the stage now seemed to be set,
For Helmut, at last, to achieve his bet.
That he would obtain a 1930 penny by year’s end,
And the wager would now be paid by his friend.