Hon. James Patrick Flannery, Jr. (1950 - 2023) of Chicago, Illinois passed on October 13, 2023, he was 73 years of age. Jim became member number 1056 when he joined the Chicago Coin Club in April of 1996.

From his early high school days at LaLumiere high school in LaPorte Indiana, Jim was a well-respected student and athlete. Jim was a member of the 1968 charter class at Lalumiere.

Jim earned his B.S. in mathematics from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1973 and completed his J.D. at the University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School in 1976

Jim was admitted to the bar in 1976 and has been a judge since 1988, he was transferred to the Law Division in 1997. In 2014 he was appointed presiding judge of the Law and was last retained in the November 2020 General Election.

His collecting passions included U.S. Coins, U.S. Paper Money, some foreign coins and stamps.

Jim attended and volunteered as an Ambassador for several ANA World's Fair of Money conventions in Rosemont Illinois. Attending these conventions helped Jim to further his collecting interests.

In January 2019 during the CCC 100th anniversary year Jim brought two items to the club's monthly show and tell. First a overprinted $20 bill from 1942, obtained in circulation while Jim worked at a bank in the early 1970s - it whetted his appetite for researching and collecting, and Jim explained how the notes were designed to be immediately devalued in the event the Hawaiian Islands fell during WWII.

Second a high grade and scarce 1909-S Lincoln cent with designer initials, which was obtained via a sentimental monetary gift from his late mother to spend The coin was redesigned without the designer's initials after a scant 484,000 examples were released from the San Francisco mint - a result of the public outcry over their bold prominence.

Jim is survived by his wife Carol Zigulich; daughter Joanne Z. (Michael Alpert) Flannery; grandchildren Brooklyn and Becksley; brother Patrick (Lynda) Flannery and Maureen (late Dan) Pyne; and nieces and nephews.

Services were held in October. Expressions of sympathy can be directed through the Dalcamo funeral home at https://www.dalcamofuneralhome.com/obituary/HonJames-FlanneryJr