In January 2015 the numismatic world was saddened to learn of the passing of J.H. Cline, who had been part of the numismatic world for over 52 of his 81years. Known as "Jay the Beard" to some friends and recognized by many others for his signature top hat, Jay was a fixture at countless regional andnational conventions. Cline's Rare Coins on Salem Avenue in Dayton, Ohio was a meeting place for collectors and dealers to buy, sell, and converse-a"coin club" that was very popular in its day. Jay, his wife Vicki, and some family members then relocated to Palm Harbor, Florida, where he continuedhis numismatic activities.

While Jay was knowledgeable on just about every aspect of American numismatics, his first love and specialty was Standing Liberty quarters struck from 1916to 1930. His book, Standing Liberty Quarters remains the standard reference on the subject and has gone through four editions.

A list of his numismatic memberships is long and ranges from local clubs to national and regional associations. From 1970 through 2014 he was a familiarfigure at American Numismatic Association conventions, save for just two years. He contributed to many publications including the Blue Book, Red Book, and ANAGrading Standards for United States Coins. When asked for help or information, he always stepped forward.

Whenever a notable Standing Liberty quarter made the news, Jay would write about it. When Bowers and Merena Galleries sold the Louis E. Eliasberg quartersat auction in 1997, he wrote concerning the MS-65 1916:

Jay's life was a Horatio Alger story personified. He was born in Richlands, Virginia, one of eight children in a coal miner's family of modestmeans. At an early age he learned the value of hard work combined with diligence and education. After completing his secondary education he moved to Ohio"with a new pair of shoes and eleven dollars in my pocket," per his own telling. He lived with his brother while gaining a foothold, married, andworked hard to provide for his family. Rare coins were a passion, and on weekends he traveled to attend coin shows. Cline's Rare Coins opened in 1964 andwas popular from the outset.

In 1981 he married for the second time. Seeking a helper for the business he advertised for "a gal Friday." That gal turned out to be Vicki. Theircombined family consisted of five children and ten grandchildren. She was introduced to numismatics, caught on quickly, and became a buyer and salesperson. Shereluctantly retired in 2018 after 40 years in the business.

Vicki has consigned some of Jay's personal favorite numismatic items to our World's Fair of Money auction. Particularly notable is a 1916 quarteraccompanied with a letter from its designer, Hermon A. MacNeil.

As to Jay, all of us in the numismatic world are richer for his having come our way.

To read the complete article, see:
J.H. Cline - Did You Know?(https://www.stacksbowers.com/News/Pages/Blogs.aspx?ArticleID=remembering-j-h-cline)