I have never met a movie star who collects coins. I have met a couple of notable early coppercollectors who have been portrayed in movies. One of them was the creator and first editor of theEarly American Coppers journal, Penny-Wise. I know I am getting old when I realize he has nowbeen dead for thirty years.

The Early American Coppers Club was founded in 1967 by Herbert A. Silberman (1916-2001).He recruited Dr. Warren Lapp, EAC Charter Member 33, to edit a club newsletter, which Lappdid from the issue of September 15, 1967, through March 15, 1986. A January 1986 heart attackforced him into retirement after 113 issues and 5440 pages.

Penny-Wise grew from modest beginnings into a great resource for copper collectors. DoctorSheldon's book, Penny-Whimsy, was published in 1958 and through the popularization of varietycollecting, became quickly out of date. One of the missions of Penny-Wise was to gatherresources for the eventual update of Penny Whimsy.

Warren Anthony Lapp was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, on April 5, 1915, and grew up inNorwood, Ohio. His parents were Reuben Roy Lapp (1886-1952), a manager for Socony OilCompany, and Gertrude Caroline Hacker (1888-1982).

Warren attended Ohio State University and received an M. D. in 1939, trained as an obstetricianand gynecologist. He did an internship in Brooklyn 1939 to 1941. He married Emma KatherineBeard (1916-1993) on January 25, 1941, then continued with his residency 1941 to 1944. He wascommissioned as a first lieutenant and army doctor and served in Europe during 1944 to 1946.Dr. Lapp delivered the first child born to a military dependent in Europe after the war.

On December 9, 1945, the 1938 Cadillac in which General George S. Patton was riding collidedwith an Army truck near Manheim, Germany. Patton received a paralyzing spinal cord injury anddied on December 21, 1945. One of the attending doctors was Warren Lapp. Lapp was a scriptconsultant for the 1986 television movie, Lapp was portrayed byactor Michel John Paliotti. Lapp received a Bronze Star in April 1945 and left the Army as amajor.

After the war, Lapp returned to Brooklyn as attending physician at Kings County Hospital. Afterthat he was director for OB-GYN at St, Johns Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn. Later he was anAssociate Clinical Professor at the State University of New York after 1955. He was president ofthe Kings County Medical Society in 1959 and president of the Brooklyn Gynecological Societyin 1960. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and Councilor of the New YorkState Medical Society.

Lapp contributed an important article to The Numismatist. was published in the issue of April 1971. It won a 1972 Heath Literary Award for Lapp in 1972. His collection of items made from largecents was the basis for an article, published in TheNumismatist in August 1971.

Lapp joined Herbert Silberman to edit the anthology, United States Large Cents 1793-1857,published by Quarterman in 1975. Among his collecting interest were oddities made from largecents and things named Pennywise.

His interests outside numismatics included membership in the Long Island Historical Society andRotary International. He enjoyed fishing, swimming and boating on a private lake near hisvacation home in New Jersey.

In May of 1983, I met Dr. Lapp at the annual EAC convention in Queens, New York. I took hisphoto in my role of EAC Historian. The quality is not good, but it is the only one I have.

After his 1981 retirement, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Lapp was in poor health anddied at home there on May 20, 1993. He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery at Raleigh, NorthCarolina. He was survived by his wife, two sons and five grandchildren. Katherine died sevenweeks later on July 8, 1993.

As I was doing research on Lapp this week, the most comprehensive source I could find for himwas the obituary I contributed to the July 15, 1993, issue of Penny-Wise. I would have troubledoing as well today.

Getting back to characters in movies. Pennywise is a character in the Stephen King 1986 novelIt. This was made into a movie. Pennywise was portrayed by Tim Curry in the 1990 televisionadaptation and by Bill Skarsgard in the 2017 film adaptation. The American punk-rock band,Pennywise, is named after the character.