This summer, Southgate Coins has been blessed by the numerous visits of members of the Carson City Coin Collectors of America. Of course, some of them were scheduled, but other members showed up unexpectedly to our pleasant surprise. Read on to find out more about one of our recent visitors
One of C4OA’s Delegates from New Hampshire Pays Us a Visit
Last week, I was very surprised when I greeted a customer (who I’d never seen before) and he responded by saying, “Hi, you’re Maya, right?” I said that I was, and then I asked him who he was and how he knew me. It turns out that he’s Mr. Mark Archambault, and that he’s a C4OA member from the lovely state of New Hampshire (or as he says it, “Noou Hamshuh”). Mark had seen me on this very website, while perusing our weblog! Since he was vacationing out west, he decided to stop by and give us a hearty New England greeting.
After speaking with Mark for a while, we were reminded that he is quite the Carson City coin enthusiast. He’d previously bought Rusty’s first book, The Mint on Carson Street, which Rusty autographed for him, and he’d signed up for a membership in the C4OA a while back.
When we asked what he was up to in Reno, he told us all about his vacation. He and his wife drove all the way around Lake Tahoe, making stops at all the beautiful destinations (Incline Village, Emerald Bay, etc), then made a trip to Carson City to see the former Carson City Mint, which is now the Nevada State Museum, then spent time in Virginia City, Nevada’s historic Comstock region. Then, after finishing the first leg of his western adventure, he wound up walking into Southgate Coins, and recognizing me from pictures of me on our website. Unbelievable.
As is tradition with any C4OAer who walks into our store, we had to snap a picture of Mark before he left. Even though it took a few tries before we got just the right one—he was a very good sport—we were happy to catch him and Rusty standing next to an authentic Carson City coin canvas bag that hangs on our wall and once held so many treasures.
We give thanks to all those out there like Mark, who read our weblogs and silently partake in all our fun here at the store. And, a very special thanks to Mark himself, for including our little coin shop in his vacation adventure.
Hope everyone’s preparing for autumn weather! (I hear that Mark’s part of the country displays some of the most breathtaking color changes imaginable around this time of year.)
-Maya