Collectors

My ancestors came to America by boat at different times and from the countries of Ireland, England, France, Holland and various Germanic countries. The Casey (Cayce) side of my family may have been French Huguenots, fleeing Europe for freedom. From years of genealogy research, I discovered I am a sixth cousin twice removed of world famous Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet of Hopkinsville, KY. My father grew up in Henryville, Indiana. My mother was from Madison, Indiana, where they met during the World War II years, while both worked at the Jefferson Proving Ground. Lucky for me, they got married. They were a happy couple and good parents. Both are gone, now. I was born Otis C. Casey, Jr. on July 30, 1945 in Madison. This is an Ohio River town well known in the state for forests, hills, waterfalls, and old stately houses. The riverboat, Delta Queen, stops here on the way to and from New Orleans.

After the war, when I was three years old, the family moved to Henryville. This is where I grew up. Henryville has always been small, about 500 to 1,000 people. The only claim to fame is that Colonel Harland Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, was born there in 1890. But, Henryville may be the single best place in the world to grow up. A boy could have a dog, go walking in the woods, wade and fish the creeks, carve sticks, spend valuable time with lifelong friends, and have absolutely no one to beat you up, take your lunch money or shoot you. The people all knew each other and cared deeply for the others in town. Everyone was poor, but didn't know it. Life was good in Henryville.

Graduating from Henryville High School in 1963, 1 was fortunate to be able to attend college at an extension of Indiana University in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and then the Last two years at the Bloomington campus. I graduated with a degree in accounting in 1967 and went to work for the United States Government in Indianapolis. Later that year I was drafted into the Army for a two-year period.

It was while I was in the military in Pusan, Korea, I met the girl I was to many. We did many in 1969 and have two sons. Now, the family includes three grandchildren, two girls and a boy. This year (1999) my Wife and I have been married 30 years, with at least another 30 to go.

The years since 1969 have been good to us. We have been able to raise our sons, go places on trips, see every state in the United States, except Hawaii, and visit several countries. There have been a few bad times, such as a heart attack and quadruple bypass heart surgery. There have been other problems like we all have in this world, but to date we have enjoyed life to the fullest. This enjoyment includes hobbies.

At a young age and to date my hobbies included walking and bicycling the area around Henryville and other towns, fishing endlessly, reading books, sending away for travel information of future trips that did eventually take place, collecting rocks, visiting caves, watching IU basketball, and writing to people. The first wood I got was from a drug store in Sellersburg, Indiana about 1962, which I still have and was the only wooden nickel in my possession until 1987. It was in 1987 that I saw an ad in Coin World by Allen Nystrom of Seattle, WA. The ad said for 25 cents and a self addressed stamped envelope I could get a wooden nickel. Suddenly, after twenty-five years, my collection doubled. Allen sent a subscription form to join the IOWMC and my collection has grown ever since. Eventually I joined the DWMC, WWMC and other wood collectors clubs.

Somewhere along the road of wood collecting, my interest expanded into business cards. From my perspective, woods and business cards are a lot alike. They have printing on them, logos and designs, are colorful, creative and historic in nature. Business cards are free, plentiful, easily sought and can be traded with other collectors on a mass basis. Woods are round or flat, more durable and frequently have the date of manufacture printed on them, and are more of a conversation piece. Either way, a person you meet is likely to give you a cold stare If you tell him you collect wooden nickels or business cards. The hobbies of collecting coins, stamps, sports cards, Barbie dolls, beer cans and matchbooks are OK to most people, but not my two collections. However, after showing a doubter samples of woods and business cards he usually changes his mind, somewhat.

With both collections, my favorites are personal issues. Christmas woods, anniversaries, birthdays, celebrations are the ones I like best. Business cards designed by a person for his own business, profession or personal life are the ones I seek most. Whereas, many wood collectors look for officials or semi- officials, this collector prefers the personals. With business cards, any card will do, but there is extra pleasure in collecting the business cards of famous people, and any serious collector will obtain cards of presidents, politicians, movie stars, well known businessmen, sports figures, and other celebrities. Some woods, also, are of the celebrations of famous people.

An example of personal woods I especially like are the Wicked Wizard issues of William Morphet. Over the years he has found a curse for almost everyone, including the postman who breaks wooden nickels in the mail. These woods are creative, well designed, entertaining and worth keeping for generations to come. My own answer to these woods is to create joke business cards, with which I hope I have entertained people. If you see a business card with the title "Collector of flying saucers, whole or in pieces, no dead aliens wanted", it will have my name on it. I have made a few woods, such as one for Colonel Sanders and another for Bobby Knight, the great coach of Indiana University. As a combination of the two hobbies, I had a wooden business card made. I greatly encourage wood collectors to design woods for themselves or whatever subjects they are interested it. And, for goodness sake, if you are in a business of any kind, or just an ordinary person, go to a printing shop and have a business or calling card made up with your name, address and telephone number printed on it. It is easier to give some one you meet a business or calling card than to write it down for people over and over. Add a logo, color ink and a cute saying and they are more likely to keep it. Business cards are much cheaper by the five hundred than are wooden nickels. Business card collectors even have a club, called the American Business Card Club.

As a wood collector, there has been nothing to stimulate my interest more than the three Fostoria, Ohio meetings over the last six years. At one place, I have met dozens of legends in wood collecting. These are people Z can identify with and learn from. They know the history of woods, have made them, trade with each other and just plain have a hell of a good time. These weekend meetings, every two years, would seem strange to anyone else, but the fact is a person gets an incredible high from watching and listening. Not being a large wood collector myself, I am so deeply grateful to have been allowed to attend. I would like to list all the people I have met in Fostoria and how much they mean to me, but I will only recognize one, for he is recently deceased. Walter "Scotty" Scott was a long time member and officer of the lOWMC and DWMC, a newsletter editor and knowledgeable of all woods. At the 1997 Fostoria meeting I spent quite some time with Scotty. He showed me years of past wood newsletters and his collection, in part. He was a living history book. There is no other way to describe this person than as a legend. I hope there will be future Fostoria meetings. In my opinion, everyone should try to attend. Scotty vvill be there in spirit, but other legends will be there in person. Meet and talk to the wooden money legends.

I would like to say one more thing about the fun of collecting inexpensive items. As the saying goes, in our day to day lives we have family, work, friends, church and the events of the world to think about. A few minutes or hours with a collection, ever now and then, even an unusual one, can give a person thoughtless satisfaction without danger or exhaustion.

You can meet or correspond with other wonderful people with the same interests as yourself. The collection of woods and business cards, or countless other items, is a way to relax and do only what you want. It requires no ending or accomplishment, beyond fun and peace. Failure is not a possibility. Loss of such a collection is not monetary. If you don't like it, there is no reason to collect. If you get tired, stop for as long as you want, or just quit. You can always throw it away or give your collection to someone else. Do not ever let it become work or addictive. There is no responsibility. You do not have to feed a collection, clean up after it, and cannot be charged with abuse or neglect. Forbid any state of panic or depression. Outlaw greed, envy, jealousy, coveting. There is no reason to argue or disagree. This may be the only area of life where you are the boss and retain complete control. So I say to my fellow wood and business card collectors, "Let's collect and have fun!"