EPHRAIM'S LINCOLN STAMP & COIN CLOSING

Irving F. Ephraim was a friend of mine! He was a book dealer and better yet fostered my hobbies of coin and stamp collecting since 1954. As my entrepreneurial spirit grew, garnering snippets of Mr. Ephraim's wisdom encouraged me to deal in coins and stamps.

Tonight on Channel 3 - Worcester, the news broke of the store's closing. This Chandler Street location followed the Franklin Street store until a fire ensued. In Irving's retirement a new enterprise was born: LINCOLN STAMP & COIN.

I will miss visiting this unique store. Thirty years ago I brought my Cub Pack to the store to introduce the hobbies of collecting stamps & coins. The inevitable happened. "Stamp collecting is an "old man's hobby."

Changing times  and E-Bay and the like along with lagging inventories has closed this enterprise. There are coin shows and other ways yet it seems these two great hobbies have been transformed. Adhesive backed postage and the computer make for the now.

My appreciation to the Ephraim family is heartfelt.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN