ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS AUTHOR ED FUHRMAN

When heavy metal guitarist Ed Fuhrman hits the road, one of his priorities is seeking out a local collector's shop. Is he looking for a vintage guitar or a hard-to-find record?

No. He's looking for coins.

"I've been playing guitar since I was 10 and teaching guitar since I was 15, but I've been interested in coins since I was 5," Fuhrman said. "I have yet to meet any fellow rockers at a coin show. Quite often, I'm the youngest guy at these events by 10 or 15 years, and I'm 53."

Worried that the art of coin collecting might become lost if not taken up by younger generations, the Dumont resident and New Milford native recently published "The Half Cent Handbook: Draped Bust Varieties 1800-1808." Released in January, it's geared toward beginners, especially young people.

It's the first in a series of four books Fuhrman plans to write on the subject. His second book, "The Half Cent Handbook: Classic Head & Braided Hair Varieties," is due out this summer.

Most coin books are very dry, overly technical, and many are out-of-date," Fuhrman said. "It's like looking at a calculus exam. I wanted to make my book different, more hip, easy to use, and to have some humor. My book is designed as a user-friendly guide to help you learn all about these coins and how to have fun collecting them."

His interest in coins was sparked when he found a box of old currency at his grandfather's house.

"I asked my grandfather if I could keep one of the coins," he said. "My grandfather laughed and said that I could keep the whole box."

Fuhrman decided to write about half cent coins because he has been specializing in collecting them for 25 years. Half cents are the smallest denomination ever produced by the U.S. mint; they were minted from 1793 to 1857.

As a guitarist, Fuhrman is best known for his work with Hades, a popular heavy metal band that released seven albums between 1987 and 2001, and as a longtime Bergen County six-string instructor. He's also played in his own bands, System Addict and Ten Ton Truck.

He said that seasoned coin collectors are similar to talented guitarists. "Both are extremely passionate," Fuhrman said. "There's an adrenaline rush that comes from discovering a new coin or cherry picking, just like there is when you write a good song or come up with a great riff."

To read the complete article, see:
Penny for your thoughts: NJ heavy metal rocker is a coin collector (https://www.northjersey.com/story/life/2021/05/04/coin-collecting-nj-heavy-metal-guitarist-writes-book-beginners/7350946002/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: THE HALF CENT HANDBOOK (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n08a06.html)
REVIEW: THE HALF CENT HANDBOOK (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n09a07.html)
BOOK REVIEW: THE HALF CENT HANDBOOK (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n15a06.html)

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