B. MICHAEL THORNE (1942-2025)

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 44, 2025, Article 7

Numismatic News published an obituary of author Mike Thorne. With permission, here's an excerpt. He was born September 7, 1942 and died October 12, 2025. -Editor

Mike Thorne died on October 12 of a heart attack at his home in Starkville, Miss. He grew up in Shreveport, La., attained three degrees from Louisiana State University ('64, '67, '69), and was Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Mississippi State University.

Mike retired from MSU in 2002 but continued to teach part-time until 2009, when he ended his 40-year teaching career. He was an animal researcher, his department's graduate coordinator, the editor of a psychology journal, the author of 87 research articles, and four psychology textbooks.

He began collecting coins with his father in 1953. Mike was a member of the ANA since 1971 and the Numismatic Literary Guild since 1980. He was a Heritage Auctions Legacy Client and had several PCGS and NGC registry sets.

He became a numismatic editor in 1977 and wrote 1,000+ articles in the numismatic periodicals Coins, Numismatic News, COINage, and The Numismatist. He began the column "Basics and Beyond" in Coins in 1985 and continued it in Numismatic News until his death.

Mike had a part-time mail-order business from 1975 to 1985. He bought and sold coins on eBay, appraised coins, and helped people dispose of inherited coin accumulations.

To read his online obituary, see:
Dr. B. Michael Thorne (https://www.welchfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Dr-B-Michael-Thorne?obId=45914527)

I was saddened to learn of the death of Dr. B. Michael Thorne. During the more than two decades for which I served as editor of Coins magazine, Mike Thorne was a constant and valued contributor. His "Basics and Beyond" column appeared in every issue, and he submitted feature articles for most issues. Recently, his insightful writings have appeared in Numismatic News.

A few years back, Thorne turned his talent for writing to novels, including 2017's Murder in Memory (of which an Amazon reviewer said "... the characters and setting are a blast from the past") and 2023's Harper's Bizarre (described as "fast moving and intriguing").

"Mike Thorne has written numerous short stories, primarily in the horror genre. One of these, entitled Worms, placed ninth in a Writer's Digest contest with more than 2,000 entries. Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Thorne attended Louisiana State University, obtaining a degree in sociology. He later returned to earn a master's degree and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology. He subsequently spent 40 years at Mississippi State University as an academic psychologist. Over his professional career, Thorne published numerous research papers and wrote multiple textbooks, including Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Connections in the History and Systems of Psychology, and Biological Psychology. His writings on the topic of coins and coin collecting are regularly published in national periodicals."

In his ANA Collecting Friends blog with Steve Roach, Dennis Tucker discusses "The Secret Lives of Numismatists," and mentions Mike Thorne's novels. -Editor

And the numismatic master of the macabre? That would be Mike Thorne of Starkville, Mississippi. Hobbyists know Mike for his book reviews, market commentary, and "Basics and Beyond" hobby advice in Coins magazine and Numismatic News. He started writing for Coins in 1985 and has 1,000-plus articles to his credit in various national publications. What his readers might not realize is that Dr. Thorne, with a PhD in experimental psychology, had a concurrent career as an academic psychologist . . . and also a side gig in horror and crime short stories and novels. In two books set in fictional Harper, Alabama, we get the sense that Mike has seen things that most coin collectors never encounter. In 2017's Murder in Memory, a serial killer employed at a university counseling center frames one of his patients for his murders by using false-memory hypnosis. His latest horror novel, Harper's Bizarre (2023), reveals how fragile the veneer of civilization can be, even in a small town—an idea that emphasizes how precious civilization itself is.