By Ed Alexander

Recently, I was just having a “nothing special day”, when suddenly, my phone rings. I answered it saying “Hello”, and here is what came next.

“Hello Ed?”

“Yes.”

“This is Nelson McCoy – I’m from Ohio and used to own the…”

“For goodness sake Nelson, I know exactly who you are – I’m just trying to catch my breath and formulate some words to speak to you.”

I was shocked. The “Man”, Nelson McCoy, was actually calling me! It was lunchtime and the restaurant was a bit noisy, and not recognizing the area code, I went outside to take the call. One can only imagine. I have only been collecting McCoy pottery for about 10 years, and at the beginning, I thought the one book that I had found in a bookstore was all that there was. Well, that was wrong.

If you collect McCoy pottery I swear I believe it multiplies inside the covers of the collector books. I see something different every time I peruse the pages, or get one of our collector periodicals. It is amazing. In addition, I am way out of space (sound familiar?).

However, I digress.

Nelson told me that he and Billie were in Wilmington visiting their daughter, and he had received my phone number from the collector of all collectors, Chiquita Prestwood, a name that I had seen in books so many times in my first efforts to find McCoy.

We talked for a little bit, and then I found out that Nelson and Billie actually wanted to come by and visit with Tony and me at our home. I was totally beside myself. It was as if a rock star was coming by. I guessed that my collection must have reached their ears. Why, after seeing all the McCoy ever made, would they really want to see my stuff while they were on vacation of all things?

Anyway, they came by and the two hours of looking and visiting went by so quickly, actually too quickly for me. After they left, and after I had reflected on all the conversation, and after it seemed that they looked at my entire collection piece by piece, I realized that Nelson and Billie do so much for all of us. They are genuinely interested in what we do as collectors. They promote what we do by calling on collectors. They are real people, warm and friendly.

As they were leaving, Nelson said, “Billie and I hope you and Tony will call on us the next time you are in Ohio.”

“Nelson and Billie, you can count on it”

“Thanks for dropping by.”

In telling you the story of what happened one day at my house, I wanted to include a few snapshots that were taken during the visit of the Daddy and Momma of the pottery I love to collect.

The following snapshots have become an important part of my McCoy collection, and they are a special memento of a special visit by two special people.