Irish Coins from the Collection of the Late Jim Sazama

James Francis Sazama (1946 - 2011)
James Sazama, known to all his friends and associates in numismatics as Jim, passed away at his home in Southern Pines, North Carolina, on 18 February 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 64 years old.
One of nine children, Jim was born on 30 October 1946 in San Francisco. He graduated from St Francis High School and Foothill College in California, then earned a bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology from Utah State University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict, and after demobilisation opened the Wooden Nickel Coin Shop in Los Altos, California, in 1974. Married to Charlene in November 1979, the Sazamas moved to Mountain View, California, where Jim opened the Double Eagle Coin and Art Gallery.
In 1982 the family relocated to Southern Pines, NC, where, along with his brother Shawn, he established the American Nursery & Landscaping Co in Pinehurst. Landscaping may have been the day job, but Jim was keen to continue his involvement with numismatics, which he readily admitted was his first love, for the rest of his life. He was a well-respected member of the coin collecting community in the Carolinas, contributing articles to numismatic publications. He particularly enjoyed his Wednesday morning radio appearances at Star 102.5 FM, talking about the gold and silver market with chat show hosts Rich Rushforth and Kristen Palmer. He was a charter member of the Professional Currency Dealers of America, the North Carolina Numismatic Association and the Moore Numismatic Association.
In addition to being a professional numismatist, Jim had recently entered into partnership with Scott Arney to form a new company, Amazon Tropical Fish, and for this new venture Jim had travelled to Peru and Uruguay to collect specimens. In Southern Pines he was an active member of the Lutheran Church community, serving on its congregational council.
In recent years Jim became well known in England for his avid pursuit of small denomination hammered coins -pennies, halfpence and farthings -from England, Scotland, Ireland and their equivalents on the nearby continent. He visited London on several occasions, acquiring a significant tranche of the important collection formed by the late Jeffrey Mass, sold by DNW in four annual dispersals beginning in 2004. A glance at this catalogue will show the breadth of the Sazama collection, which it is intended will be sold in four annual parts at the time of COINEX, concluding in 2014.
Jim is survived by Charlene, his wife of 31 years, their children Ben, Cassandra and Nicole, his parents F. James and Susan Sazama, his four brothers and four sisters, two grandchildren, Clarise and Ryan, and many nieces and nephews.
Collection Information
This collection was sold on 5 December 2013.
Other Collections Sold in 2013
- Awards to the Medical Services from the Collection of the late Tony Sabell
- Awards to the Indian Army from the Collection of AM Shaw
- Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte
- Milled Coins from the Andrew Scothern Collection
- The Late Jim Sazama Collection of Medieval Coins
- A fine Collection of Medals to the Sherwood Foresters
- A Collection of Medals to the Sussex Yeomanry
- A Collection of Awards to the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force
- A Collection of Medals to the Hampshire Regiment
- An Old Collection of Medals Relating to The Great War
- British Medals from the Collection of James Spencer
- Tokens from the Late David Griffiths Collection
- The Late Robinson S. Brown Jr Collection
- The Alan Cathery Collection of British Campaign Medals
- A Fine Collection of Boer War Medals
- A Fine Collection of Awards to the Canadian Forces
- Irish Coins from the Collection of the Late Jim Sazama
- The Ron Tuppen Collection of Naval Medals to Engine Room Officers
- Life Saving Awards from the Collection of John Wilson
- Fine British Orders - the property of a Gentleman
- British Hammered Coins from the Collection of James T. Joyner
- British Hammered Coins from the Collection of Dr Paul Lewis
- Collection of Jetons formed by the late George Berry
- World Coins and Tokens from the Collection formed by Allan Vayle
- The George Berry Collection of 17th Century Buckinghamshire Tokens
- The Peter Mann Collection of Kent Tokens
- Collection of British Coins formed by the late Ronald Hansen
- Patterns of Elizabeth I from the Collection of Walter Wilkinson
- The Leon Morel Collection of Medals of Edward VIII
- The David Young Collection of Medals of Devon
- A Collection of Admiral Vernon and Related Medals, the Property of a Gentleman
- A Collection of Medals Associated with Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
- Medals from the Collection of the Revd. John Watson
- The David Greenhalgh Collection of Medieval Halfgroats
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