Dear Valued Customer,
With sadness, but also with respect and appreciation
for a life lived fully and lived well, I am writing to inform you of the recent passing
of my father, Maynard Sundman, who along with my mother Fannie founded Littleton
Coin Company over 60 years ago. Soon after Dad’s discharge from the U.S. Army
in 1945, following service with the Fifth Army in North Africa and Italy during World
War II, my parents moved to Littleton, New Hampshire, where they founded our company
in a small one-room 2nd floor office on Littleton’s Main Street.
Over the next several decades, growing the business and
raising a family became their passion and their joy. Through innovative personal
service, along with a broad inventory of coins in a wide range of grades, Dad introduced
many new collectors to the fascinating and rewarding hobbies of stamp, coin and paper
money collecting.
For many years, my father was our only U.S. coin buyer.
One time around 1958, Dad was advertising to buy “key date” 1909-S VDB
Lincoln cents, offering something like $15.00 for Fine to Very Fine condition. A
woman from California sent us an entire roll of 50 coins in Uncirculated condition!
Dad wrote her back to say he couldn’t buy them because they were worth more
than what he was paying. After she insisted that he pay her exactly what he had advertised,
Dad went ahead and paid her more anyway! I’ll never forget the thrill of holding
that roll of 1909-S VDB cents in my hands, something few have ever seen.
Today, we have a full staff of expert coin buyers, and
Littleton Coin provides employment to over 350 area residents. My father was proud
of this development, but his true legacy among our staff over the years was his sincere
respect and appreciation for the contributions of each and every employee. Dad understood
that our firm is a “partnership” among everyone involved, especially
regarding our relationship with you.
My father was a very generous, and usually anonymous,
contributor to many local, regional and statewide charitable causes and organizations.
He was always pleased to give, but he never sought recognition for it, and we’re
proud to continue that community-oriented tradition.
Dad loved the collecting hobby and the business and
couldn’t wait to get to work each day. He was making it to the office nearly
every day until a month ago. Even then, he continued to work from home.
Our family and our staff will miss him greatly. His enthusiasm
for work and life will always be an inspiration to us, and we look forward to continuing
to share this enthusiasm for the hobby with you for many years to come.
Sincerely,
David M. Sundman
President
