in spreading numismatic interests in others. His collections included large quantities of American colonial coins, ancient and medieval European coins, Mexican coins dating back to Spanish control of the country, and Portuguese Indian pennies. Death Johnson died of a heart attack on February 24, 1947, while travelling on a street car to his shop. He was buried in St. Louis County, Missouri. Personal life Burdette Johnson was unmarried. During the Great Depression, Johnson took in a young girl named Mary Cruzan who had been abandoned by her parents. He raised and educated her as his own daughter, and Cruzan later inherited the entirety of Johnson's U.S. colonial coin stock. Cruzan's inherited stock was sold at record auction for $1.1 million USD after Cruzan's own death in 1996. References External links Newman Numismatic Portal 1885 births 1947 deaths American numismatists People from St. Louis People from De Soto, Missouri