Your First Real Coin Purchase

My first purchase was at a coin shop in 1964. I overpaid for '43 and '44 MS tombac 5 cents. All my collecting up 'til then was filling Whitman's from circulation. When I saw how shiny the MS tombacs looked I just had to have them, even though they were only twenty years old at the time, tombacs were hard to come by, unbeknownst to me people were hoarding them by the thousands for the future. The future is here and the pair can still be had for under ten dollars.

I remember when I was 13 and there was a lot of excitement surrounding the new Bicentennial designs introduced in 1975. I wanted every variety of the coins that were being offered, even if they were not US Mint products.
During the summer, my mother and I drove up to Pymatuning Lake (in PA) to stake our claim to a camp site during the busy Fourth of July weekend. My dad was to follow later after he got off from work. Before he left the house, he picked up the mail and brought it along.
I can still recall how thrilled I was when I realized one of the parcels had a Gold-plated set of Bicentennial coins, which I had ordered from some magazine. It was an impressive looking shiny set when I pulled it out of its packaging, but has not survived in very good condition over the past 40 years. Yes, I still have the set, because who else would want the moldy stained thing?

My first real coin purchase was an 1863 Indian cent in Fine condition - circa 1976, and I still have that coin - maybe I'll dig it out and take a few pics of the old girl sometime.

ET

1st real purchase was a 25 dollar bag of bulk wheat cents. Now I have complete set except 1909 s vdb.

This was how I made my first real coin purchase.
I was getting ready for work one morning in September of 2013, I turned the TV on at 4 am and on the news they were doing the unveiling of the first Gold Superman coin. As I watched, the more intrigued I became. So I turned on my computer and found the RCM website, set up an account and ordered 2 of the coins. About 3-4 weeks later I received a package in the mail. I was very exited and nervous at the same time. What had I done , spending $1600.00 on 2 coins. I had never bought any coins in my life before that fateful morning watching the news.
Needless to say they were beautiful, but now what? I stashed them away and forgot about them for about 5 months and got around to looking at them again and I did a little research on them (also how I found the CCF!, lurked around for a long time before registering though) to find out they were a sought after item selling for between $2700 - $3000+ each, Wow!
I sold 1 of them for a profit of $2000 and still have the other one to this day. To bad I knew nothing about coins before that morning and just a fluke to see them on the TV that AM.
Now I can not go a day without checking some coins out on the net or here at the CCF and I have been hooked ever since!

An XF 1912-D Liberty nickel in San Antonio. TX in 1975. Paid $14.00 plus tax for it.

No longer have any of the coins I bought in the 70's & 80's. Divorce court ordered me to sell them within 30 days and split the proceeds with my ex-wife. Due to the limited time I had to sell them, to stay out of jail for contempt, I got $17,000.00 for a collection valued at $46,000.00. Not a good day!

Just started collecting again the first of this year (2016). Gonna have to lay low on purchases for a bit as we are buying a new house next month.

Good luck with your collecting!

Alan

NOTE: Edit was to correct typos only. I have focal dystonia and it makes typing a real nightmare.

It was actually a series of some purchases back in March 2000 at a coin show in Baltimore when I was 15, using allowance money I saved up over the past year and it was around $50. I don't remember every coin I purchased but remember buying a VF 1902 Cent for $2, an XF 1942-S Half for $6, a G 1890 Liberty Head Nickel for $3, a BU 1948 Quarter for $3, an 1869 VG Shield nickel for $8, and an 1884 VF Seated dime for $12.