Old Timers Please Share Your Coin Collecting Stories And Beginnings

Great story Rackster!

Thanks smoke - a good point to introduce a thread like this. I like reading the personal histories.

Dr. D - that is great advice. Understanding the paradigm especially in a time prior to grading services illustrates the power of knowledge. I'll add that establishing ones individual inputs, goals and objectives will help them to establish plans and strategies to be successful on whatever level. Reading is essential and CCF members being readers and writers have great potential. One key that I'd like to point out that I think added to your success was that you put yourself in great position; you were reading and learning from masters. Folks here should recognize this; learning from a hack can cause great damage and loss in short order. You did it right so thanks for sharing!

I think you're a smart kid too, just don't think you need to post every thought. I can see how post count equals pride in todays society though.

My addiction start in the mid-60's when I started a paper route. when we went to collect folks would pay with a lot of change. I noticed that some of the coins looked very strange. indian heads, buffalo's, silver dollars, liberty quarters and half's etc...they were all still in circulation then. I put them all in a jar. a couple years later a coin shop opened within walking distance and I was in awe as to coins they had. I noticed there were blue folders that you could put your coins in. cant remember how much there were but they were cheap. I bought one of each and started popping in my coins. the problem was there were a lot of open spaces and it didn't look right. that then started the quest to fill them all in. I saved for a year and bought my first key date coin a 1909-S VDB XF40. paid $125 for it and it sits in my collection today some 50 years later.

Nice book Dr Darryl!

I like to tell people that I've been collecting coins all my life. Technically it's true. When I was born my father received a gift of my birth year set from an avid collector family friend. His interest in coins grew from that and mine from his. I still have the set.



Dad was a prominent businessman and I was allowed at a very early age to help sort the coins from the days receipts. Dad would, of course, be examining them for collectible goodies. Later, Dad would periodically get $50 bank bags of cents from the bank. I was assigned to check them all for errors. We were excited when there was a blank planchette in the mix.

Dad became very good friends with the local bank manager. When the Borough employees came in with the change from the parking meters the manager would call dad and I was sent over with money to "buy" the bags, and lug them back to the shop. Now guess who had the job to go through them?!!

In 1962 as a promotion for the Borough's 150th anniversary, the businessmen decided that instead of the usual wooden nickels that they would give away free money instead. Please don't cringe too badly when I tell you I also had the job of gluing untold amounts of cents onto promotional cards.



Later came the usual round of coin clubs and auctions. A highlight of the week! Dad had amassed a rather sizable collection and even Mom had gotten into the act and was concentrating on her favorites, Ancient Coins.

I had drifted away from the hobby by the early 80's and was busy with career and family but I never stopped checking my change. Staring intently into my hand at a checkout has often prompted a puzzled cashier to ask, "Did I give you the wrong change sir?"

My collection went into storage while I sold much of my parent's collection to help them out in their old age. Even though they have since passed I have lots of happy memories. I am pleased that their collections have made their way into the hands of collectors that appreciate such things.

Now that I'm in the "winner's circle" of retirees I am enjoying rediscovering my own collection and places like this forum.

(Sorry for the edited images. Internet privacy concerns, of course.).

DrDarryl, Another great story and thanks for your contribution to the world of numismatics.

T-BOP, I have read many of your post and appreciate your contribution, teachings and experience.

panzaldi, Your another awesome contributor to this site. I have followed many of your post and appreciate your insight and years of experience.

Pennywise142, you were gluing cents on promo cards in 62 and I was being born.