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Valued Member
United States
307 Posts |
I guess I always had the coin bug...it just took some years to start collecting.
I have had one great collector friend in the nursing-home that has been great to be around and has told me most everything he knows...also some of the great guys on the forums I'm on have helped me.
The list will get longer as time goes by....
Speedy
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
I would have to say it was Carl Allenbaugh who used to write a column in COINS called "Expertease." I started collecting again in 1974 and it seemed like I never had any money for coins or even books to read. Mostly because I didn't have a job either after 1974 for some 49 weeks, if I remember right. It got pretty disappointing after awhile but I always had to go down to Bob's bookstore (still in business today) every month and get a copy of COINS just read Allenbaugh. I pretty certain I stayed with it because of old Carl. "Unfortunately, ideals are made of perfect principles but men are made of flaws." The late Carl Allenbaugh Coins Magazine"...If some of the medallists who portray aerial history on medals and bars had tutored the Wright brothers, they'd have invented the skateboard." The late Carl Allenbaugh EXPERTEASE Coins Magazine |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
867 Posts |
Let's see- Dad let me look at his Proof sets, Granddad let me read his old Red Books. I'd say between the two of them they had me pretty well hooked before I was out of elementary school. There's also the guys at the coin shop, always willing to show me something new or different. And let's not forget all the nice people I've met online!  Rachel [:p] |
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Valued Member
United States
382 Posts |
The love of history along with something that represents a specific time is how I got started. My grandfather gave me a 1850 Large Cent. Earlier in the day, we were studying the "Great Compromise of 1850" authored by Daniel Webster. I looked at that coin as if it were in his pocket as he spoke! I couldn't believe I was holding something BEFORE the Civil War. What put me over the edge was when I got my first Red Book. That 1850 penny was worth more than $10! Then...I'll admit it...GREED set in. The idea that pennies could be worth dollars and dollars could be worth multi-dollars is how I started collecting on and off over the last 35 years. |
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Valued Member
United States
421 Posts |
My biggest inspiration came from my grandfather who was a pocket change collector all his life. I remeber helping him sort his coins and put them into Whitman folders as a very young child. I inherited his collection as a teenager and kept it for years. I would take it out every year or so and look at them. Something about them really attracted me. It was not until much later that I realized that I could actually afford to be a collector and started adding to it. I still have every coin that I got from him. Nothing of real monetary value but priceless in sentimental value. After thaat, my real mentoring has come from online forums and books. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
2684 Posts |
An easy question for me: my grandmother. She was our church treasurer and sorted through all the donation envelopes looking for coins. When I was about five (1950), I watched her doing this and asked her why. She showed me her fairly large unsorted collection of wheats and IHCs, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, and Barber and Standing Liberty quarters, all pulled from church envelopes. Then she showed me an 1862 3-cent piece someone had submitted in lieu of a dime and I was hooked. She set the hook and reeled me in when she gave me that 3-cent piece which I held onto for years before my soon-to-be ex-wife claimed it as "community property". |
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Pillar Of The Community
3147 Posts |
Sorry guys and gals but I have no one to blame except my self for this affliction! But boy have I passed it on and proud of it!!!
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Moderator
 United States
23519 Posts |
When I was a young lad in the US I traveled between continents and divorced parents. My Mum not having much money would go to the bank to get presents for occasions. If you were getting married you got 25 Silver dollars, confirmed one Silver dollar for each year of your age, bar mitzvathed thirteen of the beauties.
Never though much of it. Last year my brother turned 50. Is is rather well off wht do you get someone like that. My Mum died I a car accident a few years ago so in her memory, He got
SILVER DOLLARS! One for eah of his yeas of age
While in the shop picking out the fifty silver dollars.
I saw an Australian nugget(Bullion coin)
The rest is History.
I got the bug. I've gotit bad.
Is there a cure- I hope not.
I love my little but growing Aussie collection.
Thanks Mum and thanks bro for having a birthday
and Thanks to all of you in your support of me and what Susan calls my "darkside" collection
rggoodie
aka Richard
"catch em doing something right"
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Rest in Peace
United States
954 Posts |
I think I have told this story but I will do it again. At the ripe old age of seven I was working as a pinsetter in a bowling alley making 13 cents a game. One Saturday afternoon a man came in and bowled 3 games. As a tip he rolled me down 3 silver dollars. I was in 7th heaven...! That was a lot of money. I decided that I would go to the corner pharmacy, which still had a soda fountain, and celebrate by having a 50 cent banana split. When I relayed the story to the druggist on how I aquired the silver dollars. He told me that I should collect them and someday they would be valuable. He showed me how to grade them, and bought me my very first Whitman Blue folder to put them in. The following week my benefactor came in and bowled another three games and again rolled 3 silver dollars down the lane as a tip. This went on for the whole summer and part of the fall. I learned only the man's first name, Ben. The druggist's name was Mark Hicks. He taught me a lot about coin collecting and started me on a lifetime love. The year was 1954. catman  Edited by catman
04/01/2005 2:15 pm
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Rest in Peace
 United States
2884 Posts |
rggoodie,catman,and others your stories belong in a magazine! Absolutly inspiring! Amazing how varied the ways that we were introduced to this hobby are!! Thanks for sharing these great stories! Mike
Edited by Mike
04/01/2005 12:03 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1203 Posts |
It's hard for me to think of someone as responsible for my "collecting" habit, especially coins. Both my grandfather and then my dad, both handed down all these coins and say, "Boy, you had better take good care of them". This I've tried to do and the rest is history, short and sweet. |
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
Posted by Stujoe; My biggest inspiration came from my grandfather who was a pocket change collector all his life. I remeber helping him sort his coins and put them into Whitman folders as a very young child. I inherited his collection as a teenager and kept it for years. I would take it out every year or so and look at them. Something about them really attracted me. It was not until much later that I realized that I could actually afford to be a collector and started adding to it. I still have every coin that I got from him. Nothing of real monetary value but priceless in sentimental value. After thaat, my real mentoring has come from online forums and books. Not only did you take the words out of my mouth but, you brought back some great memories! The only difference is that my dad was also involved. But I must say that if it were not for the internet I wouldn't stay nearly as involved. We all have access to books but the wealth of knowledge at my finger tips is amazing!! But really the quick exchange of ideas & the relationships formed on sites like this are what keep me comming back for more. Thanks for the memories Stujoe, Dave |
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Rest in Peace
United States
2884 Posts |
knowtracks,Welcome to the Forum! Interesting handle, is that a story you can share?Mike
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1203 Posts |
quote:
Originally posted by knowtracks
After that, my real mentoring has come from online forums and books.
Dave
Sure glad you found your way over here old buddy. I've found this forum much more to my liking and the depth of educational material is fantastic from such people as ND and Susan, only to mention a few. After all we need to stay togather just in case all those flat landers decide to invade. Happy collecting. |
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
Originally Posted by Mike,
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Quote;
knowtracks,Welcome to the Forum! Interesting handle, is that a story you can share?
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Story? Of course there's a story, We ALL have stories. This one is kinda long & I don't want to hijack the thread!!
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Replies: 16 / Views: 1,833 |
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Posted 03/30/2005 7:09 pm
