How Long Have You Been Coin Collecting?

welcome to ccf

I started like 3 or 4 years ago I started using the forum last year.I collected nickles,and wheat pennies

I started about 15-16 years ago when I was 13 years old. I got a bunch of old coins from my dad and have developed the collection since. At the moment that collection consists little less than 2000 type coins and notes.

Some of you wrote that "it was a pity that I sold some coins back then". I have the situation right now when our children are born and it makes our personal economy very hard. I try not to sell any coin or note for extra income now because of later regret. I sold my commem collection away back in college times but that was mostly because of the new collection goals.

, Darth!

well, started some 18 years ago ... while a boy got a small box of foreign coins from my father's friend who immigrated from the country. He sold all his collection and left the coins no one wanted to pay for (foreign coins). Since then I was collecting for some years, not that passionately but still. Then, like 10 years ago I forgot about collecting. 2 years ago one of the members of the investment message board called my attention to silver and suggested me to invest in it. So, after some research I've found that instead of bullion it would be better to invest in silver coins as they go up with the silver price and keep some numismatic value. Since then month by month I was buying coins, no special interest except of coins must have been made of silver (though if I have a chance buy coins from US and Russia) :) . Got mostly collectible items.

Recently my father asked me if I am still collecting. I replied YES, but mostly silver coins. He told me that I was not a boy any more and he expected me to collect gold already (joke froм him as he is not collector or investor). So, added some US commemoratives $5 since then :)

I got my first coins when I was 8 years old from my Grandfather who had a small collection of wheat pennies, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, and such. That gave me my interest in the hobby then my parents & grandparents who would buy me a proof set, silver eagle, and a few type coins for my birthday and for Christmas gifts each year. Looking back it was inexpensive items that cost under $20 at the time since. There was a small coin shop in the town I grew up and I would occasionally buy low grade Morgans, Indian Head cents, and problem large cents. They were overpriced, over-graded, and often had problems since the shop owners were less than ethical but I slowly learned from my mistakes. The lack of a good coin shop in my town really slowed my progression into the hobby during my teens and I went off to collect other things.

After my parents moved to a larger city and I went off to college my interest in coin collecting was renewed and I was able to find several reputable dealers in close proximity to my new home. Their inventories were much larger than the coin shop I went to as a child and had quality coins that got me excited about collecting once again. I have been a fairly serious collector for five years now and am in my now approaching my mid twenties.

Thanks for the thread, reading the responses has been really interesting. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy collecting for decades to come!

Sincerely,
Joe

I'm a young 45 years old hence my screename ( latebloomer ) he-he.

I started 4 months ago when my father passed away. I was left with his coin collection. I do remember when I was a kid running around the house and see him with a book and looking at his coins. I never did pay much attention to his hobby because I was always involved in organized sports year round all the way through high school.

It's now my turn to drive the stage coach and I will have my son who is 12 to be my shotgun person. He see's me looking and reading about coins and asking me questions about them. I havent said anything yet to him but this will be his collection after I am gone.

I will take my son soon to the local coin dealer that I started going to and will buy him his first coin. He is very good at saving his money, maybe that will give him incentive to buy coins instead of gamestop dvd.

Since I was 12, that was 1982. Collection has grown a little since then :)