Old dan, you and I "may" have some things in common. Other than being "four years older than dirt"!
Being born BEFORE the depression, it is obvious that "collecting" can be applied to many things. I sold subscriptions to the "Ladys Home Journal", and "collected the money. I also sold "Cloverine salve", and "collected" the money. My Dad was a Telegraph Operator for the AT&SF Railway, and made $5.00 a day.and so it went. Then I went into service, (1943), and still didn't know what "Collecting coins" was all about. My Dad had a "book bank, that looked like a small Websters DICTIONARY, (I still have it), in which he had a few coins. A
Barber dime, a liberty-head nickel, a
Buffalo nickel, an Indianhead cent, and maybe a
Standing Liberty quarter. All of which I still have. I didn't add to these coins until I was married, and going back and forth from my wifes home in Mexico, ( Los Mochis, Sin. Mex.) I had a few world coins then, because I could buy a handfull for next to nothing. I made a large framed picture, so to speak, of the movie, "around the world in 80 days), except my theme was "around the world in 80 countries". There waas a small blurb about each country, and a coin from there. Being in the Navy, and spending more time away from home, than within the home, made it pretty rough, trying to raise a family with three kids.. Sooo, The kids had to eat, and the cioins had to go. After retiring in '63, we went to Mexico, and I was waiting for notice to appear for orders to The Border Patrol Academy. When the word came, I was advised that I couldn't accept, until I returned to the USA. byt the time we returned, the list had expired. So "look for work"! The last time I worked was in '81, because every application I submitted was turned down, because I was "over-qualified"! Thranslated, TOO OLD! In '83 we went back to Mexico, and While my pension was too little to live on in the USA, it was enough in Mexico. The exchange rate went from 12-1/2:1, to over 3000:1, and the pension grew, without increasing the dollar amount, so It was easier. There I started collecting "type" coins, and that went to type/date. Then added Colonial coins, etc. then we returned to the USA, and the old story, gotta feed the four kid, now! I still had several 1 Qt. fruit jars full of crown/dollar sized coins, that I managed to salvage, and when we came to CA, guess what? I accidently left them in the "shop", a second mobile home we had, and I have been sick ever since! No more collecting coins for me! but, My Youngest step-son was selling on
ebay, and we got to chatting on AOL IM, and I got back a couple years ago. So with sellers of all calibers online, and some with few, or no scruples, I became "another patsy"! I will say, none of them ever had the chance to steal eggs from my chicken-house the second time! Buying lots, and "collections" from certain sellers who had treated me right, finally gave me a sizable "pile" of various, and sundry coins. Proofs, proof sets, mint sets , etc, everything you can expect in the hobby. Yes there are some real goodies, and I have since quit buying "CULLS" from the sellers with "millions of unsearched wheats"!!! Then I found Coppercoins.com, and not long after, was introduced to CCF. Now I collect varieties, and friends. I didn't mean this to be a

"never-ending soap opera", but you asked!

And I have been Blessed!
Dick