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 Replies: 18 / Views: 1,277 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
600 Posts |
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Moderator
United States
120560 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1416 Posts |
I don't remember exactly which coin was the first I actually purchased, but I do know it was from an ad in Coinage magazine. Mom and Dad bought me a subscription in 1968 and I saved up my allowance and lawn mowing money to buy some things occasionally. It was most likely a roll of all-different circulated Lincoln wheat cents since, as with many young collectors, the first thing I worked on was filling a Whitman Lincoln cent folder. I don't have any of the coins from my first collection, as I unfortunately lost it in a home break-in in the 1980's. Other than a lot of circulated silver, the only thing I had of significant value at that time was an 1879-CC Morgan dollar in around VF-XF condition that my Grandma McLaughlin had given me in my early days of collecting. There was a lot of sentimental value, however, and even after all these decades I still regret not being more careful about the storage of my collection back then. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
724 Posts |
I remember buying a roll of pennies and nickels at the Ottawa Mint gift shop in 1992. I don't recall if it was before or after I started going to the local coin shop to fill holes in the penny and dime albums my dad gave me.
I still have the rolls, although I did take some of the coins out and put them into 2x2's shortly after getting them.
Edited by Cdncoins
09/20/2022 3:58 pm
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
The first coin I purchased was an 1864 2 cent piece. Have always been a big history buff with particular interest in the Civil War and WW2. It is unfortunately long gone.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2518 Posts |
Here are (less-than ideal) photos of the first coin I purchased. 1909 V.D.B. cent.   "Nummi rari mira sunt, si sumptus ferre potes." - Christophorus filius Scotiae
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Moderator
United States
120560 Posts |
Impressive first purchase!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
600 Posts |
Bump, that is quite a beauty!
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
20588 Posts |
The first coin I purchased was a
gold Young Head Shield Half Sovereign, with a 'S' (Sydney) mint mark, waaay back in 1963. Price:- $7 AUD.
I was one of very few kids in school who had real money to spend, - I worked for my dad. He was happy to see me spend all my money on coins.
I don't have it now, it was sold in 1976, included in a complete Australian Gold Type Set of Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns that also included an Adelaide Pound. Also sold with it was about 80 ancient coins that included a gold aureus and a gold solidus.
Needed the money for deposit to raise a mortgage for first house when we married.
You can't put a roof over your head with a stack of rare coins !
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Pillar of the Community
4628 Posts |
Actual serious coin I purchased, not got given or found. I don't have them, but these are the same coin types (New Zealand Threepences).   Early April 1991 after Easter, we get a day off school (Easter Tuesday) I go into a coin shop and buy all the threepences I am missing except the 1935 obviously. This includes most of them from 1933 to 1962. I remember the cheapest grade (Good) were 60 cents each and I spent around $15 in total. The Dealer threw in a couple of Fine ones for the easier dates like 1943 and 1946. It started in the motion my proper collecting of NZ coins. By the end of 1991 I had most of the coins including the silver ones. My pocket money was only $15 a fortnight, but remember for my 15th birthday I got a $50 voucher for that shop and that went into my growing collection. The threepences were part of my collection that got stolen from my car in April 2001, 10 years later. The coins above were brought likely in 2019 or 2020 and are still extant now. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
11509 Posts |
Like many people, I started collecting as a schoolboy during the run-up to Decimalisation in the UK. At that time there were quite a few brick-and-mortar coin shops around, and one opened in my home town. At first I thought it was cheating to buy coins rather than find them in change, but after a schoolfriend showed me some of the coins he'd bought, I decided to take a look. On that first visit, I spent 5 shillings (25p) of my pocket money on an 1897 shilling in about Fine. I no longer have the coin as I've since upgraded it. However, the dealer also had a tray of coins for a shilling (5p) each, and I looked through that and bought a 1900 French 10 centimes (which I still have), a Fair/Poor 1797 Cartwheel Penny (since upgraded) and this coin - a 1797 William III sixpence. For quite a while it was my oldest coin and I was very proud of it!  Edited by NumisRob
09/21/2022 08:43 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
871 Posts |
My first coin was given to me by my uncle when I was seven years old. He was the one who started my numismatic interests. It was a 1939 Walking Liberty half in AU condition and yes I still have that in my collection after 55 years. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
600 Posts |
The first coin that I "collected" was from my parents "penny jar" back in the '60s. It was a 1923 French Bon Pour 50 Centimes token, much like this picture. Still have it. Unfortunately, I never got the story of how it ended up there. My obsession started there, and I now have collected all of them except for the low-mintage ones. It fascinated 7 year old me that what looked like money was not "real money".  Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5617 Posts |
I don't know which coin it was exactly, but it was a Wheat cent and yes I still have the first wheat cents I purchased.   Edited by hfjacinto
09/25/2022 4:15 pm
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Sometime in the 1970's I had a paper-route of about 80 customers and moved lawns for usually $5.My mom took me to a local coin store and I bought a 1950-D BU Jefferson nickel for $12 or $18 dollars in that range.That was big time back then,Ha!Ha! Never could find one coin searching. I'm pretty sure that was my first bought coin. Edited by FlyingTiger
09/25/2022 4:32 pm
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Valued Member
Canada
476 Posts |
I too was a paperboy in the early 1970's and while I cannot remember the first coin I purchased I do recall cherry picking all of the pre 1968 (Canadian) silver coins from my collection box and replacing it with nickel content newer issue. I would sell the silver pieces to a local dealer and use the profit to buy coins.
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Replies: 18 / Views: 1,277 |
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Posted 09/20/2022 3:15 pm
