What Do You Actually Do With A "Pocket Piece"?

thats a cool idea, my pocket watch doesn't have a chain on it but I can get one, or to even put one of my coins on a keychain but my keys have a tendency to fall off so id be afraid id lose something.

i want to turn this into a necklace though

I carry around an 1977 Ike dollar and a 1977 Half. I say it's for good luck but in reality, it's for moderate luck. 77' was the year I was born so that's why I chose that date. The baseball kids that I coach find it interesting when they ask me for 50 cents for the hot dog truck and I pull out a Kennedy half. They look at it like it's foreign, and they remind me that I am getting old...lol

I have two Morgans I switch back and forth between s pocket pieces. One is a Po-)1 1878 VAM-83 and the other is a AU 1883-S (I have carried this around for the past 10 years and was probably MS-60 when I started carrying it. It is just like a good luck piece and I usually just carry them in the small pocket watch pocket on my jeans instead of in the same pocket with everything else so they don't get all dinged up and that may be the reason for the little bit of wear that has happened to the coins since I started carrying them. I also have a 1918 Walking liberty attached to my key ring as this was the year my Grandmother was born. I gave them out to each of the Grandchildren the day she was buried and don't know if anyone else carries theirs or not, but I do

I think I am going to get a pocket piece....what to choose...hmmmm?

Here's a snippet I usually share when it comes to pocket pieces about my own habits:

I actually carry two pocket pieces on me at any given time, and each of them has their own purpose.



The first I call "Morgan" and, yes it's the most obvious reason: She is a 1903-CC Morgan dollar.

Yes, I said that right. A 1903-CC Morgan Dollar.

She's a counterfeit. Sticks to a magnet like glue. :-)

Why do I carry around Phoney Morgan? Well, when you're a counterfeit collector, it's always fun to have a piece on you to test the water with. She's great to take to coin shows and get double-takes from and even sometimes fool a dealer or two. It's a really good way to test someone's numismatic mettle (i.e. see how long it takes them to figure out she's fake). Some people look at the year and mint mark and go "You're pulling my leg." Others have to sort through the Gray Sheet and scratch their chin when they don't find her. Some people have even grabbed her with magnets off the bat (and I must say that I was impressed).



The second pocket piece I carry around I call "Simon" and that's because he's a 1929 Venezuelan 5 Bolivares. I've always loved Barre's engravings, and he really did Simon Bolivar justice on this coin (although it's not as apparent on my Simon here, he's well worn). :-)

Why do I carry him? Well, three reasons really:

First, he's made of silver. A little silver in your pocket is good luck they say.

Second, where he was designed in Paris, France, he was minted here in the US in Philadelphia for Venezuela in the year of the Great Stock Market Crash. Because of that, he reminds me that even during tough times you need to keep in step with your obligations, no matter where they are.

Third, whenever I'm stuck for a choice and can't make up my mind, I give him a flip.

Illustration:

"Hmm... burger or pizza? *Flip---* Simon says pizza." :-)

I don't have one. I suspect that less and less people carry coins at all today. With so many now using only plastic, they get no change, carry none either. I try to put all my change in a drawer as soon as I get home. My Son carries no coins or currency at all any more. Learned that in college since there they use only plastic or mostly. He now has his own buisness where he needs all records so everything is done via plastic. Not sure what I'd choose for a pocket piece if I did use one.