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 Replies: 26 / Views: 3,570 |
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New Member
United States
38 Posts |
Just wondering how everyone started collecting coins. Also, how and why you chose what you do collect. Do you collect for investment or just the joy of collecting. Would like to here some thoughts.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2368 Posts |
Coin collecting is a hobby that has been practiced in my family (Italian) for generations. I'm one of those "next-gen" collectors who started with the 50 State Quarters. My earliest memories of collecting includes CRHing quarters with my grandfather for them and my father bringing home wheat cents and early Jefferson nickels from change. My favorite coin has always been the Wheat cent. One day I looked through my collection and saw four of them that my father had given me. I remember roll hunting with my grandfather and decided to do the same with cents. My cent collection has been built entirely from rolls and circulation, and I am attempting to find as many date/mintmark combinations as I can with this method. I am continually updating my progress on my signature. Anyway, that's my story. How about everyone else? By the way,  to the Community! Edited by wheatchaser140
11/19/2013 7:59 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
Just as a hobby and a future investment. Welcome to CCF!
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Valued Member
United States
80 Posts |
Just a hobby for me.
If something I have is enjoyed by someone else when I'm gone then I consider it mission accomplished.
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Pillar of the Community
872 Posts |
A business and hobby. As a business I get to buy items and help other collectors. Profits then filter into what I collect. My favorite has been the Morgan dollars, Lincoln Cents and the Mercury dimes, including the varieties, VAM's and over dates. I upgrade coins when I can. By selling lower graded coins for a profit, turn that profit around and look for a specific coin to take its place, if I haven't already done so. Its a process that I have been doing for the past 35+ years. Edited by Collector-Corner
11/19/2013 9:17 pm
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New Member
United States
28 Posts |
Back in the early 80's was my first real attraction to coins. I had gone to a indoor Flea Market one winter. There was a man there who had many many coins & currency for sale. I bought my first coin from him, a Peace dollar. Think I paid $8 for it. I carried that coin in my pocket for awhile till, I started buying other coins and built a pretty good sized collection. Of course we need monies for the house and kids one time or another and it was gone. But now the house and the kids are gone so I can build up another collection which I just started again this past year. I like the American Silver Eagles, 90% "older" coins and silver bullion. I do collect as a hobby with a thought to the future investment of them. Sometimes I over pay for one that I really want so the investment part could be a loss when its time to let them go. Thanks to the administrators of this forum, wish I had found it sooner. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
I started as a hobby when I was about 7... I probably should have gone with it longer, because nobody can resist a 7-year-old, but my hobby attention span is highly variable. Eventually, a few hobbies later, after slowly getting off rotational puzzles (like Rubik's Cube... there are many more nowadays, but they are expensive!) I got back into coins. My high school is within walking distance of a coin store with a good, cheap world selection, so I have kept it going since then - coin collecting is very inexpensive if you just rake through mixed world coin bins all day, and I highly recommend it. If this dealer has instead been a real high roller, only dealing in expensive Canadian coins and large silver wholesaling... I would probably be back into knitting with a passion by now! (I still knit on the bus... so far I have made a couple nice toques)
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
I got my start in the mid-sixties at about 10 years old. There was still quite a bit of silver out there and in fact was still being minted in the form of Kennedy halves (40%). I started with Whitman Lincoln Cent Folders (as did most collectors back then). My grandfather took me under his wing and showed me his collection, which he started as a boy in the 1910's. He gave me some starter coins (some Indian Head cents and a couple of Morgan silver dollars). I still keep them for sentimental value and will never part with them. I am in it strictly because I enjoy it (stamps, too, thanks also to my Grandfather)... Also, I love the look and feel of really old and worn coins, and the older designs ( Standing Liberty quarters are my favorite design, because of the reverse). When I get a new coin for my collection, I sometimes try to imagine what happened in history when they were minted, such as a 1918 coin minted in the same year as the beginning of WWI. The main thing is to HAVE FUN! |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
548 Posts |
Why I collect: 1) I've been to lots of countries and I always come back with spare change. There's no point in throwing away money so I just held onto to it. I suppose my collection started by accident. 2) I love history and coin collecting provides an easy, convenient and affordable way of owning pieces of history. I like looking at coins that are 200 years old and wondering where they've been and how they've survived. 3) I like the "precious" aspect of coins. It's nice to have a personal store of treasure and if I can combine my love of gold and silver with my love of history (as above) then so much the better. How I collect: 1) I inherited a large number of worthless coins (large sentimental value, obviously) so lately I've started buying from dealers. 2) I buy what I like the look of, provided I can afford it and I don't feel too badly ripped off. |
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
Typo Correction to my previous post: 1914 was the start of WWI.
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Pillar of the Community
Thailand
1509 Posts |
Like many of the replies mine is a pure hobby. The joy of collecting, investigating and constantly learning from the many experts here.
I don't even consider the actual 'value' of my collection (12,707 and counting). It's simply priceless to me.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2868 Posts |
Quote:
Typo Correction to my previous post: 1914 was the start of WWI. You can actually edit your own posts. There should be an icon at the top of the post (on the "posted today.... line") that you just click on and it lets you edit all of your comment. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7840 Posts |
Chalk up another for hobby...and education. As I am expanding my Major U.S. Type Collection into varieties, I am constantly learning about little differences in the coinage that I current posses and additional varieties that I want. The guys at work get a kick out of "show and tell" as well. Edited by oih82w8
11/20/2013 10:02 am
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Moderator
 United States
187678 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2850 Posts |
My grandfather got me into coin collecting way back. All I know is I was very young. I would go over on Fridays after school and spend the night and go through coins with him and then Saturday morning we would hit the local flea market and coin shop. Lots of good memories with that. I got away from coin collecting after I got older, but I've now gotten back into it more than I ever thought I would and I'm glad I have.
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New Member
United States
28 Posts |
I collect for the enjoyment of it, although value/investment is there in the background (mainly as a way of 'justifying' my purchases).
I collect all types of coins, but enjoy building sets. Whether in the form of albums (like a 7070) or my own made up type set based on whatever topic I feel like exploring.
I am less concerned about perfect coins in general. I like good honest circulation!
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Replies: 26 / Views: 3,570 |
Posted 11/19/2013 8:01 pm
