| Author |
 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,967 |
|
|
Valued Member
262 Posts |
So we all have a story of some sort. There is something within all of us who collect paper money and or coins for that matter that keeps us going. What was it that originally got you hooked? Heres my story.. Well back in high school for some reason I was really big on collecting Lincoln cents and going through thousands of pennies looking for errors. Well that eventually died off and I was out of the hobby for several years. And all has long been forgotten, I don't remember anything about Lincoln cents anymore. I have always been into American history, especially the Civil War era. I have also always been into antiques so that definately plays a role, but here's what happened the day I was hooked.. I was actually looking around for antiques and stopped at an indoor flea market. There is an old man there who is a coin vendor and is always there selling coins. Well the coins were interesting and I was looking through his for sale collection and noticed one note. He had an 1864 $5 bill from the Confederate states and when I held it in my hands I thought that this CSA money in my hand was just the coolest thing ever. I didn't buy that note in particular but since that day I have been collecting and haven't been able to stop since. I collect for simply the historic value. I find every note special to me in some way and I'd love to be able to pass these on when that time comes. I don't really collect for a large investment one day but hey, the asset value doesn't hurt to add up either, ya know.. It's sorta like saving money rather then spending money, at least that's how I look at It every time I make a purchase.. And although the wife isn't to fond of all the money I spend collecting US paper money, deep down inside, she knows it's all valuable, and most likely only going to increase by the time we have reached old age. Just my late night .02 ... Cheers!  |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
818 Posts |
I think I started after my mom got a 1969B dollar bill in her change, and on top of that, one of my banks started saving their old bills for me. I liked collecting these older design bills because they won't be around much longer and they look pretty neat. Then this guy on Youtube introduced me to star notes and fancy serial numbers, and after I started entering bills to Where's George, you can say I'm a hardcore paper money collector!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
742 Posts |
In 1975 my brother sold me his Lincoln Cent collection and a Central Bank of China 20 customs gold units note for $5.00. I did little more than pull wheat cents from pocket change until my senior year in high school when one of the coin dealers at the local flea market started putting out a junk box of notes. My sophomore year in college (1987) I attended a coin show in Milwaukee. I was turned off by the rows and rows of Morgan dollars which appeared to be what every dealer had. I was already headed for the door when I saw he last table in the last row was manned by a short, bald man and covered with nothing but world paper money. He came out from behind the table, gave me a small book he had written on collecting paper money and three notes out of his cheap box. I was hooked. That short, bald man was Neil Shafer, one of the true experts on world paper money, author of several books and articles and at the time editor of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12813 Posts |
Good stories.
Mine is not particularly interesting but this CCF forum is what really got me interested. I had a few wrinkled $2 notes laying around until I started perusing these pages. I'm still very early into my collection but it's progressing little by little.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5837 Posts |
I remember going to my first coin show some 5 years ago and seeing some large sized notes for the first time. They were just so beautiful (and expensive)! It took me a a year or so before finally getting up the courage to buy one at my LCS, and by then I was hooked. I'm not entirely sure, but I think this was the one I first purchased:   |
|
Valued Member
 262 Posts |
I have been wanting a Martha Washington 1886 and 1891 Note for some time now.. Just haven't found the right one
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
My experience was similar to Barryg's...I remember walking into a sports card store that had a small showcase full of mostly coins on the far end. On this one day the owner had a 1899 $1 Black Eagle. This was the first large note I had ever seen. Needless to say, after the owner gave me a little history lesson on large notes I had to have it. I didn't have enough money for it and my dad had to spot me half. The note would probably grade around Fine and I still have it today. Pretty sure I paid around $60 for it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
814 Posts |
God, I cant remember what caused me to start collecting banknotes. Is that bad? I've collected coins since I was a kid, but paper currency has only been in my interest the last 5 years or so. It could have been this forum, since that's around the time I joined.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4637 Posts |
Coins were the gateway drug to my paper currency addiction. Specifically my moms Lincoln Cent collection housed in a dark blue Whitman coin folder. When my mom passed, she left the collection to me, and the first thing I did was search for a respectable example of a 1909 S VDB. That hole was always empty. I found an AU graded coin in a PCGS holder and hopefully she is smiling. All of her collection was from circulation, and I can almost hear her saying, "You paid WHAT for that penny?". The ironic part is that unless I break the 1909 S VDB out of its holder, the hole still remains empty. I still occasionally will buy commemoratives from the mint, like the Baseball HOF gold coin, the Mark Twain gold coin, and most recently the Mercury dime gold coin. All of my collections, both coins and paper currency are because I like them, and not as an investment. If they go up in value it's just an added bonus. Edited by SteveInTampa
05/04/2016 06:11 am
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
I had long been a coin collector, but in the early 1970s I was at my favorite LCS one day and the dealer asked if I had any interest in paper money - he had just bought a couple dozen worn large-size notes that morning and really didn't care about PM, so would I like them at a good price? He brought them out - nothing really special, mostly $1 and $5 SCs and USNs, two or three Black Eagles, some FRNs and a very decent $1 FRBN. The face value was around $80, he had paid around $130, and I could have them at $160, which worked out to about twice face. I had never really looked at PM before, but they just jumped at me so I said sure, why not.
Fateful decision. I got hooked within a couple of years. Buying paper money in the 1970s and 1980s was like buying coins in the 1940s and 1950s. My only regret was that I didn't spend even more and reach for the better stuff.
Edited by Coinfrog
05/04/2016 5:09 pm
|
|
Valued Member
262 Posts |
|
| |
Replies: 10 / Views: 1,967 |
|
Posted 05/03/2016 10:20 am
