Years ago, (Yes, Coop. I know I'm old!

) I worked in a game room. We had pinball, video games, pool tables and the other coin-op machined found in 1980's arcades. I would find the plastic cases from Proof Sets in the trash. When I saw them I would recover the coins from the games.
A kid about 15 years old came up and asked for quarters for a proof
SBA, so I asked where he got it. He said he had a bunch of coins like that he'd received as gifts from his grandfather. I said he really should hang on to them, but he didn't want them. He kept breaking set and using them in the games and for a hot dog now and then.
One day I told the kid that I would buy them for $3 each, so he started bringing them straight to me. I must have bought 25 or 30 proof and uncirculated sets going back to the early 1960's. He would bring in 2 or 3 at a time. He was happy with getting extra quarters to use in the games and I had a bunch of proof sets that didn't cost much.
I always wondered if he ever got into trouble for selling off his grandfather's birthday and Christmas gifts. I still have the silver sets he brought in.
ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!!
