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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,707 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
617 Posts |
An acquaintance told me a while ago how he first got interested in coin collecting. He was replacing a floor in an old dance hall and when he pulled up the old floor boards he found coins of all varieties dating back to the early 1900's. He found that he had nearly complete sets and went about trying to fill the holes in his collection and in the process became an avid collector.
Another friend told me that her husband started collecting when he came upon a stash of coins in jars and tobacco cans buried by an old fence.
My story isn't nearly as interesting. My father had a habit of keeping any coin that he came across that looked old and as I got older I did the same thing. A couple of years ago I decided to put them together into albums and was surprised to see that I had a pretty decent collection. I've been a collector ever since.
I was just wondering if there were anymore interesting stories out there. So how about it, WHAT GOT YOU STARTED INTO COIN COLLECTING?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1429 Posts |
My father collected coins, stamps and ... fountain pens of all types. Did not focus as much on grades but as a child aged 10 in the early 1980s I got into this hobby. At some point, I got dragged into the ratrace - school, work/marriage and the hobby was neglected.
When my father passed away in year 2000, I took a look at what had been accumulated at my mom's house and I became very passionate again, only I decided (perhaps as a show of independence) to focus on fewer, higher end pieces, selling off some of the collection to raise cash and evenly divide my focus on Crowns - US, and Europe while leaving a few select small coins - 3CN.
The wife is now used to this issue and all she says is that when we have a baby I should keep them away from the coins so he/she doesn't swallow them! Good point.
That's my story.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1554 Posts |
Hello North of 49,
I started collecting when I was just 13, back in the early 1970's. However, finding out that girls and rock'n roll at the time became more fun, I gave up my interest in collecting. I re-started in my early 40's just 5 years ago and now have the entire decimal collection>1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c & $1.00 all I.C.C.S. from 1870-1967 + I just got tired of sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll!
Glenn
Edited by glenzy1
11/14/2008 7:43 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2408 Posts |
Glenn,
Awesome collection! Wow! Can you post pictures/scans of your 1921 50c and maybe tell us how much you paid for it? This must be a story on its own. What about varieties, you have them too?
Marc
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1082 Posts |
It all started with a Canadian 50 cent piece I found one day while digging in the back garden. I gave it to my dad, and he put it in mom's jewellery box. A trip to Seattle the same year led to mom getting a 1928S Walking Liberty half in change. It also went into the jewellery box. I was already collecting stamps, so it was a natural jump, expecially when so many of my schoolmates were immigrants and had access to foreign coins. The stamp shop I frequented also sold coins; additionally, I was keeping anything unusual out of my change, including silver, which was, at the time, in the process of being withdrawn from circulation. On top of that, View Master reels that were about a country had a coin and stamp from that country in the pack. So many diverse sources coming together all around the same time. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
790 Posts |
My grandpa went to West Germany on a business trip and brought back some loose change. It didn't really strike me at first. A few years later when I had to disassemble the old washing machine so we could throw it out in the trash I found the coins inside. They were beat up and pretty scuzzy, but I found them at just the right age I guess (maybe 12 or so). I spent all my spare money on coins, mostly US. The local show was like heaven for me. But like many of you, I lost the hobby for quite a few years during college (I actually sold stuff for beer money!). I found some of my old stuff still at my mom's house in 1996 when I was home visiting and decided to bring it back with me to NY where I was living. Soon after I discovered mail order lists. Wow! I still have a mail order list I've been buying from since then. I got into foreign coins pretty heavily. After that, ebay came around and everyone was selling so much stuff they didn't know that there were bargains aplenty. I now buy anything I find that feels like a deal to me. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
10743 Posts |
Great stories,  Yeah, glenzy1, I would like to see the 1921 .50 cents too, also if you can post a pic of your 1948 Silver Dollar, would be great.  Thanks, SHAFTA9a |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
650 Posts |
When I was 10 or 11 , I got interested when I went thru a milk can my mother had of 50 cent pieces, mostly Canadian and some Morgan dollars. We owned a hotel with a popular bar and restaurant in the 50s and 60s, my Mom did the cash and whenever a 50 cent piece came in she would toss it in the can . It took 2 men to carry it upstairs one day and pour out the contents of the milk can on the living room floor , I would guess about 3 gallons ,our job as kids was to separate US from Canadian and 50C from 1.00 .There were lots of other little oddities as well. foreign,tokens etc some of which I still have . Anyway, she rolled all this up, all silver, 1964 and down to whatever was on any body when they needed a beer more than the 50 cents, and took it to the bank and got face.We did keep the Morgans and peace dollars[30 pieces]and I got to keep 1 of each year for my work. Filled quite a few holes in a Whitman starter folder and I was into this.Still dabble 45 years later. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
I can recall being about 4 or 5 years old and keeping Canadian pennies that my parents gave to me after they had received them in change. I remember thinking that there were quite pretty (even when I was so young). As I neared 10 years old I remember finding wheat cents in my parent's change. And finally when I was 12 I met the father of my Aunt's husband, who had been a numismatist since the 1930s. (And he got started then because an old lady gave him a bunch of BU bust dimes). So he showed me his collection, which was VERY impressive by the standards of any seasoned numismatist. I was for the first time able to see coins of the world (including a very impressive Taler collection). So after that I looked up coin shops in my area and have been at it ever since. Well, I must admit that when I was 17 I took a 6 month hiatus due to frustration with the US coin market, but other than that I've been going strong in this great hobby.
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Valued Member
United States
383 Posts |
I collect US coins, but I thought you'd enjoy my story: About two months ago my son had a Cub Scout meeting and was told to bring in his pennies. Each child was given an empty Whitman coin folder of pennies 1975-present. Apparently there's some sort of a "collection" requirement, so this fulfilled that. The kids went through and started putting the pennies in the correct spot. They all had such a great time doing so. My son enjoyed it so much he asked if we could get all of the different coin books. Fast forward 2 months later, and we've got all of the modern coin books, and they are all about 90% or more filled. We throw all of our coins in a cup and the kids and I check them every Saturday morning. They get so excited when we find one that we don't have (which are mostly the "D's" since we live in NY). |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3294 Posts |
I guess I started when I got a 1909 Lincoln wheat in change the same week I got a 1964 silver quarter. I thought maybe to look up how much that stuff was worth and I was like, money can be worth that much more then face value?
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,707 |
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Posted 11/08/2008 10:05 pm
