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Pillar of the Community
United States
7276 Posts |
In 1977 as a 7 year old boy, my parents emigrated to the United States. We left a rural town next to the beautiful beaches of Portugal..  To the urban jungles nearby NYC  To say this was a change that's an understatement if there is one. Coming from a rural area with acreage and a small farm to the city made one long for a sense of normalcy. One of the apartment dwellers were we lived found out I liked coins and put together a small set of coins, including a silver Roosevelt dime, a 1903 Indian Head cent, and an Ike dollar. I still have all these, they are currently in 2 by 2 as they were worn, but they were cool to a 7 year old who had never seen american money. I also was given a few wheat cents and a strange silver Wheat cent. I was surprised to say the least. Its a cent, all cents are copper (or badly plated zincolns, but 1977 they were still copper), why is this one silver? Did some one plate it. I had to know. Since I didn't speak English, it was a mystery that had to wait. The coins were placed in an envelope and I forgot about them until I was in my teens. One day rediscovering them, I decided to research the silver cents from 1943. First went to the library, went to the encyclopedia and looked up Lincoln Cents, there was just a blurb, but nothing detailed, I then asked the librarian about the silver "pennies" and she found me a magazine article on the "silver" cents. It was a fascinating lesson to learn. And 43 years later, I still have a thing for the steelies of 1943.   So what coin grabs and got you interested in the hobby? Edited by hfjacinto
04/30/2020 2:46 pm
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Moderator
 United States
188770 Posts |
Excellent!  Quote:
So what coin grabs and got you interested in the hobby? Three guesses and the first two do not count.   |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
My first memory of a coin was a counterfeit lead Standing Liberty quarter. A "slug" that was made by my grandfather. He died in 1962 and my uncle & dad were rooting around in the basement when they laughed together over discovering it. I have it from my father's collection. I also remember having a collection of Mercury and Roosevelt dimes that were hidden every Sunday morning under some warped porch boards by me on the way to church. They were supposed to go in the collection basket! One each week. LOL I had a good line of them on the framing under those boards, maybe 15 or 30. Something like that. One day on my way home from school, carpenters had torn off the porch and put a new one up. The Lord works in mysterious ways! Another memory was a kid up the alley telling me about getting a 1909 S VDB at the "Farmers Market" on the day that it was held and how much it was worth then. I forget how much it was worth but it sure was a fraction of todays prices. I didn't get to see it. His dad wouldn't let him take coins out of the house but he was a collector well under the age of 10. I wasn't a coin collector until much later but these episodes all happened before 1965. |
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Valued Member
United States
424 Posts |
When we were kids we used to live in a house behind my grandparents. Us kids were constantly hounding my grandfather for money so we could buy something from the corner store. He had a small coin purse, the kind that's a leather bag with a buckle on top, and he'd pop it open and usually give us a nickel or maybe a silver Rosey dime. Every so often he'd surprise us and give us a big 'ol Franklin half and let me tell you we were in heaven. We could buy an ice cream bar (10 cents), a soda (15 cents except for RC Cola or Bubble Up, they were 17 cents because they were 16 oz.), and a balsa wood glider plane from the toy rack (15 cents) and still have change for later which we put together with the 3 cents we'd get for bringing the soda bottle back. Today I have scores of MS Franklins, but for some reason my circulated set is my favorite. Whenever I go to a coin show, I can't resist picking up a few circulated Franklins. Who knows, maybe one of those is one that my grandfather gave me so many years ago and made the rounds only to come back to me where it is appreciated. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
Since I started collecting, I always found Walking Liberty halves to be a very impressive coin. When looking at their size and intricate design, it makes sense why they are so popular. I remember paying $12 for a circ. one back in 2012 and thinking it was a lot of money. I'm still buying walkers, but the ones I'm getting cost a lot more than $12!   |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
7276 Posts |
You mean that the MS 66 walking liberty didn't cost $12? I would give you $12 for it  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
I can't top these stories. They are inspirational.
The collecting 'bug' caught me when I discovered that my father kept coins in little books. Huh? My coins were in my pocket and were quickly spent. I put two and two together and went to the local stationery store and bought Whitman Folders...$0.35 each! The rest is history.
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
What got me started was going through my mom's collection of random world coins. I was always fascinated with all the different coinage. Then I discovered how much US coinage there was and discovered the existence of proof coinage. I've been a proof collector ever since, although I do venture out every once in a while and get the special issue (un)circulated coinage. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1316 Posts |
One Saturday morning in about 1990, my family went on a little roadtrip down I-5 to visit my grandma. She lived in a tiny blue house high up on the side of the mountain in Frazier Park, California. My grandfather bought the house in the early 70s without telling her because he loved the garage and had plans to rebuild the house over the garage. Then he died and she was stuck there. Anyways, I was about 8 when we made the 4ish hour drive down there from the Bay Area. As we were hanging out, my grandma handed me a 1910 V nickel and a 1957 silver certificate. She said she found them in the back of a dresser drawer while cleaning them out, and thought to give them to me. My grandfather also collected, and his father was a vagabond treasure hunter who labeled himself as a "mining engineer". I think I got their gene, and I thank my grandma for getting me started! Edited by Collects82
04/30/2020 9:38 pm
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Moderator
United States
188770 Posts |
Wonderful stories.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7276 Posts |
I agree really great stories! @jbuck, sadly for me if I was only given the Ike, I may not taken up coin collecting :) This is my original Ike from 1977. Its been replaced with a silver proof one, but he had a home in an album for a few days.  |
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Moderator
United States
188770 Posts |
Quote:
@jbuck, sadly for me if I was only given the Ike, I may not taken up coin collecting :)  Quote:
This is my original Ike from 1977. Its been replaced with a silver proof one, but he had a home in an album for a few days. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4680 Posts |
Buffalo nickels for me. When I was a kid I would stay every few weekends with my grandparents and they had a large US and world coin collection. Me and my grandmother would sort through everything, making notes along the way. I always enjoyed the Buffalo nickels. You would think with all the Morgan's, peace, Washington's, mercs she had, as a kid I would take to those, but nope, something about Buffalo nickels! I've since inherited those, finished off the sets she started and more, but buffalos are one of those that once I finish a set, I have to start another one! Nostalgic to say the least.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Odd story since that 1943 Cent started me on coins. When I was a little kid my Dad came home from work one day and showed me a new coin that just came out. It was the 1943 Cent and he gave it to me. I still have that one and about 4,000 more of them too.
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,153 |
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Posted 04/30/2020 3:12 pm
