| Author |
 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,788 |
|
|
New Member
United States
31 Posts |
Way back in early 70s, when I was just a lad, I visited my grandparents in Tucson. Since I was already a coin collector, my father took me to a store called Old Pueblo Stamp And Coin. (There is evidently still an Old Pueblo Coins in Tucson, but their web site says they've only been in business for 25 years.) And so one of the few things I have left from my childhood coin-collecting days (along with a few Whitman folders and a handful of silver coins) is a price catalog from this store. Here are my favorites: 1909-S VDB 1c: $115 in good, and $135 in fine. Or 1916-D Mercury 10c: $95 in good! And a 1912-S 5c: $31.50 in very good. I wish I'd told my parents "for Christmas this year, I don't want any toys or books or games--I would just like a 1921 and a 1921-D Mercury dime!" And for my birthday that year, perhaps a 1914-D Lincoln Cent ($37.50 in good)  What things would CCF members buy if they could put themselves in a time machine and travel back 40 years or so? Sigh... |
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
15403 Posts |
Quote:
What things would CCF members buy if they could put themselves in a time machine and travel back 40 years or so?
Indeed ... I would have purchased the winning Lottery ticket .... cashed in the million dollar top prize ..... then bought all the coins you mentioned and some more in addition. OK .... puns aside .. You tell a good tale jdh ..... and I can relate to your story with my similar childhood in the Orient ..... I recall my Dad taking me to coin stores in Singapore in the Late-60's when the Trade dollars were real and very affordable! Oh my .... if only I knew then what I know now.  David |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
when I first started collecting, I mowed the lawn for a collector, he would show me his coins and I even earned a few from him for services rendered, but what I really kick myself for now is a business decision I made at 13 years old, mow my lawn for three weeks and I will give you this coin. the coin a 1922-D that didn't have a mint mark in what he said would be an AU coin by his grading, it looked worn out to me  . I just could not wrap my young mind around owning a coin thats only claim to fame was a filled and worn mint mark. the year 1969. the problem is I still feel that way about this coin, but the profit margin would have been huge. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2661 Posts |
Back in 1998 I went to an auction in Maryland where I was stationed at the time. In that auction were a few hundred Peace dollars that some guy had on the block. Silver was cheap and so was the bidding on these. $4.00 was the high bid for choice on them. I only took two  . Only about 50 or so sold that night. I didn't know much about them then, in fact I didn't even own one until that night. As the scarecrow says..............."If I only had a brain" Edited by Tim Stroud
01/16/2010 10:56 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1082 Posts |
Back when I was a kid, silver was common in circulation, although it was starting to disappear. I did have some birthday money in a bank account, but it never entered my mind to convert it to silver and hoard it.
In the last major silver rush (ca. 1978), there were a lot of fly-by-nighters offering to buy silver coin everywhere. My grandfather had a huge accumulation of silver coin, but I didn't realize that he had sold it to one of these pirates until he had mentioned it to me. Had I known he was going to do this, I could have given him a fair value for it; I easily had the money at the time.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
The old time travel post again. For me just to many old situations from way, way back. When I was a kid the Roosevelt dime was just coming out. Jefferson nickels were just starting to circulate. In change every day was Indian cents, Old Lincoln Cents, Shield and Liberty nickels were as common as Indian/Buffalo Nickels. Lots of Standing Liberty quarters were common. Same with Walker halves and all Silver dollars were also common. Way back in the 40's when I was a kid, all such coins we think of today as rare were just common, every day coins. No such thing as a coin book, price guide, coin show and no offers on TV for coins since there was no TV. Obviously there was no coin forums on the internet since computers were just not in every home. One really big computer, now in a museum, could play tic-tack-toe and beat you every time. There was a coin store near where I lived though and sure wish I had the money to buy all his coins. But then most of them were in change anyway. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
819 Posts |
In the 60's I was stationed at Ft. Carson Colorado and started buying coins at a local shop, bought $20 St. G's double eagles for $50 each, only bought one. you can guess what I wish I had bought lots of.
In 1957 when in high school I bought a Canadian Proof set for (can't rememember price, think it was around 5 or 6 $)at the People's Street Coin Shop in Corpus Christi Tex.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
272 Posts |
Wish I would have stocked up on some gold when it was around $400 an oz.
|
|
New Member
 United States
31 Posts |
Thanks, everyone!  I enjoyed reading your reminiscences. JDH |
|
Valued Member
United States
258 Posts |
When I was a kid in the mid 1980's I purchased some 90% silver bullion for 5 times face. When I got out of high school I joined the army and what money I made went and purchased a huge pole barn and a couple of vehicles plus trips home and girlfriend/wife. I did not waste money (only time). After I got out of the army money was not very prevalent as wife and kids and college kept me in the poor house. When silver was $4.00 to $5.00 per ounce I was buying sterling silver flatware and holloware on ebay and selling it at a profit as tableware but again money always has been very tight so there was always more available than I could afford. When gold hit a low of $250.00 per ounce I did not have funds to buy but knew the price was the low of my lifetime as it cost the miners more than that to pull it out of the ground back then. I should have bought some silver eagles and morgan and Peace dollars but was spending most of my spare money on flatware and holloware and never even looked for silver coins at the time. For sure I would have bought a roll of silver eagles each month if I had known about them during this time frame. Nevertheless I made (and am still making) money on the sterling flatware and holloware I bought in the new millenium so I cannot complain too loudly other than about the morons in Washington. Sincerely, John Leckrone Edited by 925dealer
01/16/2010 9:21 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1418 Posts |
Think about this........ In twenty years, it will be the same story.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
819 Posts |
You are right tumbleweed....only problem is I don't have 20 years left, hoping for more than 5.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Wish I would have stocked up on some gold when it was around $400 an oz.
$400/oz? I used to buy my wife charms for a Gold Charm bracelet when Gold was $35/oz. And I thought that was outrageous for a little charm. |
| |
Replies: 12 / Views: 1,788 |
|
Posted 01/15/2010 11:26 pm
