Anyone Here Older Than 50?

Baby Boomer!

63, going on 64 in March!

Been collecting coins since I was about 10 yrs old.

Pennies only at that time.

Not that I'm old but my first coin was from my Dad and it was a really shinny, Silver looking penny and made of Steel. They just came out and I wanted as many as he could get me. That was the 43 Lincoln Cent. When I was a kid there were only coins like Walking Liberty halves, Liberty Head Dimes and Halves in change all the time. No such thing as a Roosevelt dime yet so all Dimes were either Mercury or Liberty Heads. Same with many Nickels being either Shield or Liberty Heads. People really didn't care for those new Washington quarters to much back then either. Even Sitting Liberty coins were in change. People spent Silver Dolllars as commonly as bills.
And no one really thought of coin collecting to much at all. Only kids did that and mostly for fun.
Then all of a sudden that Red Book came out and started this mess.

Turned 62 in November and I well remember spending silver. Could find IHC, buffalos, mercs, in everyday change. Occasional V nickels, standing libs, and walkers too. Franklin halfs were commonplace until Kennedy half came out. Then they seemed to dissappear overnight.

I'm 57. I remember that "boy dime", "girl dime" thing, too. I started collecting in 1964 when my neighbor "sold" me his collection of Roosevelts, Mercs and wheaties for face value! Of course, he didn't have any of the BIG keys and he polished all the coins on a regular basis, so they were sort of ruined, but it was still a nice gesture. I would go to school every day with a dollar bill so that I could get lots of change when I paid for my 3 cent carton of milk. Back then, the lunch ladies had the change set out in cups; quarters in one, dimes in another, etc. I'd made a total P.I.T.A out of myself by asking if I could have that Merc or that Buffalo or even the occasional SLQ, Walker or Franklin back in change that I saw sitting there. That was 1964 and 1965, and then the fun was over. But even before I started collecting, I remember saving up loose change (this was 1963 and prior) until I had $2.00 worth and giving it to my mom when she went went to the bank (Cleveland Trust - for any of you OLD northeast Ohioans out there) and she would bring me a dollar bill (probably a silver cert!) and a silver dollar! Yep...you could still get silver dollars in the early '60's. Too bad I just spent 'em all...at least until I started collecting. Ah...the GOOD old days.

This is kind of funny. Old people used to always say how they had to walk miles to school every day. I too used to say that all the time since it was true. However, today I don't think kids know what walking to school means. One of my neighbors has 4 kids and drives most of them to school every day. None of those schools are over a mile and one is 3 blocks away.
One thing though is when I was a kid there were no buss services for kids.

I'd like to have just one pot of the old friday night poker games .25cents/50 cents! Buffalo's/ Mercs/Roosey's/ Standing Liberty/Washinton Quarters/Walkers/Franklins and even an occasional Morgan was thrown in the kitty!

*Also the Silver Certificates currency.*

I used to spend the Buffalo nickels on ice cream back in the 60's. but bottom hasn't felt the same sense lol My Dad also was a collector and I wasn't at that time so they was just nickels to me. but now I know why the guy at the very small corner store was always so happy to my brothers and I come in for our daily ice cream cone. but if I remember correctly my dad did get most of his nickels back.he finally knew me well when I showed him a $20.00 gold certificate that I "said I found lol he knew exactly where he had hid it I think that's when he mad my bottom feel right again. I never went through his or moms cloths pockets in the closet again and I never hid anything in my pockets either cause children are way smarter than we give them credit for