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 Replies: 26 / Views: 4,467 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2200 Posts |
I began in 1972. I was in junior high, got sick and had to stay home three days in a row. While I was home alone one of those days, I pulled out the box of old coins my family had in a closet. My big sister had showed it to me before so I knew where it was. I had always been enamored of the ads in comic books that showed the 1804 dollar, and how they talked about how 19,000 were minted but no one knew where they were. I was convinced that that box must contain at least one of those 1804s. Well, it didn't, but I enjoyed looking through what was there. We also had an old Red Book, and so I spent time looking up the coins in that. I also found a Whitman Lincoln album (#1) that my dad had put together when he was a kid, and it was almost complete--only thing missing was an S-VDB. It was fun to have all these incredibly old and valuable artifacts of history in my hands. From then, I began looking through my change and buying coin albums. I got a subscription to Numismatic News and my knowledge increased. I visited all the coin stores in the area. I was having fun! And it was all because of those few days I stayed home sick from school. Moved to Main coin forum - Sap |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
While in prision everyone was discussing future robberies. Several of us broke out, robbed a bank, found we got mostly coins. Sitting in a hideout waiting for the robbery to loose interest in the newsmedia, I started looking at all the coins. Realized they all had dates and little letters on them from where they were made. Thinking this could be something to do in the future, we robbed a coin store for all their Albums and went back to our hideout to fill them. With all these coins and Albums the only thing now to do would be to either open a coin store, continueing the robbery ideas only on legal note or become a used car salesperson.  Dad gave me some pennies when I was a kid and that just started this hobby. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1064 Posts |
When I was about 12 (1956), my grandmother gave me many coins she had saved, to give me when she thought I was of a responsible age. Also, in the late 50's, early 60's, the Boston Jordan Marsh store had a very large coin section on the 1st floor, and I would buy coins there whenever I could scrape up a few dollars, but being bad with money, I didn't keep them long, and when I was old enough to own a car, all was gone. Started up again in the early 90's,, and have a couple dozen US silver and gold coins, mostly halves and dollars; I think I like the heft of those vs the smaller coins. I don't really go through rolls or change much any more, mostly what I have came from ebay, stores, coin shows, family gifts and the mint, but the mint has gotten a little expensive the last few years. |
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
When I was 13, I used to frequent the local coin shop drooling at the coins on the bid board. My dad went with me one day (my unlocked bike was stolen the day before) and bought me a tiny Greek silver ancient that I was just fascinated by. It was all downhill from there. Now, it's Colonials that drives me :)
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
902 Posts |
Mid 70's going through pocket change.
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Moderator
Australia
16809 Posts |
Some old threads on the subject here, here and here. My answers are buried in those threads and in others on the topic, but it's easier to repeat myself than go digging for them.  I started collecting in 1980 when I was eight. I was into stamps at the time, mainly copying what my big brother was doing. We were taken to a "coin and stamp show" and I was more interested in the coins than stamps. I was allowed to buy an handful of odd foreign coins from a scratchtray that fascinated me. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
609 Posts |
Ever since I was about 8, I have been fascinated by coins. I used to ask my parents friends if they had any foreign coins. It slowed down from about 10 to 13 while I was collecting baseball cards. Now I'm 14 and have been learning more about coins (used to only get them cause they looked cool) and spend most of my allowance on them.
Basically, my dad went to Belgium in the late 80's and he gave me the leftover change that couldnt make a whole dollar. Now I'm into german and U.S. coins.
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Valued Member
United States
370 Posts |
When I was around 7 or 8 probably. I've always collected over the years but never seriously, just waht ever I would find in change. I got back in to it full time last September.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
Whenever I lost my first tooth (whatever age that is, somewhere around 1960) my dad gave me an 1854 quarter that he had gotten for his first lost tooth along with a 1958 Bluebook. I have since given that quarter to my son for his first tooth but I have been an avid collector ever since, pausing only while in college from 1972-1976.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Started collecting florins when I was 12.
53 years later, I STILL collect them!
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Valued Member
United States
417 Posts |
Early 70's, but have not done it steady again until the past couple of years.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
524 Posts |
My father passed away when I was 15. My mother gave me a small stash of coins he had. A few Morgans,couple of Walkers and a few old Washingtons. Just enough to peak my interest. I was told my Great grandmother was a coin collector so I talked to her. She gave me a jar of Mercury dimes,Buffalo nickels, and Wheats to go through. No key dates but it got me started on a few Whitmans folders. I never have spent a lot of money at one time on coins but I have steadily built up a decent collection to leave my daughter. |
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Valued Member
United States
406 Posts |
When I was around 10 (late 1970s), my grandfather gave me 2 Whitman cent foldrs (1909-1940 and 1941-1975) and then we went through his box of wheat cents and filled most of the holes together. I've been a collector ever since, although I took a pretty long break from about 1999 through last year.
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Moderator
United States
187862 Posts |
Quote:Some old threads on the subject here, here and here. My answers are buried in those threads and in others on the topic, but it's easier to repeat myself than go digging for them. True. Here is what I said in one of those threads.To answer the question, I received two Eisenhower dollars (1976-D Type II and 1977-D) as gifts from my dad in 1978. The interest began there and was nurtured by my parents as much as possible. |
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Valued Member
United States
301 Posts |
So many of you started young, I'm the odd man out here. I always liked coins, but didn't really know how to go about starting a collection. I had a few silver eagles, but nothing serious. I consider myself a newbie but I'm learning. My wife's mother passed away about a year and a half ago, she inherited her mother and father's coin collection. We had to split the collection 4 ways between her brothers and sisters. The wife's share yielded about 20 rolls of Kennedy halves, (10 of them silver) About 40 silver washingtons, 110 silver roosevelts, about a dozen merc. dimes, various franklins, Walkers, 2 dozen ikes, a few morgan and Peace dollars, and about a dozen silver eagles. There was also a pretty good amount of currency - silver certificates and the like. Since recieving this collection, we have added silver eagles, lots of Ikes and a few morgans. We intend to add much more to this collection and pass it down to our kids. I've been doing most of my shopping online and a coin shop in town. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
570 Posts |
I was 13 when I started collecting coins. I was 5 when I started collecting stamps. My grandparents used to own a stamp store and when I was 13 I got some coins and got hooked right away! When I used to go to stamp shows when I was a kid, a couple of coin dealers there would give me some paper money for free. Lots of Chinese paper money that is now very collectable! This also helped me to get started in coins and paper money.
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Replies: 26 / Views: 4,467 |
Posted 06/10/2011 7:44 pm
