Why would my Grandfather hold on to this Morgan Dollar?

This Morgan Dollar is really disfigured.

Why would my grandfather have saved it? I have 24 of his Morgan Dollars, and all but 4 are 1921s. He was very much a historian, so it could be due to the date. But I was also thinking that, although he was employed in his wife's family's business which was pretty much immune to financial hardship (they were in the jail manufacturing business), perhaps he was just being frugal because of the times?

 

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my grandpa saved 1921 Morgan dollars too.
He really wasn't a coin collector. I was thinking he liked the design versus the newer Peace Dollars of the time.

 

There could be any number of reasons, but what should matter now is that it represents a tangible connection to what I can only assume is family departed. Therefore it should be viewed as invaluable imo.

Welcome to the forum, Canny.

 

What year was he born, Clawcoins?

My grandfather's d.o.b. was 1895. I loved him a lot. He wasn't a coin collector either... more of a coin saver.

 

You brought tears, BooksB4Coins.

And if you are a serious book collector, you would've loved my grandfather, too. He collected books, mostly Texana. Very large collection.

 

Then that might help explain why he saved the damaged, but is just speculation. Living through the depression as an adult may have also contributed to his penchant for saving them. I didn't live through it, but grew up around those who had and to this day still embrace some of what rubbed off on me.

You're very fortunate to have things that belonged to him. Many people do not, or in the case of coins, they rushed out to sell them when younger, pocketing a little money for what could have been a family treasure. I've seen it happen many, many times and even after urging such folks to reconsider. While damage isn't a positive to a collector, in this case it simply doesn't matter.

And yes, I am quite fond of books and am sure he and I would have gotten along just fine.

 

Valued pocket piece. I've a few of my own........

Who knows the 'where' or 'why' a person hangs onto any piece of memorabilia. Gramps saw something, and it was truly personal.

 

This is what was passed on to me
The family was large and I was a grandkid so I have no idea if he collected a lot or not but several knew I collected coins.

 

Your grandfather liked the coin and it would be wonderful if you could have asked him "why?" What a sweet story!

 

Maybe your granddad was saving this collection just for his favourite grandkid, Clawcoins ?

 

Maybe he found it and thought it looked weird, so he put it away for safekeeping. I like to hold on to weird coins I find.

 

I bet your grandpa was something of a "coin hoarder" like most of us. I recently helped a dear friend with his deceased fathers collection. The man saved everything... And I do mean everything. Almost 900 walking halves alone.... There were no spectacular coins in his safe. Just mountains of "everyman" sort of coins. If you look in my coin safe you would see much the same.

 

Could've been the first $1 he ever earned and saved it....

 

Could have been "engraved" by his child/grandchild (that's been done before). What does the reverse look like?

 

Maybe it is a map to a hidden treasure. The lines are purposely inscribed. (tongue in cheek)

 

Possibly, but considering the fact he was 26 the year it was minted, I'm guessing it's also rather unlikely.

 

I should take those coins out of the PVC flips I put them in. At least I didn't put a rubber band around it. I had some Peace Dollars get a rubber band mark around them after 2 years in PVC flips rubberbanded together. had to clean those which I showed in another thread.

 

I noticed Canny's granddad had only saved USA coins. Nothing wrong in that, but I would have preferred a mix, including foreign coins.

 

Or was the collection Clawcoin's ?

 

That above collection/picture was what my grandpa game to me.
US coins only and some recent stuff from the 60s to 70s.