What to do with my accumulation?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Inspector43, Jun 27, 2019.

  1. Berit

    Berit New Member

    I love this idea - thanks for sharing!

    I don't have any grandkids or beyond yet - but I do have a 13yo son and some nieces/nephews. I'm not sure who all I'll do this for but something fun to start for sure.

    I see some snapshots of paper or lists you have in the binder - would you share what these include? I can't quite read from the photo.

    Is there any other information you include in the binder? Or just the coins in the flips, labeled?

    Berit
     
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  3. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    On the cover of each binder I have a list of the coins included. There is nothing else but the coins in the 2x2's. Let me know if I can help.

    Type Set of US Coins for your Birth Year 2016

    This set contains coins from the Great Grandpa Z collection that were accumulated over the last 70 plus years.

    · Your birth year 2016

    · Your Dad 1987

    · Your Mom 1989

    · Your Grandpa and Grandma T 1965 and 1966

    · Your Great Grandpa Henry T 1942

    · Your Great Great Grandpa and Grandma T 1912 and 1916

    · Your Great Grandpa and Grandma Z 1943 and 1947

    · Your Great Great Grandpa and Grandma L 1914 and 1925

    · Coins that were minted at least 100 years before you were born

    · Some coins that are 110 to 120 years older than you

    · One each of most all coins made during the last 100 or more years. Some from the 1800’s. These are matched to the dates of your parents and grand parents birth year as much as possible.

    o Indian Head Pennies

    o Wheat Pennies

    o Steel Penny from 1943 used in World War II

    o Lincoln Memorial Pennies

    o 2009 4 coins of the Lincoln Life Series

    o 2017 Penny with P Mint Mark - the only penny to ever have the Philadelphia mint mark

    o Liberty (V) Nickels

    o Buffalo Nickels

    o Jefferson Nickels

    o Silver Jefferson Nickel used in World War II

    o One each of the 5 Westward Series commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition

    o Barber Style Silver Dimes

    o Mercury Style Silver Dimes

    o Roosevelt Style Silver and Clad Dimes

    o Washington Quarters

    o Bi-Centennial 1776 - 1976

    o Uncirculated and Proof Quarters from 2016

    o Iowa Effigy Mounds

    o Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollars

    o Franklin Silver Half Dollars

    o Kennedy Half Dollars

    o Bi-Centennial 1776 - 1976

    o Eisenhower Dollar

    o Susan B Anthony Dollar

    o Presidential Series Dollar

    o Native American Series Dollar

    o Innovation Series Dollar
     
  4. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    BTW Welcome to CT
     
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  5. Berit

    Berit New Member

    Sounds good. Thanks.

    I would love to start this for myself and my son. But I do have a few questions.

    Basically I'm looking for some suggestions/advice on how to go about this.

    I don't have much of a collection to use, although I do have some I can use.

    So I would have to purchase many of them. Especially the older ones.

    I have and will do more bank roll hunting for the more recent coins but I'd like to go back to mine and my husband's great-grandparents as much as possible (we do have the genealogy on most of them to make that possible). But that means going back to the 1860s for the oldest one.

    So what is a reasonable $ to spend for the early penny/nickel coins? Or am I better off sticking with silver dimes (as much as possible) due to the silver content? These are for the older date-specific coins, of course.

    How do I strike a balance between decent coins (not cull or so badly worn you can hardly tell what they are) and keeping it affordable? I don't want junk - but I also need to keep the costs under control.


    And no, there is no rush, so I can do it a bit at a time... but I'm very much a novice collector so any assistance is appreciated.

    Thanks
    Berit
     
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  6. Berit

    Berit New Member

    Also, I know that's a long ways to go back so I may have to cut it shorter than that, depending what I can find. But I'd like to do what I can in terms of dates.
     
  7. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    If you are looking at taking some time you might look at buying a roll of each type coin you are needing. You can get a roll of Buffalo nickels "with dates" for a fair price on eBay. And, you can get Indian Head Pennies, Barber, Mercury and Roosevelt Dimes, pre 1964 Jefferson Nickels, etc. Pick out dates you need for your projects and put others in your collection. Always look for sellers that are supplying coins with dates visible.

    I had a good supply from my 70 years of accumulating. If you are budgeting and are not on any time constraints, getting these rolls one at a time could work. You are probably going to pay pretty good for them, but, you will get a range to work with.

    PM me if I can help further.

    Dave
     
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  8. Berit

    Berit New Member

    Thanks. I'll look around and see what I can find.

    I appreciate the idea and the help.

    Berit
     
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  9. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Plus, if you have local dealers, you may be able to find some good deals in their bargain boxes. And, they may have smaller quantities than an entire roll. Remember, you are giving representative examples of the date, and someone born in a specific year doesn't need one of each denomination, unless they are available. Your thought and effort should be enough.

    You should start your own thread giving us all updates of your project.
     
  10. Berit

    Berit New Member

    Thanks, again I appreciate the advice. I just may start my own thread when I get a chance. I wish I had more time to work on hobbies like this, but between an active teenager and working full-time it's hard to do!

    I'll have to make a trip to a dealer one of these days. We do have a few around but I've never actually been.
     
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  11. TONYBRONX

    TONYBRONX Well-Known Member

    You Really got it Going on!
     
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  12. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Dang! That's certainly an admirable feat! ;) When you get done, someone should call the local news or newspaper to do a public interest story. Just a thought! If it happens, please get back to us! :D
     
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  13. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    That would be interesting except, we live in a rural area where everyone knows everyone. I would hate to expose my collection to everyone.
     
  14. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yeah, you're right, that wouldn't be smart at all! :D
     
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  15. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    I have most of them finished. Each book has about 60 coins. Our 19th Great Grand Child was born on Tuesday. Her book will be the first to go out. I hope the reaction is positive. Millennials don't have much interaction with coins. It seems to be all about debit cards and VENMO.
     
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  16. Good Cents

    Good Cents Well-Known Member

    Inspector - This is a GREAT idea! Fantastic. What a treasure!

    (Can I join in for a chance at adoption?! I've been looking for my long, lost great-uncle for all these years... :joyful:)

    There are all couple of things I thought of, since you asked for suggestions.

    I have had to take apart and distribute the artwork and past-times of a number of my ancestors and it pained me greatly when nobody else in my family was interested in taking those things, even one or two items, for their own kids or grandkids. I saved as much as I could for myself and my own small family, but felt horribly guilty finding new homes for the rest. Some of these were items that were hand made with lots of TLC, other things were just collections and it was very painful for me to take things like this apart.

    It is because of my own experience that I suggest an additional letter/note to the kids/grandkids/greats/etc, talking about how much you have enjoyed coin collecting your whole life and if they have any interest while you're still alive and kicking, you would be glad to show them a few things about it. But if they don't have any interest, they shouldn't feel guilty about it. But still and all, you would appreciate if they could keep this collection in the family and save it for their own children and grandchildren, or even nieces and nephews, in case someone down the line does have an interest. With that in mind you've put this together in a way that conserves space and is not bulky so it wont take up much space so it wont be difficult to hold onto for many years. And although the books you are making for them with these coins are priceless. Maybe you can write something about that if they feel they absolutely must, must, must sell this collection, if they have hit the roughest of times and would outright starve without selling it, you won't come back to haunt them for eternity if they get quotes on the coins from at least 2 different dealers before selling it, and preferably 3 dealers. You can then recommend a couple of the big names out there - dealers with big name reputations that may not give them the BEST deals, but also wont completely rip them off, while explaining that these dealers are just suggestions based on their 2019 reputations.

    Of course your HOPE is that one of the kids' interest is sparked. And with a brood like that, there is likely to be someone interested down the line, even if not in your lifetime. Of course that doesn't help you right now, but, it's still a nice thought and it is most likely true. Because someone, some day is going to go looking through a drawer or a book shelf and come across this collection and their interest will be ignited. They will want to know more about this Grandpa and his highly organized gift of love and care.

    And that leads to my next suggestion - to write a little paragraph about how old you were when you started collecting coins, why you liked doing it your whole life, what your favorite part about it was, what you found most interesting, etc. That more than anything will be a treasure that a child, as an adult or even a young adult will appreciate because they will want to know more about the PERSON - YOU - who did all this work. And be absolutely sure to include a picture of yourself with this little paragraph. Nothing fancy, just a picture to go with the letter, so that future gens will see who you were and those who know you will smile.

    And last, but not least, a recommendation for you and everyone based on my own experience in getting kids interested (ages 7-170). I bought them the following book:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1441312315/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It's a sturdy and colorful collector's map and coin book/folio for the State Quarters. Here are pictures of it:

    Quarters Book 1.jpg Quarters Book 2.jpg

    I gave one to each kid together with a bank roll of Quarters and sat with them for about 20 minutes showing them how it works, what to look for, etc. I did this with kids of all ages, and as young as 7 and for some it tapped their interest. It's an impressive book/folio due to the sturdy cardboard on both sides - no flimsy paper backing for the kids to tear. It's very large, and the colors and pictures make it easy on the eyes. I think the best part is that all the coins are out there in circulation. There's no waiting from year to year, so they can feel a real sense of completion and success if they just aim to fill up all the "P" slots in the map.

    The same company makes the same kind of folio/book for the ATB series:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1441312307/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I gladly got the ATB book for those who showed interest and if they filled up about 25% of their 50-States book and/or when I heard from their parents that they were asking their parents to get them rolls of quarters from the bank so they can search through them.

    Each time I would visit I would bring rolls of quarters for them to search through and made a "deal" with them that they get to keep up to 12 quarters that went into their book(s) and I took the rest home. Some of the kids even started competing with each other ("I filled up more of my book than you did" :rolleyes: )

    For some kids it's a lasting hobby, for others it's a passing phase. Either way, it gives them the opportunity to feel successful at something because there are plenty of state quarters out there for them to fill their books with. They learn the names of the states, the locations of states, even the pronunciations of the states when an adult points out how to say it correctly.

    I recommend this kind of thing because it could be (a) an interactive thing that you can do together with kids that could spark their interest, and (b) a way to get them started by succeeding at filling in a colorful coin book that helps them with pictures of the coins and which is large and sturdy so it will hold up to heavy handling.

    Some kids will find it interesting. Others wont. But it's a way to get them started.

    But at the end of the day, nothing matches the collections you are making for your family. They truly are PRICELESS.
     
  17. Good Cents

    Good Cents Well-Known Member

    Congratulations on your 19th Great Grand Child born on Tuesday! That's amazing! Enjoy!!
     
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  18. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Thanks for the interest and feedback. I will try to construct and offer some interest. I have tried before without much luck. It is very true about the love and pride I have in my collection. Some people find it unbelievable that I have such an accumulation, thousands of old coins. But, it is my thing. In fact, the reason I have held on to so many is because I always anticipated a large family and wanted plenty of hand-me-downs. Even if several of them were interested they could fill 90% of a penny collection 1900 to date with coins from my stash.

    I fully agree with how hard it is to break up collections. My wife has shelves and cases full of collectibles. Lately, rather than Christmas and birthday gifts, we are asking the kids to pick something they have always liked and take it home. I have hundreds of native indian artifacts (arrow heads and other stuff) that I found years ago. I would not sell one for a hundred dollars because I spent hours hunting for them. I sent a bunch home with a granddaughter that was interested. My grandfather and I spent hours together fishing and making hand made lures. They could only be valuable to a family member. What to do with all that stuff?

    Time to draft that letter you suggested "this is what your grandfather was".
     
  19. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    These ideas are great. I got my start in 1948. My aunt gave me two Liberty Nickels, an 1883 without cents and an 1885. I was 5 years old. When I saw the value of the 1885 ($5 at that time) I was hooked.
     
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  20. Good Cents

    Good Cents Well-Known Member

    Well, if you need someone who will treasure the coins, you've got me Gramps! :)

    Seriously though, is anyone in the family into fishing? Maybe write up one of your memories of time spent with your grandfather fishing. Take some pictures of some of the hand made lures, and email what you wrote and the pictures out to everyone. See if anyone "bites". It's a different kind of fishing. You're not straight out asking anyone to take them, but you're putting family history out there. Perhaps down the line, after you're gone someone will find those lures and remember what you wrote and say "Hey, I want those lures!". That's what happens often. We don't appreciate what we have while we have it. Then when it's gone we cry and we miss it so much. With people the most, but with lots of other things too.

    One of my grandmothers used to bake using flour measurements with her hands. She would bake all these great things for our family and for years I meant to bake with her and measure out in real measurements what her hand measurements came to. But she was so active and vibrant and young at heart that it didn't occur to me that she would ever be gone one day. In my defense I was young and dumb, but still, I regret so much that I never did that.

    Anyway, my point is that your family may want some of those things down the line after you're gone. It's ridiculous. But it's human nature, I guess, because it's universal.

    So, if you write up something about your memories with your grandfather fishing and making the lures, or if you write up something about the Indian artifacts and your hunting expeditions for them, how many hours you spent, how you would find them, what you would look for, etc, send those out with pictures in an email. People email so much garbage, this is your little "Something I Remember" email. You're not offering it to anyone. You're just sharing your memories, your stories. I assure you, it will will be remembered when all of a sudden you're not there to tell those stories anymore. Then it's a question of who will hold on to those things, and if there are family members who care (some of us do!), then they will treasure your treasures.

    At the end of the day it's the relationships, I think, that endure. The time your grandfather invested in you in taking you fishing and making lures with you, that was what you took with you more than the lures themselves. And in turn that is what you've invested in your children and grandchildren. And so the lures did their job because they were never meant to catch anything, they were meant to create good memories and time invested in you as a person so that you can become the person you are and do the same for your children and grandchildren.

    Sorry for the long posts, I'm writing to myself too. Even though I'm 25 years behind you, I've thought about these things a lot.
     
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  21. roygpa

    roygpa New Member

    Grand PA, I know it's been a long time but I'm back! :)
     
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