Coin collecting before the internet.

My friends and I used to take the city bus together once per month or so downtown to the local coin shop. It was owned by an older married couple, although it was obvious he was in charge. He was also a bit surly but his wife loved having kids in the store. Found out later they never had kids of their own. I remember her knocking off a few cents here and there for us to help us get some coins we wanted. I still have a few of the coins from that store. Good times. TC

 

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Now that’s a tuff route. I like your effort

 

My moms milk man use to show me coins he received as payment. The only ones I remember were the coins with the Indians on them. He always showed me those ones

 

Interesting. Great comment.

 

Eggs. 2.90 today

 

Cute stuff

 

I can see those going up. I get stuck watching those races when I visit others on weekends. Love the car colors

 

Like your thread

 

That’s while we like you. You got time in

 

Jeff, try riding your bike faster, not further. You need speed to jump into the future and back. Lol

 

Very nice, unlike today.

 

I don’t know where you’re buying your eggs but I need to find out if it’s within driving distance of here.

 

The internet did exist, at least a little bit, when I started my second coin frenzy phase, but coin dealers had not made their way to that digital world yet.

I used to actually go to coin shops. Now I rarely do, if ever. I miss that familiar metallic smell. Over time, a few store owners grew to know me and they would watch for things they knew I had an interest in. Other people would tell interesting stories while I browsed the shelves and books (such as the man who tried to tell the dealer that he indeed did have a genuine two-headed coin; he received a full lecture on the minting process). It was a social experience that involved all of the senses. Much more enjoyable (for me) than clicking buttons on a webpage, though sadly not as convenient.

One time, a shop owner asked me: "do you wanna see something cool?" Of course I said "yes" and he pulled out a very nice 18th century US dollar and handed it to me. I held onto it like it was someone else's newborn baby. I haven't handled one of those, especially one in that condition, before or since. The Internet can't do that.

I miss having to go to shops, because then I actually did go. Now it's too easy to shop on a screen and click buttons. It doesn't help that the best shops sit way across town from me, either. I guess that's progress?

 

Seems like no matter how hard I pedal, I always move ahead at the same rate, one second per second.

And no "backward", or else I certainly would've done that to get away from clipping that post!

 

Good thread, Larry, as it brought back many fond memories. For several years during the early sixties my paper route provided coins for my Whitman albums, cents through quarters. My town of twenty thousand had four coin stores where I hung out and learned from the owners. In the seventies auctions at a local HoJo’s were a source of many coins. With the advent of the internet all of the local coin shops sadly closed.

 

I remember some coin shops having Bid Boards.
Raw coins were put in a flip and stapled to a card that was pinned on the wall. Folks would write their bid on the card.
After a week or so the coin went to the highest bidder.
The customers or the shop could hang coins on the wall.
It was fun to watch.

 

One of the 2 coin shops here in Pasadena does that. Bunch of garbage, but still worth looking through.

 

Bid Boards, yes! One of the coin shops in Northern VA had a bid board, they would end every Thursday night. My Dad, who was an avid collector, used to take me to it sometimes. There was really a "buzz" when you went into that shop, I remember it well!

 

Also...I remembered one of the best ways I collected before the internet.

One of my newspaper route customers (this is ~1992) saw me at the LCS one day and was surprised I was a collector.

So, that coming Christmas and because I always delivered his paper in a clean and dry manner, he gave me a big binder of old Wheaties and Jefferson nickels as a present. I was super psyched and very grateful.

He was a cool old guy.

 

Glad you’re doing well and Black on that contraption. I love to ride but ever since my knee replacement I can’t get the pedal to go around. To much scar tissue in that joint I’m afraid.