The Character and Honesty of a Well Worn War Nickel

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by green18, Nov 30, 2022.

  1. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    I've long had a love affair with these particular coins. As a young lad I'd pull them from pocket change. As a much older man I've encountered them at estate sales and thrift shops and I always grab a few. They call me, serenade me, comfort me. They harken me back to my early years when you pulled coins out of circulation, regardless of condition, and put them in an album and triumphed over the fact that you found a coin you needed. Only in desperation, for a particular coin, would you engage the services of a 'dealer' who posted his wares in Numismatic News. Now everything has to be encapsulated/entombed in plastic coffins, forever doomed to never breath fresh air or sunshine. Never to be held, caressed, stroked with greasy Col. Sanders finger licking good appendages. Of late, a few forgotten lovelorn examples that I recently discovered tucked away in a curious forgotten spot on my nightstand, of all places.

    The '42s intrigue me. What a dark day for America in those times. The Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor the prior December, and the Philippines were destined to fall. The only bright spot was the Doolittle Raid in April of that year. Oh how that gave us some hope..........and scared the devil out of the Japs, who thought themselves invincible and untouchable. Behold, some photos.......

    DSC_6542.JPG DSC_6543.JPG DSC_6544.JPG DSC_6545.JPG DSC_6546.JPG DSC_6547.JPG DSC_6548.JPG DSC_6549.JPG

    Thanks for lookin', and please do comment and post your own examples of 'times lost' collecting.........:)

    _DSC0295.JPG
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2022
    dwhiz, Tall Paul, PamR and 21 others like this.
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  3. lardan

    lardan Supporter! Supporter

    Your comments were well said. I really like the war nickels also.
     
  4. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    You should publish this. Ode to an Aging Numismatist

    Prose for the ages.
     
  5. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    In the 'vein' of Shelly,Milton? :)
     
  6. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    Walt Whitman...a local guy for you Long Islander's. He did prose too. :)
     
    green18 likes this.
  7. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Could be a featured article.
    I like the war coins. In fact, I found a 1945 P yesterday in a coin roll from my local bank. They are all beautiful. 1945 P CRH.jpg
     
  8. Mojavedave

    Mojavedave Senior Member

    Well said about the 40's. I was just a young lad in those days, but I remember them well.

    Dave
     
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  9. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

  10. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

  11. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

    I only have one nice one from paddy54. All the others are about good. Good find
     
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  12. longnine009

    longnine009 Darwin has to eat too. Supporter

    Circulated coins rock. They did their job. Best of all, you don't have to be tortured with the Flea That Roared uncirculated grading.
     
  13. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    @green18 very eloquently stated. A stroll down memory lane, for sure.

    What I like about the iconic war nickels are the 'green hue' that seems to emanate from each of them. Upon opening a roll of nickels and seeing that 'green' jump out at me my heart races just a bit. No, I know I didn't hit the lottery, but, just the feel of that war nickel creates just tad bit of adrenaline to course through my veins.

    I'm a sucker for that enlarged mint mark hovering above the most likely, nicely worn, muted if you will, Monticello, home of our third president, Thomas Jefferson.
     
  14. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Just the other night I pulled some well worn old nickels from the dark reaches of my safe to give my boy to plug holes in his new Whitman nickel book. With each nickel I would relay him a small story of the time and place we were in when that nickel did its job. Stories of families huddled around radios hoping to hear some news of the war front and hoping their sons were safe overseas. The 1950's coins would come with stories of the race to space and giant cars with big fins and families discovering television.
     
  15. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    That's what I consider a lost function of our society. I am still in the support of storytelling. Young people don't have time to listen. That is part of the reason behind my attachment in #8 above. If the kids won't listen, I will write it down for someone who is interested.
     
  16. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

    Ken:
    The reverse on the 1945 S, the first picture, may be a strike thru.
     
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  17. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Shoot Frank, I just thought it was a big fat gouge. :)
     
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  18. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I feel the same about many ancients, never being a stickler for grade. I especially feel this for some reason on bronzes, the warm glow of worn bronze just looks and feels comforting. I own many more expensive ancients, but always remember a VG bronze issued by the Ostrogoths immediately after the fall of the Western Roman empire in Rome. It has a label "Roma Invictus", Rome Unconquered, issued by German conquerers. Since its so worn, and circulated in Rome itself, I wonder how the population felt about that coin as they used it in daily commerce.

    I used to have a better memory, but today find myself not as much. As such, I bring up the Ostrogothic coin because its one of the few coins I remember owning. 99% of them it appears when I look in the SDB I have no memory of purchasing, but remember that one clearly. I remember the history and knowledge of coins, just losing memory of what coins do I own already.
     
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  19. Oldhoopster

    Oldhoopster Member of the ANA since 1982

    Nice write up. Always fun to see interesting posts that change things up from the "normal CT routine"(but still have the numismatic connection). Ill get some good enjoyment thinking and reminiscing on the topic
     
  20. Wal888

    Wal888 Well-Known Member

    I have only these three

    IMG_20221201_154758.jpg IMG_20221201_154847.jpg IMG_20221201_154959.jpg IMG_20221201_155056.jpg IMG_20221201_155146.jpg IMG_20221201_155226.jpg
     
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  21. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    A good example of how coin collecting teaches history, if the young collectors bother to research and read about it.
    https://www.britannica.com/event/Doolittle-Raid
     
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