The Beginning I started coin collecting about 2 months ago. I found out that my cross country coach (Also my Algebra teacher) collected coins. I wasn't really into it and never thought about collecting. One day I went to the gas station right beside my house to go get a iced coffee or something and I got a Jefferson nickel (Could of been 42, 43, or 44 cant remember.) I was so excited. I thought I had found something old and rare. I asked my coach about it and he asked me if it has a letter above the Monticello building. I told him ill check. Next thing you know I have the coin in my hand and I dropped it in my front yard. I spent a hour looking for it and two of my friends were at my house and thought I was crazy to be just looking for some old coin. I told them they could leave because it was going to be awhile til I gave up looking. So they left and I still looked and looked. I couldn't find it. I was outraged! I called my dad and we looked together for another hour. We couldn't find it. The next day my coach said I could use his medal detector and he would come help me look for it. We looked and looked and I couldn't find it. I was so disappointed. From that moment on all I thought about was coins. Every day all day. All I wanted was coins..I took action and bought some from my friend. He had been collecting for awhile and he sold me about 20$ worth. I had bought several wheat pennies all from 1910-1919, a Indian head or two, a Susan B. Anthony, a Ike, a presidential dollar (This was the first time I ever took sight on one and I thought it was awesome!), some foreign coins, and some other coins (I cant quite remember all that I got.) I fell more in love. I got myself a binder to put my coins in and went on to buy a V-nickel, a 1962 proof quarter, and a gold plated Nazi coin (I thought this was the coolest thing ever also.) I slowly started filling my binder up. Connections A couple weeks from finding that possible war nickel. I started making connections with people. My coach would give me a free coin or two at school and I got so excited. (He gave me a no date buffalo nickel which I was freaking out about and some Canadian coins.) Whenever I had questions about coins he would always be there to help! Even if it was a stupid question. My friend that I bought coins from had also helped me. He mentioned a coin show and he asked me to go. He ended up not being able to go but my dad took me which was great because I got to buy 120$ worth of coins. (It was all my money. I have a job!) My dad actually got very interested in them when we were at the show. He liked all the odd coins, and was interested in the silver coins also. My dad actually bought a book of Kennedy halfs for 100$. My dad and I now talk about coins a lot now and sometimes we trade/buy from each other. (He just recently bought a lot of Indian heads from me for 50$.) I had another friend whose dad collects coins. I came over and he had his whole collection sitting out. I was excited to see what he had! He showed me about $1000 worth of Morgans and he showed me a half dime (Which I was amazed by!). He had a lot of coins. He gave me some Indian head pennies, wheats, and some silver quarters! Learning I had learned about coin roll hunting from my coach. I started going to my bank and asking for nickels. I got $100 worth of nickels a week most of the time. I kept all the ones I wanted. (Everything 1959 before, and 2009 nickels because of the low mintage.) One day I got some and brought them back to the school (My bank is really close to my high school.) and searched through them with my coach. We both had 100$ of nickels. It was really fun because we talked about coins and compared finds. (He found a buffalo nickel with a date. I was so jealous!) He told me not to drop my coins at the same bank I get my coins and that nickels were a really great coin to start looking for from banks. He told me stories about how he made a big profit from the bank because he found 6 or 7 silver Kennedy halfs. (I can't remember the specific amount he found.) After awhile I started to notice that I was getting the same teller every time I went to the bank. She always seemed annoyed by me and the people there started remembering my name because I came in so much. I still got my coins from the same bank where I dumped. (There is a coin machine there so its good for dumping. I do not get many coins from this bank anymore. I only dump here.) I'd see the lady every week and when the coin machine shut down shed come fix it or put a new bag in for me. She knew I was in there for coins not cash. (does that make sense? hahah!) I had learned more about coins. I had been to my first coin show. Learned about silver, and even did some selling there. I had bought some cleaned coins, not knowing what cleaned coins looked like and I brought them to my friends dad and he knew they were cleaned. Now I know what to look for! The Present Its been about 2 months maybe more and I am in love with coin collecting. My coach is like my coin dealer now. I have bought many coins from him. My dad has bought a bunch of Indians head pennies from me and is interested in buying my silver. My friends dad wants to take me to a coin shop he goes to, and my friend just calls me a nerd because I'm thinking about coins 24/7. (He really shouldn't be talking..he has all the Mercury dimes except one. hahaha) I now get coins from different banks and only dump at my bank. I gave that lady that always seems annoyed by me a thank you card and a Hershey bar and I have 1,200+ wheat pennies (Bought a bunch from some guy), a half dime (and I love it!), a 3 cent nickel, a bunch of common buffalo nickels (I have a book started.), a full book of common wheats/memorials. I full book of Jefferson nickels! (I love my 1950 D nickel!), a 1910S penny, a 1909 V.D.B wheat, a 1868 2 cent piece, some common Lincoln memorial penny books, a bunch of nickels (1959 and before), Some V nickels, some mercury dimes, a cleaned Morgan dollar, and many more coins! Today I have a paper route to do and then I'm leaving for a coin show in Indianapolis at 8am! This is my Christmas from my dad plus I'll have money too! (Hoping to get my dad some cool coins!) I Love coin collecting! I am so glad I have found this hobby! It is the best!
Nice, well written article. How refreshing to see a youngster that paid attention in English class. Good luck in your collecting. It sounds like you're going about it the right way. Welcome to the forum!
pcalvert - First of all I want to thank you for your post, it brought back a lot of fond memories for me. You see, over the years I have introduced many young collectors to the world of coin collecting. I even used to gather up a group of kids and take them to the local coin shows from time to time, buy them all coins and let them experience it all. And just seeing their reactions and how happy and excited they always were - well, it just doesn't get any better than that. And reading your words, brought all of that back for me Secondly, welcome to the Forum ! I hope you stick around and continue to relate your experiences for it is truly a pleasure. Based on some of your comments you are apparently doing some research about coins as well. But if you haven't already, get yourself some books and do more if it. I strongly recommend this one - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ana-grading-guide-kenneth-bresse/1007453922 And if you have any questions, always feel free to ask
Welcome to the board. The holidays are coming, and it's a great time to give gifts. I highly recommend buying a $10 box of candy or cookies or something to give to the banks you pull from and dump at as a thank you. I just started getting rolls at banks as well, and I brought them candy on Black Friday (a box of some fancy stuff I grabbed at the grocery store). They appreciated the gesture and were kinder the next time I returned. I plan to bring them another box in two weeks, again for putting up with me, but also because they're beginning to look out for me, know me by name, and I've heard cases where tellers will hold deposited coins for specific collectors.
Great story! I love the fact that you and your father now have something new that you can both enjoy and conversate over. I was given a nickel book when I was around 9, but never really did anything with it. Recently on a trip back home my Mom gave me a bag of some stuff she found which included this same nickel book. I set it aside for a few months, but found myself always looking through it and looking up the dates. This sparked my current interest and I basically just think coins each morning and before bed! Definitely not a bad addiction!
Thanks for all of your replies! I just got back from the coin show! It was amazing! I bought my dad a lot of coins also for Christmas. Got my coach a silver Christmas coin, and got a whole bunch of books that I can fill! I also got a Israeli coin and two North Korea coins. I got much more. I'll probably post later on about what my dad and I bought.
Sounds like you're getting a lot of stuff from knowledgable collectors, good. You can also read up on the forum and learn many things too. There are a lot more things about coins and even coin protection for longevity to learn about. And even a section that shows you coin photography. Enjoy the world of coin collecting and feel free to post any pictures and questions.
Very inspiring thread, and it gets me excited on why I love this interesting and fun hobby that will be around for awhile
This was inspiring! I enjoyed it so much, I'm glad you're having fun - it's been decades for me now, and I'll tell you a secret, it's still pretty fun - it's an adventure / treasure hunt of a hobby.
I hope that you have a copy of A Guide Book for United States Coins also known as the "The Red Book." It contains a lot of information is one place and will introduce you to many other coins. You don't need to buy one every year, but a recent one would be a good purchase for you. Here is photo of the cover of a recent edition. Your posts brings back a lot of memories for me. Instead of my father, my grandmother became quite a collector because of my interest. This was in the early 1960s when silver coins were still in circulation.
