I started collecting coins when I was about 14 and my dad and I went to colorado and during our time there we visited the denver mint. He bought me the 18th edition photograde book by James F Ruddy and I just poured over its pages. I don't remember the exact time I started collecting but I do see this as the time I started getting "serious". Even before our trip to Colorado I remember falling in love with the Mercury dime. I don't know why,when, or how this happened or what drew me to it but something about it just called to me and to this day it is still my favorite coin. I've since branched out and now collect mainly the mercury dime, the peace dollar, and morgan dollar. As stated above my love and draw to the merc is why I collect it. The peace dollar on the other hand I collect because my grandpa had one with a hole through it that he wore around his dogtags during korea, to this day I still have those dogtags and coin. The Morgan dollar I collect for it's historical value. I'm a historican and like the mercury dime being a world war 2 symbol of sorts and a great 1920-1940 example, the Morgan dollar I love because it reminds me of the old west and saloons. What can I say, I just love history, especially the 1920s-40s (hence my mercs). (Some would even venture to say I was born in the wrong decade) I'm 23 now and a history major at FSU and still collect off and on when I can. People say that you shouldn't be into collecting for the money or investment, and for me that has always been true. I do it for the artistic beauty and history tied to my coins. Like history, coin collecting is one of those hobbies that just really spoke to me. I answered the call and have been a happy numismatist ever since.
About 10 years ago my dad and I were cleaning out an attic of an old house that we had recently purchased. the house was an old house because they still used the square nails. For some reason my dad placed his hand up on one of the rafters, and sitting on top of the rafter was an absolutely beautiful 1920 standing liberty quarter. Ever since then I have been collecting like a mad man. One day at my first job (gas station attendant) about 5 mins until closing time a lady came in to pay for her gas with a huge bag of change. As I am counting out the change I spotted a very strange dime that had some reddish pink paint on it, so I decided to take it home. Upon a closer look I noticed that the coin was very beautiful and elegant, it was a mercury dime. Just like you I now collect coins because of the fact that they have so much history behind them (I love the Morgan dollars, I have 9 of them). I am currently attending Southwestern Michigan College and earning my degree in business and am planning to transfer to FSU in the fall. I am 21 years old and I also think that some times I wish I was born back in the early 1900"s. Things just seem like they were simpler back then. Good Luck and happy hunting Justin
