This has probably been asked more than once. But here goes. What got you started in coin collecting? For me, on my tenth b-day, my grandmother sent me an 1878 cc morgan (probably a VF). I loved that coin and still do 32 years later. Ironicly I do not collect morgans now. I prefer small denominations. Even so, I will never part with that coin.
In 2004 I got an ad in the mail from Littleton Coin Company for a set of P&D Sacagawea dollars. I bought two sets and that got me started.
My grandfather always would pull out his change and show me what he had, and of course, back 10 years ago you could still get a variety, and so that got me interested. About two years ago I really got started to COLLECT when my grandmother got me 10 dollars in pennies and a whitman book. I was so overwhelmed with all the pennies I completley forgot about everything else. Peter
First let me say DO NOT USE Littleton Coin Company. lol OK It was 1981 or 82. I was around 6 or 7. I was digging out a fort, in the dirt on my back yard. ( For my GIJOE's.) I lived in a building that was built in the late 1800's. Anyhow about 10 inchs down, I dug up a Indian head Nickel. I didnt know anything at all at the time, but my mom said she noticed it was a 3 legged buffalo. I thought as a child, cool its freak, lol. I didnt really start collecting untill i was about 10 years old. But the first coins i had started from the ones i had fond around that building. I remember having found a cuople of pre 1964/dimes and a few wheaties. My seccond first big coin finding was whe i was 10 just before i bought my first coins. I had come across a bunch of WWII Nazi german money and a THICK roll of pre Nazi DutchMarks, I ask my frandfarther about them (being a little war buff at the ripe old age of 10). Then said Grampa can i have these. He looked at me and said. Only if you keep them safe. That was it for me. I was off and running. I dont even want to get ito all that i went through to make my first buys. But i will say this. I pretty much did EVERYthing you can think of to make money to by money. Edit to add. Read that as do pretty much anything a child could do to get funding.
"what got me started" It was 1971. I was five. Walking up the driveway to gandma's house I saw a penny. So I got it. This one was different. The front was right but the back had weeds on the side and writing in the middle. Coins had always been money to me. This one changed that. Some coins are for spending. Some are for keeping. [Edited for content.]
I read 'I, Claudius' and wanted a coin of Claudius (like the one in my sig). I then simply started collecting because I am a history buff and like portraits...In the end it completely sucked me in and I started collecting all coins from all eras...that I can afford. I am the only person I know IRL that collects.
My grandfather collected silver dollars. My uncle and cousin were avid collectors. And my mother used to pull out Canadian coins from her pocketchange and give them to me, which I found facinating because they came all the way from another country. Later, I developed a fondness for silver and silver coins, and things just took off from there.
Was around 14 years old. Found a bag of foriegn coins my grandfather had. Inside was a penny with a different back (wheat cent). I though it was odd but put the bag in my dresser for the next 10 or so years. Around 23, found the bag again, was looking through it. Found the penny but didn't look at the backside. Went to read the date but it was in poor light so i thought it said 1989. I put it on my dresser intending on tossing it in my coin jar and spending it. Next day i took a look again and noticed the date said 1909! I looked at the back and saw it was a wheat cent! A little closer investigation and it was a 1909 VDB (no S) That got me started. I later found out my grandfather was a big collector and found several of his bags of silver coins and envelopes of paper money from the 20's to '50's. Most of my collection is due to him, but i'm starting to build on it.
when i was 10, i went up to the flea market with my mom because we were looking for christmas gifts. i went up to this table and i saw cents on the table with wheat on the back. i said how much and she said 25 cents. i had a quarter in my pocket so i bought it. it turned out to be a 1912 cent in vg-8 condition. that was back in 2003. then i went to another flea market a few months later and i bought a roll of wheaties for 2.50 and i got a 1981A $1 bill and a dateless barber quarter for face value! then, my dad let me go through his coins he saved up since he was my age. after that he bought me a 1940-1958 wheat cent set he got for my birthday. my dad was a collector and he wanted me to do the same, so i did!
eBay is where it's at Don't worry about me. I don't buy from or sell to coin companies. eBay is my second home. That was the first and only time I ever bought from Littleton.
