As the title says, how old were you when you started collecting? I was born in 1945, so when I became aware of money in the early 50's there were lots of Merc dimes, Buffalo nics, Standing Lib quarters and Walking Lib halves. I had an aunt who gave me silver dollars for birthday gifts (which I proceeded to spend as soon as possible), and started filling the Whitmann albums with dates. Dang what fun. I'll put my age at 6-7 for starting.
I would say about the same for me except I was born in 1987. I was always around our retail market and would always save anything interesting. I also had a father and grandfather who were into coins and always got their leftovers and low value items. A few years after college I started to really get into the swing of things and now I don't think I could live without this hobby. It's been a great time for me filled with HOURS of enjoyment.
I was about 7 years old when my grandfather gave me some foreign coins. Been collecting off and on from then.
I'm 35. I started when my grandfather gave me some of his coins each time I visited him at about 8 years old. But I was 11 before I made my first purchase from a coin store... a Walking Lib 50c in Fine which I promptly scrubbed clean when I got home. ARGH!
i started collecting state quarters at 4, but i started seriously collecting at 6 when i found a 1969-d kennedy half in my great-grandparents' old house, which we had just moved in to at the time. my first coin store purchase was a 1908-o barber half in G-4 for $8 and a 1851 large cent in VF-35 for $3 (i still have the reciept )
When I was ~ 12, my grandfather gave me a set of framed coins from the 20th Century, then wartime currency, etc... and that started my interest. However, I didn't seriously start collecting until last year. I'm now 50 (man does that hurt to type my age. I still can't believe i'm that old)
When I was baptized in 1983, I was given a partial collection of Indian Head Cents that were collected by my great grandfather. I always collected stuff as a kid, but really got into it about 4 years ago at age 26, when I decided I wanted to complete the collection of Indian Head cents.
A friend of mine was a collector and he got me started. This was in my late teen's through my mid- twenty's. His Dad worked for the Brinks Armored Car Company. Brinks provided a payroll check cashing service to many large companies each Friday. His Dad would go through the coins between stops, and look for the collectable pieces. He tried to keep both of us in mind. At the same time, my own Father started buying mint sets as Christmas presents for my sister and I. I continued on my own, once I was married, and now save only the classic's.
I started collecting at 26 after I received some Roman coins for Christmas last year. I don't really collect ancients but it did get me started. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Started at 6 years old back in 1954. My dad was a collector and got me interested in Lincoln Cents. I've been collecting ever since and haven't looked back. I'm having too much fun. Bruce
I'd say I started when I was around 6 or 7 with the ubiquitous Lincoln cents the first coins I remember buying was some Indian heads and some buffaloes for I think 3 for $1 I bought I think $3 worth one was an 1894 in fine first early coin was an 1817 15 stars large cent for $5 I think I was 7 or 8 I remember bringing a couple bust dimes and half dimes I'd bought to school in 4 th grade I have had on and off again periods of collecting since due to finances or availability of the type of coins I collect but have been collecting really serious again the last 5 years. Been collecting for 30 years I'd say 1982 when I started
Probably 10 when I started accumulating, 13 when I started religiously collecting wheats, and then 19 when I started collecting everything else
I started collecting 2 years ago, when I was 24. All started when I began buying silver bullion, and I began to learn about old US coins being made of silver. I began buying bags of old US silver, and collecting took off from there. I made a big deal about it to my father, and he pulls a box out of the closet. Turned out my Grandfather collected coins, and my father didn't have the heart to get rid of them. Been going strong ever since, with no signs of slowing!