This article is for collectors to post their first few coins that got their collection started for them. My first 2 coins that started my collection was a 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar and a 1934 Buffalo nickel.
I started stacking silver. Eventually I became interested in the collector side of things with the Peace dollar and Franklin half. From there things got out of hand and now I'm huge into military trade tokens and have moved into military payment certificates and payment chits(!).
I bought this coin raw from a mail order dealer in the late 1960's for around $20 as I recall. Finally got it graded in 2011 (MS65). I saw it in the 1968 Redbook and fell in love with the design. Before that I was mostly a roll hunter (buying rolls from banks searching for 90% silver and Lincolns). So this was my first "real" coin (high grade, low mintage, rare).
My first coin purchase was a 1915 (P) Barber half in VF condition. I had no idea what it was worth and just googled it to find some random website with values. I didn't know the grade so I just threw $80 at the guy and he took it. If only it didn't have hairlines from an old cleaning.....
I am sure I posted these awhile ago but when I came back from graduate school Mom dug out my old collection for me (mainly so I could get it out of her house.) When I was 7 I wanted one of each denomination so here was the result:
Most likely, others have similar origins in collecting–from an early age on, old coins and notes just seemed to be passed to me from various elder family members who noticed what an interest such things sparked in younger eyes. From these first few pieces curious study led to collecting. Here are a few U.S. coins:
My starter coin was a 1957 D Lincoln cent. I found it in a jar I had for a while where I threw all my change in. Then I just started trying to collect 1 of every year of pennies, then I decided all denominations, but I doubt I could ever finish that I my life time
My first coins were some wheat backs, 1917 slick merc. dime, and some assorted morgans. Dont have any of it anymore.
I had always been interested in weird or cool looking things as a kid, but I really didnt get started on serious collecting until about 2005 when I looked through a collection of change that my parents had accrued for 20 years. This was the oldest coin I found in there and I was hooked from that point on.
My first coins were wheat pennies that I put in an album. Back in the 60's Dad would buy a $100.00 sack of pennies from the bank that were collected from parking meters. We'd pull out ones to fill the album along with rare and semi-rare ones(if we were lucky). Then we'd roll them up for the bank. Our fingers would be green by the time we were done.
I started collecting coins in 1995 when I found my 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar at school out at the playground and then a couple weeks later I found my 1934 Buffalo nickel out at my grand parents place while i was digging in the garden area.
I started after my grandpa passed. My mom called me up and said she had some stuff that she wanted to give me from him. Among the items was a sealed container with coins in it. So I opened it and there were 8 silver Roosevelt dimes, 10 clad dimes, 2 1964 Kennedy's, and 4 "Ike" dollars. So I told myself that I was going to give these a good home. And now here I am about 5 months later with over 100 coins! Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
What started my collecting was an annual gift from my brother. Every year for Xmas he'd give me the year's mint proof set (later he changed that to the Silver Proof set), and for my birthday a few days later he'd give me a silver eagle from that year. That got me hooked pretty quickly...and I've been collecting ever since.
