I still live over 30 miles from any coin venue so when I was a kid I had to find a store that sold coin collecting supplies. My favorite was called Melvin's Drug Store in Gt. Barrington, ma. Burned down a long time ago but I'll never forget the 10 foot high shelving, narrow aisles and it was the only place to find folders, books, magnifiers and all that stuff. Yes a soda fountain and grill also. Spent many a Friday night there trying to figure how far I could stretch my money. Old Melvin Katz was a bit crotchety but he was also a collector and always willing to guide me. Share some of your experience's also. Memory lane can be a good thing.
Well i'm not exactly going down memory lane but my favorite coin shop is Jersey Coin Showcase Inc. Its a shop that the front half is jewelry and the back half is coins. Its actually really nice. They have things for all price ranges, and there are the coin books and coin supplies. Lots of "old" things on the walls. But not junky things like old nut containers or an old cash register. The coins are in rotating jewelry cases which is really nice because its organized and there's always something interesting to find while rotating. Its a good 30-45 min drive but they make it worth it because they usually discount it approximately 10% because i'm a kid. Even without the discount i would go because they are nice people and willing to work and help me.
"Happy's" had a small display case of coins, mostly Mercury dimes, Washington quarters, Wheat and Indian cents, maybe a Barber or two. If I went with money I had to get something! I still have some S mint Washington quarters from the 1930's and 1940's with the 45 cent price still on the holder!
I did not live near a coin shop as a kid, and still don't even now. My coin collecting experiences were strictly a mail order affair, and therein lies the most pleasant of my memories. The best times were those days that a Virg Marshall (The Penny Merchant) $25 surprise package would arrive at the house. There was always way more than $25 in value in those things, and they went a long way toward completing my 20th Century type set. They were always fun for a kid, very educational, and entertaining. I miss them and the thrill of discovery. Rick L.
I only have two vivid coin-shopping memories: 1) On a trip to the beach when I was maybe 8 or 10, there was a souvenir shop with a gumball machine that dispensed little capsules with coins in them. I think it was a 25-cent machine, and there were a few capsules with folded-up dollar bills. I got a damaged 1892-O Barber dime; probably not worth much more than what I paid at the time, but it was my first O-mint coin, and maybe my first Barber. I remember staring at it for hours. 2) When I was a young teen, there was a coin shop down the street from the library in downtown Lynchburg, VA, run by a crotchety oldster. He had a bin of Buffalo nickels for (I think) 25 cents each; I'd go to try to cherry-pick. Again, I'm not sure I ever got anything worth much more than 25 cents, but I thought I was really making out.
not really a place but...when i was in cub scouts a hundred years ago lol this guy was intense on us filling penny albums. I never really was into coins then but liked seeing the wheat pennies. funny how 53 years later I can not imagine not collecting coins now. I have been collecting coins for 18 years now. I will do it until I die. coins rule.
Like RICK, my experiences have primarily been on-line or otherwise through mail ordering...so they are more of a contented experience of what I actually received... But, my most memorable experience was discovering you could actually buy ancient Roman and Greek coins --fresh out of the ground---and feel like you discovered a treasure trove...and back 25-30 years ago, you could even clean and find quite a few rarities or more common types in high-grade. At the time I thought they were only available in museums or cost a fortune (of course, some do LOL) Well, that got me hooked on numismatics in all areas...BIG TIME!! And now I find anyones lack of passion for the hobby as mysterious and uncomprehending as many non-collectors find my unrelenting interest for all numismatics. Pieces of history, all with a story of their own---the closest thing to time travel that any of us will ever know. I always ponder who has held them and where they have been. It brings the period they were minted and circulated to life as few things can. And the eye-appeal, beauty and variety of so many coins leaves endless manners of ways to collect or specialize...
