How'd you get into collecting coins? Share your story

I got into collecting coins when I was 9, my mother was working at the San Francisco mint at the time, so she knew a bit about error coins. So one day my mother got me to look through pocket change for error coins, which I did, and I found a common wheat cent, which I still have, I didn't recognize the wheat reverse, and I thought it was odd. The cent turned out to be a 1940, and at the time, I thought 1940 was amazingly old. I kept looking through the change, I found several other wheat cents. My parents didn't recognize the coin, so they got me a 2010 redbook. And that's how I got into collecting. Share your stories.

 

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My friend dragged me to a coin club where we eventually became club officers.

Edit: Wait, your mom worked at the S-mint!?

 

It was a dark and stormy night...

 

Yeah

 

I was digging threw my "piggy bank" and found a Indian head cent (1903) and when I showed my grandfather that coin, he had some silver quarters and a Morgan dollar that he gave me and that's what made me start collecting.

 

continue.............................

 

Btw: I started 2 years ago when I was 11

 

My love of coins was a natural consequence of my interest in history---the older they are the more fascinating they are to me. So I started with moderns and just kept going back in time.....

 

Same, I'm a huge history fan

 

I was in a bookstore in 1974 and saw a photo of a silver art bar on the cover of CoinAge magazine. I started buying them for $5 each plus 50c shipping. I got started on coins a few months later.

Oh I forgot, everyone told me I could not be buying silver bars because owning them was against the law along with gold.

 

I "earned" my first Morgan dollar in 1957 when I was 10 years old while gambling in a poolroom.

Chris

 

It was a dark and stormy night...

What is this, a contest?

OK, real stuff. My mom was a teacher and had to stay after school 1-2 days per month on "bus duty". On those days we would eat in a restaurant. In my small hometown, everyone knew everyone, so I would go back to the cash register and go through all the change. This was in the 1950's, so most of the dimes were mercs, buffalo nickels were very common, standing liberty quarters and walking lib halves were also common. I never, ever found an indian cent in circulation, but I still remember the day I pulled a worn 1916 dime out of the till and saw a mint mark on the reverse...it was an S, but I still remember the thrill upon first seeing a letter!!!

 

...the rain fell in torrents - except...

 

I got into collecting by bullying the little kids and stealing their lunch money to fill my Whitman folders!

 

And Noah was in a hurry to get the last of the animals aboard the Ark!

 

I collected coins as a kid with my father. Got back in full hilt after retirement. One of the best things I've done for myself.

 

That's better than the original version.

If we are not careful, members will write a long story one added sentence at a time. That should be a fun thread when it gets boring around here. I should like to revive a bunch of old threads instead.

 

How did I get into collecting? I blame it on my father.......he's the one that got me started.........

 

Your profile says you're 59.

 

identity fraud!