How Long Have You Been Collecting?

I've been collecting for a little over two years.

I stumbled across ancients while I was looking for Newfoundland coins on eBay.

I started off with a few junkers, but then realized the world beyond the junkers. That's when the addiction kicked in.

My brother started about a year later when he finally realized that the coins were real.

Erin

 

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Around a dozen years. Entered the hobby because of my love of Roman history and had never collected any other coins prior.

 

I am going to guess 1953/4. I remember looking for 1955DDO when I heard about them.

 

I started with Ancients in 1978, my first coin was a "mintstate" Justinian I AV Solidus frontal bust, which I got from NFA auction. I had been collecting Worldwide gold since 1971, my parents got me a 1971 Iran Proof Set (4gold/5Silver) for a "Christmas" present. My Dad, got me into the coin hobby, since he is also an avid collector of Canadian/German coins. The first real good coins I bought with my own $, was a 1969 Biafra Proof Set/ the 25 Pound coin weighs 2+ oz. Since joining this coin forum, I have been mostly buying ancients/ however I also have some bids in Numisma Auction tomorrow (Portuguese AV coins circa 1700s.

 

We have similar stories in the sense that the love of Roman history drew me to seek an ancient Roman coin too. That's how I got hooked.

You should see my Roman history library. I have seven books alone on the history of Roman Britain, biographies on a few Emperors, a dozen general Roman history books, plus all the ancient Roman writers I could get my hands on.

 

I collect books too. From children's books set in ancient Rome to rare monographs dealing with the minutiae of Roman history. To my mind, knowing the history behind the coins we hold in hand is much of the fun of this fascinating hobby.

 

I guess you could say over 40 years here. Started as a child with pennies and US coins collected from my Dad's pocket change and my grandfathers coin operated laundromat. I then moved into collecting US errors as a young teenager.

From older teenager through young adult, I collected bad habits, eventually a wife, children, dogs, and other responsibilities.

I got back into collecting with slabbed US Saint Gauden's $20 gold pieces nearly 20 years ago.

Got into ancients 10 years ago. My dad has been collecting them since the 1960's. I think I'll stick with ancients from here on out.

 

started June 2010

 

First started collecting coins in general when my grandma gave me my first Morgan and Franklin half dollar. I was so amazed at the age and value of the coins that I was hooked. For years I only could collect what I found at my dads store in circulation and at grandmas house. I bought my first ancient. A high quality septimus Severus denarius. But my collection is eclectic like my taste.

 

Over 35 years for me. Started collecting pocket change, wheat pennies etc, then graduated to the local coin shop where the dealer was very kind to me and my tweenage friends. Then my grandfather gave me a purse of old coins that belonged to my late grandmother. Among the modern Greek coins were two very worn antoniniani. That was the turning point for me. I was about 14.

 

Great story, Carausius!