How long...

... have you been a coin collector?

I know many of you are just starting, and others have been around awhile.

I got started in the mid 60's, when an uncle gave me a silver Kennedy half.

How about you?

 

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My collecting years ran from 85 through 91. Started with an 1864 Two Cent Piece given by high school history teacher.

 

I started with Whitman albums after my grandfather gave me a VF 1909 V.D.B around 1964 but lost interest in it after a few years. Started again in 1974.

 

1989/90 to present... on and off.

 

Started in the fall of 1969 but had my periods of inactivity due to my youth and other activities handed down by life it's self. Have been very constant since the early 90's. At times I feel my family eats, sleeps, reads and breaths coins!!! All of us are involved and even at my ripe old age I have a 2 (almost 3) year old with one heck of a collection. I am going to make sure he gets to where I am at very early in life. Love this hobby!!!

 

As a 13 year old, my coin collecting fever began in 1962 when I discovered a well worn 1913-D Lincoln cent in my pocket change as I was paying for my student lunch at my Junior High school cafeteria.

I have been at it ever since, but oh how I wish I still had that 1913-D cent!!!

 

I started in 1970, not quite continuously. The past two years have probably been my most active.

 

Trying to remember exactly when is tough.

I recall having a file card can and it was full of foreign stuff. I spent hours looking at it, and trying to look up information about the coins. I was in about the eighth grade, so we would be talking about 1956.

Serious collecting started after high school graduation in 1960. Joined the ANA in 1961, and during my college years I spent every extra dollar on coins. High point of my collecting was about 1964. I was making regular trips to the bank where I would pick up $100 worth of Morgans and Peace dollars, look through them, and take most back to the bank.

Shortly after starting a family, I lost interest. Probably at least partly because there was no extra money, period.

Interest started to rekindle in mid-1970's, and now burns brightly once again, although retired teachers don't have a bunch to spend on coins.

Not only do I love the hobby as much as ever, but I enjoy trying to involve and interest the wife, kids, grandkids, and brother.

 

I started picking coins out of circulation in the late 1950s, and kept "hoarding", rather than "collecting", off and on through the years. When I retired at the end of 1995 I started going through the accumulated stuff and quickly got bored with dead presidents and eagles, although Walking Liberties were pretty enough to keep my interest, and I'm only 4 away from a complete collection (about 20 away from an XF or better collection ).

On one of my post-retirement trips to visit the Beautiful Bride's family in Japan I was exposed to the Meiji/Taisho era coins, and became seriously hooked. I'm also nearing the 200 level in my 1-per-government regime collection.

I have very recently expanded into Chinese and Korean coins minted under Japanese occupation, and I'm getting ready to thoroughly catalog my "liteside" aka Ugly Stuff collection to prepare it for sale to finance my current interests.

 

I've been "accumulating" for thirty years. It's only become "collecting" for the last couple.

 

I started in 1965 age 8 with a Mercury dime given to me by an uncle ,, the dime was coated with mercury and shined like nothing I had ever seen before.

But for years I missed one of the most important parts of the hobby, That of actually learning coins, I collected whatever without any real direction until about 4 or 5 years ago,I still have rolls,bags and buckets of most denominations of US coins, but I have settled into the small cents and Mercury dimes now with all the lost time behind me Im seeking the knowledge that I should have been after all the time.

 

I started in the very early 1960s when my father gave me a Jefferson nickel folder. I've been at it, off and on, ever since. Things slowed down after the novelties wore off, but things that piqued my interest back into it were:

1971 issues of Ikes,
Bicentennial,
birth of children (birth year proof sets),
Suzies issued,
Silver Eagles issued,
State Quarters.

I've been recently continuously active (again) since 1999. I doubt I'll lose interest again.

Jerry
Old guys need something to keep them off the streets. :-D

 

1957. I started with buffalo nickels from circulation.

 

I started in 1956 (I was 6) when our landlord gave me a small handful of Indian Head cents. It rocked my world to think that there could ever have been anything but Lincoln cents. I was in awe of these old coins and was knocked on my butt when he said I could keep 'em! I used a pencil eraser to polish each one on both sides so they were as shiny as a new coin. I've had coin collections since then.

 

collecting

I started in the early 70's as a kid with Whitman folders,(what else) only for a little while. 89-92 I collected alot, don't know what happened but I stopped and sold some stuff off, most of it. Now I got back into it about 3 months ago. I will stick with it now,since the age of the PC and the Net it's different world.

Tony

 

I started about 5 years ago and haven't looked back since!!!!!

 

I kinda of started in the 1980's picking up coins and notes from such differential places as northern europe, eastern europe, central america and the middle east. Most of this pocket change ended up in the hands of friends and children. However, during my many years of residence in Manhatten, I was always enchanted by the auction houses and coin stores and spent an occasional afternoon engaging in causal observation, conversation and quiet enjoyment. Now that I live in less isolated as it once was Southwest Florida that I have become an active collector with French 20 gold francs from 1802 to 1914. As well as dabling in Zuid Africa Republic silver, reminds me of some lost friends, and I am thinking of expanding into another semi-serious collection but I have not made my mind up and yes to my investor friends, I do buy United States Gold Bullion coins on occassion for I like the idea of everything about it. But perhaps my favorite collection costs me 25 cents a coin and that is the State Quarter Collection that I have with my six year old, the oldest of my three sons.

 

I remember pulling buffalo nickels from circulation, along with the occasional silver dime.
I left the hobby for a long time but rejoined as an adult. In 1991 I sold some of my duplicates at a profit and rather enjoyed it. Then I started looking for coins for dealer friends of mine while attending shows, then started setting up at shows, buying stuff and flipping it right to other dealers. THEN one day someone asked me if I'd be interested in running a coin shop they'd just purchased....did that for a few years, tried working at home for myself but couldn't stand it so I opened a store several years ago and have been digging life ever since
Nick

 

I started in 1955 when I was working as a pinsetter in a bowling alley. A man use to come in once a week, bowl 3 games, and when finished would roll 3 silver dollars down the lane as a tip. I have been collecting ever since with no breaks.

catman