Greeting and Salutations Everyone, I've seen and heard of many collectors carrying a pocket piece for luck, habit, or just knowing that there is something to keep your pockets inside your pants. My question is this. Do you carry a pocket piece, and if so please tell us about it and possibly post a picture. Here is the one I always carry, an ancient bronze about the size of a quarter. It started out as a lump of crud, but after a few months of pocket time with other coins, keys, and a few accidental washings & dryings it started to show some signs of Imperial Rome. Still has some way to go, but eventually I think I'll be able to identify it... Many Thanks and Take Care Ben
I was carrying a 1922-S Peace dollar for a while. It had been 'erased' and I was trying to wear off the eraser marks, but my daughter Kara saw it and wanted it. My other daughter is named Morgan, and I have given her some Morgans, so I told Kara that Peace dollars were 'Kara' dollars.
I've used a couple over the years. My first was a Morgan dollar I bought off of eBay. The seller sold it to me as BU, but I got it and it was maybe EF tops. I complained and they gave me 1/2 of my money back, so I carried it around for the heck of it. The next one was a 1976 Ike dollar. Now I have a 1924 Peace Dollar. I've yet to meet a non-nusmismatist who can readily identify what it is, so it makes a great conversation piece. Most people are absolutely shocked by the size and the weight, and can't believe such a coin was ever minted for general circulation.
Ben, that's a great way to "clean" a coin without actually cleaning it. The coin is "repaired" just by carrying it around and using it in the way it was intended. I've advocated carrying a coin around as a pocket piece as a way to potentially "unclean" an already cleaned coin by removing the effects of cleaning through normal wear and tear. In many cases an uncleaned VF coin is worth more than a cleaned AU. Oh yea, I currently don't carry a pocket piece.
I carry a presidential dollar in an AirTite capsule. I started with a George Washington. Currently, I'm carrying a John Adams. It's helpful to show people who don't have the slightest idea that there is such a thing as presidential dollars which is most people at the moment.
My lucky pocket pieces are my two Gem Loupes which I keep in my pocket at all times in case I come across an interesting coin! Frank
I carry a 1926-P Peace dollar. It was my grandfather's and then my fathers, now mine. My grandfather used to tell me, "carry this and you will never be broke." As he lived through the great depression, he put great stock into carrying this piece with him. He always believed it brought him good luck.
First I put a holed 1853 quarter on my keychain, because I had a better non-holed one already. When I started noticing I was adding alot of wear I decided to put it in the safe while the date was still visible. Then I carried a 1934-S walker AnD a 1921-D morgan. I gave my baby nephew a piggy bank for his baptism last june, and I remembered my pcket peices...so I tried putting the morgan in the piggy bank and it wouldn't fit, so I put the walker in. Then I switched to a 1929-D walker. When an aquaintence of mine told me he collected, I pulled it out and sold it to him for around melt value (it was pretty worn). Ever since I've been carrying a 1941-S walker. All of the coins I listed were ones I had duplicates of, the walkers were ones I had just upgraded for my set. So thats why they ended up as my pocket peice. Thanks for letting me ramble...hehe
Mine is a 0.02 € 2003 J from Germany... Germany because my family is from there and someday (I hope) I'll move over
I carry a sweet 1906 Chinese American Silver Eagle... hard to believe the Chinese were making these almost a hundred years before the U.S. Mint! They must have used some ancient secret manufacturing process to inject the coin with air, because for a 1 ounce silver coin it sure is light... and magnetic too! Oh, and lately I've been carrying around a beat up old 1976 Kennedy half... the plan was to spend it, but I'm kind of getting used to it in my pocket!
I carry a 1921-S Morgan. I enjoy asking the vending lady at work, "why won't the machine take my dollar ?"....lol
For several years I carried a blackened 1875-s 20c that I found at a pawn shop, then a no date SLQ, finally a token from Philly. However there has been one piece, a 1994 D lincoln cent with a heart punched through the middle, its been on my keychain since 1994 and is so worn that almost all the copper is gone and the date is nothing more than a shadow, it was given to my by my girlfriend, now wife, on our third date in April of 1994.
If I'm wearing something w/pockets I always have coin for luck but the actual coin varies. Some are raw; some are in airtites depending on the condition they were in when I acquired them. Usually if I'm talking in front of a group of people I may even have the coin gripped in my hand to calm me. Luckily I get away w/carrying a purse ~ my coin purse has many world coins mixed in it - I like pouring it out into my hand when I'm paying for something.. makes me look like a jet setter and gets people talking about coins. My favorite pocket piece is my 1/10 oz Isle of Man gold angel - 'course, I wish it were 1 oz . My current avatar - the snake - is my latest but it's in a slab so it's in my purse, not my pocket.
nice, I've been thinking of getting a pocket piece, but can't decide on which one to carry. I'd like a bust half, but that's too much money to be packing around. Maybe an old walker or SLQ.