Your "kid stash"

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Ag76, May 25, 2019.

  1. Ag76

    Ag76 Coins 'n' history

    What coins do you still have from your childhood? If you have pictures, especially of crusty old 2X2s with outdated prices on them, please post them!

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    I grew up in a family without much money. My father went to prison when I was young and wasn't a factor from then on. My mother put herself through college with the help of a Christian charity and then took a job teaching in private school, which pays a lot less than public school. Our income was only just above the poverty line, and I went to work at age 13. Most of what I earned went toward the family, but I did have some left over to spend. Until I was about 15 or 16 and coins lost out to other interests, I spent a lot of what I had left over on coins. My brother and I basically shared a collection.

    When my daughter became interested in coins a few months ago, it re-fired my interest. Over Christmas, we went to my parents' place (my mother remarried when I was in college), and I asked if I could take home the coin collection.

    It was still there, but much diminished from what I remembered. Nothing was in folders; my mother had dumped all the coins into a metal box, and the ones that weren't still in 2X2s were just rattling around raw.

    I took it home and offered my brother half of the value, which wasn't much, but he demurred and told me he'd raided the collection many a time for "7/11 money." So that explains why the collection was so much smaller than I remembered! It also explains why most of what was left consisted of world coins - they couldn't be raided for 7/11 money.

    After that, I protected much of what was worth protecting, but I had a sentimental attachment to the original, dog-eared 2X2s and didn't want to cut them up. Then I hit on a solution: I'll just photograph the 2X2s and then cut the coins out and protect them properly.

    I'll be posting here pictures of that portion of my "kid stash" that has at least some nontrivial numismatic value. Almost all of these coins were acquired in the 1985 to 1991 period.
     
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  3. Ag76

    Ag76 Coins 'n' history

    1857 half-dime
    ks_crustyhd.jpg ks_hdo.jpg ks_hdr.jpg
    Man, this is in bad shape, but I remember being thrilled to have it at the time. I'm going to say it was probably purchased in 1988-1990. Today an 1857 in AG-3 is worth about $10, so it's actually appreciated decently, assuming I paid the listed price.
     
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  4. Ag76

    Ag76 Coins 'n' history

    Virtually all of the world coins I had came from extended family members who'd gone on trips and knew my brother and I liked coins. So few of them had any real value; they were almost all contemporary circulated pieces. But these silver Canadians were in the bunch, as well as a heavily circulated 1921 Canadian 25C that looks just like this 1918.
    ks_ca10co.jpg ks_ca10cr.jpg ks_ca25co.jpg ks_ca25c1918r.jpg
     
  5. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

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  6. Ag76

    Ag76 Coins 'n' history

    My interest in U.S. type coins was evident. And I suppose half-dimes and nickel three-cents wouldn't make good "7/11 money" either!
    ks_3co.jpg ks_3cr.jpg

    Here's a crusty Indian head cent. I'd be surprised if this would sell for much over 85 cents today!

    ks_crustyihc.jpg ks_ihco.jpg ks_ihcr.jpg
     
  7. Ag76

    Ag76 Coins 'n' history

    Yes, I've seen your thread and enjoyed it. Almost all pulled from circulation, if I recall aright?
     
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  8. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Yes. And like you, I started working a full time mans job at 13. Again, like you, our family lived a modest life and didn't have the discretionary spending opportunity. But, we did have active coin clubs and trading was an integral part of the agenda. I did trade for many of the coins that ended up in my collection. It will be fun to watch your collection unfold.
     
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  9. Chris B

    Chris B Supporter! Supporter

    I was lucky enough to inherit 2 collections when I was younger. My aunt had squirreled away a box of Indian Head Cents including 2 1877's. This was the better of the 2. Not great but still one of my favorite coins.

    My grandfather didn't use 2x2's, all of his were in old Whitman blue folders. He had a pretty amazing collection and never purchased a coin.

    US1C187703.JPG
    US1C187704.JPG
     
  10. trussell

    trussell Active Member

    When I was a kid I used to go through a neighborhood store' cash register for pennies I needed for my blue book. The owner lady would save the steel cents that came in for me. I have about 200 of them.
     
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  11. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Unfortunately none as my ex-wife stole my entire collection, about $1500 face value. I went to the coin shop I dealt with and they told me she walked in acting like she'd never be in and asked to sell them. They refused saying they weren't buying at the moment due to excess inventory.

    Made me laugh but 16 years later I have a different collection than before and better coins. What I don't have are Whitman albums that are full. I'm happy.
     
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  12. chascat

    chascat Well-Known Member

    I've passed them all into the kid chain.
     
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  13. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    I have a few world coins that I got from my grandmother during my childhood, but none of my U.S. coins I still have are from back then.

    Most of my childhood coins were sold or traded when I got back into collecting in 2007 & more so when I got into ancients in 2009.
     
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  14. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    I still have my IHC's in an old blue folder that I started in 1948. I want to transfer them but my wife thinks it better represents my spirit. I've used a lot of scotch tape over the years. IHC Collection.JPG IHC Collection 2.JPG IHC Collection 3.JPG
     
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  15. John Skelton

    John Skelton Morgan man!

    I was probably eight or nine when my dad showed me his modest collection of pennies, nickels and dimes in Whitman folders. I added some to his and started filling a couple of my own. His collection stopped in the 50s, and I began with the 60s. I stopped when I hit middle school. Then about eight years ago my son was given my father-in-law's collection of raw coins and it's got me back in the game. He had Morgans and Peace dollars, plus a lot of other denominations and I am still working through them. My son, the history major, has started looking at ancients.
     
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  16. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    The old neighborhood stores were great. I am inserting below a brief history of my childhood collecting habits.

    After I got hooked I went full blast; in my hometown there were Mom & Pop stores everywhere. I knew the owners of all those close to me. This was in the late 40's and all through the 50's. I walked to and from school. On the way home I would stop at some of the stores and look through their change. They knew me and didn't even look up. I would open the register and look through the change. Swap out what I wanted and move on.

    On Saturday mornings I would go to one of the local banks. The tellers had to count and roll all their change by hand. I would sit on the floor of the vault and do it for them. Watch for coins and swap them. I know it sounds strange, but back then there was more trust and I was well known.

    There were other places where high volumes of change were used. One was the Amusement Part. I helped them close quite often and rolled change for them.
     
  17. serafino

    serafino Well-Known Member

    Back in the late 40's-50's did you still see very many IHC's ? how about the Barber silver coins ?
     
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  18. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    It's sure like like it used to be. I have some great childhood memories as well but you'll not find anything like it today. That was another world and today's youths can't begin to relate.
     
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  19. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    In the late fifties and early sixties IHC could still be found in change but it was mostly wheat cents. As far as silver coins, you could find them all evenorgans and Peace Dollars. Silver circulated as that was all there was. There were not enough Mercs to push out the Barbers. Same with all the denominations. All that changed in 1965 when coins were changed to clad. Silver disappeared almost overnight.

    In order to get the silver certificates out of circulation the government set a price of $1.42 for each dollar face if redeemed at your local bank by a specific date. After that date the law rendered them as worth face value only. I went to the bank with my dad and remember him selling everyone he had.
     
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  20. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    Yes, we saw Barber Dimes, Quarters and Halves regularly as well as Standing Liberty and Walking Liberty. IHC's were almost daily. Below are a couple of pictures of dimes and nickels from my accumulation. I once got a 20 Cent Piece in change. The old man selling vegetables in the alley gave it to me instead of a quarter. Remember, they were still making silver coins and there was no incentive for people to hoard them. If a person had $1 you get Silver Dollars at the bank any time. Morgan and Peace were $1 each if you had the cash. Silver Dimes.JPG IMG_5539.JPG Plus, it was shortly after WW-2 and a penny was a penny.
     
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  21. serafino

    serafino Well-Known Member

    What a great time to be collecting coins.
     
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