I have two actually. I got interested in US coins as a child. My mother had a little plastic bank under her bed she kept odd things in. In there was an old WL half. I remember being mesmerized by the beauty of it, and used to break into it once a week at least just to stare at it when I was 5. A few years later got a starting coin collecting kit, and collected for a while. I stopped as a teen, but got back into them when I was in college. I went to a coin show and was amazed how cheap WL halves were. I started buying all I could afford. After I while I got into junk mercuries, silver dollars, and the like, then moved up to better US coins. I did that for a number of years, and was getting bored with US coins. Then one day I was at a show and there was a dealer there with ancient coins. I wandered over and bought a 3/4 facing Larissa bronze. Anyone who knows these coins know how great a work of art they are, and this one was XF and bright green hard patina. At the time I was overpaying for it, but I imagine its worth more than I paid now. Anyway, the idea of holding a beautiful, 2300 year old coin from ancient Greece in my hand simply mesmerized me again, just like I was when I was 5. Since that day I have bought very few US coins, mainly out of boredom or as part of a lot if I do. I started with traditional ancients, but now am working more on fringe areas like Central Asia. I think I always like a road less traveled, when in US coins I collected toned 19th century coins when they were disdained, and now collect areas that most ancient collectors have never heard of. Btw Koen, I highly suggest you concentrate on US coinage from about 1916-1940, at least for a type set. Many consider it the height of beauty in US coinage, and that era reminds me a lot of the beauty of many ancient coins. Chris
Like many here, my collecting interests were inspired by a relative, that would be my Great GrandFather. He started giving me coins at a young age, he gave all of his grandchildren coins, mostly just world coins he had picked up throughout his 22 years in the Army. I remember, one of my first true memories, at maybe 3 or 4 years old, searching through a tuppelware jar of European coins he had given me, I found quite a few cool ones, but I wasnt really interested in collecting them. The next step forward came when I was 9 years old, for my Brithday I was given a group of American coins, there was one of everything, or just about- most were problem coins, but they were still so very interesting! There was the typical coins- Wheat cent, buffalo nickel, etc. but then there was also the coin which I found to be most interesting, a 1922 PEace Dollar... I swear I didn't put that thing for a month! But even at that point in time, I still hadnt become "serious" Then at the beginning of sixth grade, I stumbled across my collection of coins, I began to research them and rapidly learned much about coins, I was mostly interested in the world coins. Even then I was not very serious. When I really, really started out hard was the end of 2010. I began making purchases, learning about grading, I focused my area of interest onto American coins. And then, in March(2011), I stumbled across CoinTalk, and that really marks the beginning of my Serious collecting! Thank you for the contest, Koen!
i love to read those story's Keep m comming guys and girls. Only 49 posts to go and the contest is over
In general, my coin collecting hobby started spontaneously one day. I was looking at some change after buying a few comics up in Canada and was really into the interesting patterns on the pieces. So, I said "why not" and decided to start collecting. At first, it was small stuff, world coins, circulating state quarters, etc. But as the years went by, I started to diversify, currency, world coins, etc. If I had to pick which one of my pieces was my favourite, I would choose an item I got from my grandfather. Now, he was a little crazy mind you, so Im not sure whether the story about the piece is true or not. But one time when I was visiting him, he gave me an 1839 5$ U.S. gold piece. I was rather curious as to where he got it, so I asked. His response, "I got it from your great grandfather, he told me he got it from a chinese man whom he cheated out of some poker winnings many many years ago,Also, dont tell your grandmother I gave you this, shed freak out if she knew I was giving our valuables away, family be dammed."
When I was young and a working man of a force of about three thousand, we were a pretty close group of 25 in our specialized functions. In the late fifties, this group decided to start ordering U.S. mint proof sets. At this same time we would also order $ 50.00 bags of penny’s from the bank. This was a great pass-time to go through the penny’s looking for what we needed and also finding the many single error cents issued in those days, including blank planchets. I think the gold standard was valued at $ 32.00 an ounce at this time and one worker was encouraged to buy one gold coin a month. When I left the group this man had hundreds of dollars invested and a value of thousands in gold coins and ready to retire at a young age. However, I heard later that his son had taken the coins and sold them for a song. The man was so divested that he committed suicide. What a terrible price to pay for such an enjoyable hobby. I used to smoke cigars that came in glass tubes and I would fill these tubes with mercury dimes. One coin I remember buying from a co-worker a VF 1921-D Walking Liberty for $ 25.00 which was about a quarter of my weekly paycheck at that time. I continued my collecting and bought some nice collections with type coins in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s our house was broken into and it scared me into selling my complete collection for $ 800.00 which included a one pound silver ingot which was worth about $ 80.00 at that time. I put the money in a zippered bible and my daughter than at age 16, left it at the church never to be found again. From 1985 through 2001 I gave all my new collectible coins to my son-in law to add to his collection. I retired in 1991 and held onto miscellaneous and various coins until 2001 when I became a serious and avid coin collector again. At this stage today I need to pay a premium for all my old and new coins compared to just picking them up in circulation in the old days although the idea is the same, collect what you can get at the least affordable cost and enjoy what you have with an eye out for the unattainable. I am soon to be 75 so this will be my last hooray for a hobby I have enjoyed for the past 54 years.
Well I since I was just a few years old I began collecting pennies. I just started again after moving to a new place. I use to have a very nice collection but I could only find a dozen or so of my old coins. Let's see do I have a favorite coin... I would say a 1943 copper penny. Funny story, When I was 6 I went in to my local grocery store and bought a soda with my dad the lady ended up giving me back some change on one of which was a very shiny penny. My dad gave it to me and joked I should hold onto it. When we were out in the car he realized it was a wheat penny and didn't have a single mark on it. So we got home sealed it up and that was the end of it.... Anyways long story short, nearly 20 years later I was going through where I use to have my old coins and all but a few of the packages were empty. I think I probably turned them in to a bank or something, no idea. Anyways the nice shiny penny? The package it was in said 1943- Copper BU!!!! No one else in my family collected coins so they don't know if it was real, a fake, or just mislabeled! But I have never stopped wondering!!! It is now my mission to get a real 1943-copper penny. I know I will pay like crazy for one, but one day I'll have one!!
This is my entry in WingedLiberty's contest before (edited). It's ok if i'll be excluded in this contest koen. I just want to share how I started collecting. And I already won this beauty: Not that I'm comparing the prize with yours. I love coins no matter what. But if you think it's ok, then count me in. :smile *My entry* I've been collecting coins back when i was in grade school. We used to have a store (we call it a "sari-sari store" here in Philippines). I help out with my mom after school and mostly spend my summer looking after it. It's a small shop where one can buy various merchandise like rice, sugar, cigarettes, can goods etc. (just google "sari-sari store". I have to point this out so that the reader would understand how i came up with my collection). The thing is, there's this foreign or old coin every now and then showing up in our " kaha" or cash register. I used to just set it aside and put it in a drinking glass beside our kaha. It wasn't actually a collection then. People in our neighborhood have this habit of tricking us, mixing same sizes of foreign/unwanted coins in real ones when they purchase something. It was mostly coins of different countries and old coins from my country. And I really dont have any clue yet about rare coins and stuff. I even got an Alfonso XII mixed in that drinking glass. Years passed, that drinking glass wouldnt hold more of its content so I transferred the coins in a big container (A can of NIDO). Having them around is actually fun. I even started accepting coins that I obviously noticed mixed when a neighbor bought something from us. I just pretended I didn't notice. And that started my interest in coins. Well, I don't consider it a collection anyways, coz after our store closed and i went to Manila for college, i hide it in my closet. Honestly, I lost interest in it and left it there 'til our house burned which was accidentally started by a nearby neighbor. Our house didn't totally burned down, and the can of nido survived. Years passed, and less interested about coins I transferred to this school (Universidad de Zamboanga). This school is somehow not a common school, though it is a university now. It is not a usual school where one have waiting sheds, trees, etc in its campus since it is a building, a school that is located in the heart of our city. Below our school (the same building) are business establishments. Fast food stores, bazaars, etc. while surrounding its sidewalks are vendors. People who put stalls and sell their trades (mostly stolen cellphones), some are money changers and others buy gold/silver. I use to just go straight home after class and don't really mind what these sidewalk vendors are selling. But this last semester, I have this screwed up class schedule. Having 1 to 2 hours vacant every subject. So after class, and while still with an hour or two vacant hours for my next subject, I would go around town. ('usually spent it in malls and internet shops). But just this recently, I came across this guy who buy and sell coins. It is his trade among all the cellphone seller and moneychangers that crowds around our campus. It is because of this guy that i really started collecting coins. Actually, it was becoz of this certain coin displayed in his stall that rekindled the fire that i have in coins. So I bought this coin, believing it to be a great find. Then I started researching about this coin. Gradually learning stuff about other coins too. Then i came up with this site when i googled my coin. I learned then that it was a fake. 'was too excited with my find, I didn't even bother introducing and even hijacked a thread. :smile http://www.cointalk.com/t41811-4/ (Page 4 of 4) It has been months now since i started collecting coins. My first purchase was a fake. An 1817 Ferdin VII 8 Reales coin. I posted it here to check its authenticity and found out to be a replica coin. But since then, being a member here, I've learned lots about coins. Saw the beauty in them here (my favorite: Italian L500 coin), and acquired knowledge in this site (not that much yet). Now, though he sold me a fake, I'm in good terms with this guy. my vacant hours are spent with him now and those others with the same trade. I even took a picture and posted some of their wares to check if it's genuine. what its worth? (if authentic) CT has a big part on how I really got into coin collecting. 'made me look back how I use to love coins. Brought back good memories when I was still little. And made me find a good container to transfer my old coins from that can of Nido. Thanks to CT now im acquiring coin knowledge too. That's how I started my coin collection. * oh btw, I didn't win the contest. The prize is a consolation prize, more like a 2nd place. yet still this beauty is the BEST!
I have a Filipino friend who recently went to the philippines to visit his family and while he was down there, he said he'd keep an eye out for coins for sale. Turns out he almost wasted $300 on a big lot of fakes, grabbed his scale and weighed one of the morgans and it weighed 22.3 grams. WAY too light. Though I am thinking I am wanting to get myself some US/Philippines coinage to make a small set.
Hmmm. I seem to not find/search the L500 Italian coin posted here that I've mentioned in my entry. I remember it being toned. Anyone know who owns it? Thanks...
*edit* didn't notice the "US/Philippines". I have some in my collections, but still don't have lots to spare or sell. Funny I can't find better grades here in Philippines. Yet the better ones are owned or being sold by foreigners. 'saw one good grade coin before and the seller is from Iceland. lmao.
I first remember becoming slightly interested in coins when I was in early elementary school...probably second or third grade. My best friend at the time was a classmate of mine named Noah...and Noah had a small coin collection. I recall one day, he was telling me about Indian Head Cents and I had never seen one, so he brought one of his to school and showed me. I thought it was really neat. That year, he gave me a 1900 Indian Head Cent in a 2x2 for Christmas. It was very low grade and corroded...but I didn't care. I actually still have the coin in my collection, in the same 2x2 with his handwriting labeling it. Sadly, Noah switched schools during our fifth grade school year and once he left my interest in coins faded and became forgotten. A couple years later...now in middle school, I was going through my dad's gun safe with him (trying to organize all the papers of other things he kept in there)...when I found a stick of old Whitman coin folders. I quickly discovered my dad had a small coin collection in his youth. He let me look through the coins and I was amazed at what I saw. Mostly old wheat cents and a few other pieces. Nothing that would amaze me today...but at the time it sparked a lost interest. What really jumped out at me were the 1943 cents...as I had never seen a steel cent before and his 1886 Morgan Dollar from his grandmother. This time I was hooked for good. I found a coin shop in town and went and looked around. On my first trip, I came home with a set of new Whitman Lincoln Cent folders of my own (at the time, there were 3 in the set)...and handful of wheat cents from the dealers "junk" bin, a 1943 cent, and a beautiful BU 1881-S Morgan.
I'm not really a coin collector. I consider myself a treasure hunter, though I have come across coins in my years. All of them fairly worthless but still I hung onto them because they were different, Canadian coins here, Irish coin there. Not much of a story but there ya' go.
Just 5 more posts to go and i reach 350... Hurry up when you still want to send a story in. Contest is ending soon
My fellow CT'ers, I thank you all for participating in the contest. As this is my 350th post, i hereby declare the contest as closed. These persons make a chanse to win: Shamrock111 Cookiemonster12 GreatWalrus ikandigit VNeal AdamL Cazkaboom MercuryDimes modoraman zach24 EjPretzer Mojavedave jbyers ozleck77 CamaroDMD excluded: epiclite (sorry, nice small story, but a little to small) The winner will be announced this weekend. Good luck to all who participated and thanks for the nice story's
All the names went in the bag. The name my son pulled out nof the bag is.... ..............Mojavedave Congratz to you, and send me a pm with your adres so i know where to send it to. To all, thank you for participating. Verry nice story's, but there can be only one winner
