I've seen a couple people here mention getting coins from department stores back in the day. I asked my 61 year old father, who is a collector if he remembers coins being sold there. He said no. Just curious. WAs it a particular department store, or mainly just in major cities, or what. I was just surprised my dad couldn't remember that since he's been collecting for decades. Maybe its due to the fact that we're located in rural Missouri. I dunno.
In Chicago, both Marshall Field's and Carson Pirie Scott had coin departments in their downtown stores. The Marshall Field's coin department closed at the end of 2005, relocating to a Chicago suburb.
Before they went out of business, the local Montgomery Wards had a coin dept. That wasn't that long ago either. 2003 I think.
Back in the 70s, a large local shopping mall had a coin store. It's the only coin store I've ever seen in a mall. Usually they are in the low rent district. It went out of business.
Where I lived while growing up, we didn't even have department stores, much less one that sold coins.:whistle:
Our Woolworth's & Kressge had a coin case but the Sattlers had a coin dept. It closed in the mid 70's. Small depts(coins, cameras, records) were rented out and not actually run by the store
It hasn't been that long ago. I remember coins for sale at both Woolworth and K-mart and I am only 45. (And all of the K-mart sold the Constitution bicentenial commems in the Jewelry dept in 1987. That was only 19 years ago.)
In southern Calif. The May Co. had a coin counter until the late 70's. If I remember right both the Valley and the Wilshire locations had one.
When I was your age, we didn't have coins. We had to collect leaves and sticks. And we were thankful!
I know, he's not REALLY old. I said "older", which is a relative term. And since I am 22 it doesn't take much to qualify as "older", especially in the coin collecting world, in which I definately feel like a kid.
There were a few other ones in the Chicago downtown area in buildings not called department stores. One was in the underground system that connects building below streets. These were in just regular office type buildings that also contained restaurants, bars, barber shops, etc. The Carson Pirie one on the 5th floor was stillt there a year ago. One of my favorite places. Best prices I've ever found for coins. The reason there are so many in department stores in a large City like Chicago is no room anywhere else. There are a few other ones in the downtown area of Chicago but they don't usually just sell coins. Even the one in Carsons sell stamps, coin and stamp books, sporting stuff and a few other items. Some years bake they were alll over the place here. Now I think besides the one in Carsons the is only Harland Berk on Clark Street left and they sell just about every thing from coins to Egyptians artifacts from thousands of years ago.
Fields was great . Ithink there is one in the WATERTOWER PLACE on MICHIGAN AVE Ialso think there are a couple in WOODFIELD Ibought some in store called the FAIR STORE in EVERGREEN PLAZA .talk about memory lane
