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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;iGradeMS70, post: 1303908, member: 29109&quot;]The name&#039;s Brian and I&#039;m a 15-year-old YN.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, how I started collecting? That&#039;s tough to explain. To sum it all up into one word I&#039;d have to say &quot;epiphany&quot;. I was getting sick of the usual video games and drama of my teenage life. I was introduced to an advertisment on my Facebook page regarding the rising price Silver bullion and the rare coin market in general. In a section of this somewhat lengthy ad., was a provided breif backround of joy of numismatics and some numismatic icons (names that have since slipped my mind). After reading on, I discoverd I had learned so many interesting facts in such a short period of time! Not only how fulfilling the hobby of coin collecting is, but how much history you could learn along the way! </p><p><br /></p><p>I had come to the conclusion that I wanted to pursue this as a hobby. So, what&#039;d I do next? ... I hit the books.. HARD! I learned all I could about numismatics in a short amount of time. Before I made my first purchase, I wanted to feel comfortable with whatever I may buy and I wanted to understand the trending value of the coin so I wouldn&#039;t overpay (which I learned was a rookie mistake for most who just jump head first into the hobby). I wanted to be the minority... The one who understood the meaning of the word &quot;numismatist&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>Once I felt comfortable enough to make a purchase, I visited a coin shoppe here in my hometown of Huntington Beach, California that I had read numerous reviews on before arriving. I wanted to make sure that their prices were fair, that the employee would be cooperative with a &quot;newbie&quot;, and that they would acknowledge that I had entered the store with a greeting rather than watching over my shoulder like a hawk thinking &quot;Man, kids these days are punks... I bet this kid&#039;ll try to get a five-finger discount&quot;. Well, when arriving, head held high, I was greeted with a firm handshake and all that I had hoped. The 3 employees in the store did not speak to me with a condecending tone (something I had suspected may happen) and simply gave me a tour of the establishment. After doing so, I browsed the countertops. Eventually, I found something I had read all about in the Redbook of US Coins; A Walking Liberty Half Dollar. It was dated &#039;1943&#039; with no mintmark. I was not looking for any particular coin on this day and had no intent on spending a wad of cash, but this thing caught my eye over everything else in the store. I&#039;d have to say the condition of the coin was no higher than &#039;very fine&#039;... Though, I found it very attractive! With cash in hand, I approached the cash register where I simply handed the owner (Not the same man you had shaken my hand) the $13.00 that the coin was supposedly tagged for, and, to my surprise, he handed back to me a 1983-P Kennedy Half Dollar and said &quot;Keep at it, kid&quot;. </p><p><br /></p><p>When I arrived home, I was overjoyed! Not only had I gotten one fantastic WWII era half dollar, I had gotten two half dollars to start off a collection that would only from expand from then on. The next day, I visited that coin shoppe once again to be greeted by an employee that was not working the previous day. This guy was a <b>VAM</b>mer! In my 2-hours being at the shoppe that day, he taught me all about die varieties and simply how they are created. I was amazed when hearing this because I had never even heard of a &quot;VAM&quot; before entering the store that day. He was kind of enough to even give me a copy of the 2nd volume of the Cherrypicker&#039;s Guide! I went home and studied this book for hours learning all I could about Morgan Dollar VAMs (left the Peace Dollars for a later date). That same night, I went on eBay and discovered a few VAMs that I thought may command a substantial premium over the trending value. One was an 1888-O &quot;Oval O&quot; in XF-condition. After researching that particular VAM a bit more and looking at recent realized auction prices, I felt comfortable enough to make the purchase. The listing was a &quot;Buy-it-Now&quot; auction with a set price of only $44.99. </p><p><br /></p><p>When the coin arrived at my doorstep the following week, I ripped the package open like a kid opening presents from Santa Clause on Christmas morning! I further examined the coin... It was everything I had expected. Nice, original, and a another great addition to the collection. I took it into my now regular coin shoppe the same day, only hours after seeing it in hand. The &quot;<b>VAM</b>mer&quot; at the shoppe was proud of me! He told me the VAM <b><i>did </i></b>command a nice premium in XF-grades. Though he threw an offer out onto the table, the coin, in my eyes, had far too much sentimental value to give up. This coin today, after a year-and-a-half collecting, still resides in an Airtite capsule locked away in my safe, where I expect it will stay for the rest of my collecting career (hopefully a lifetime).</p><p><br /></p><p>Though I would like to continue the story and discuss my first coin show, coin-roll hunt, ect. I&#039;d rather not bore y&#039;all with this ridiculously lengthy thread response. Thanks for the opportunity WingedLiberty and I wish everyone else the best-of-luck! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>-Brian[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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