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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Carthago, post: 2466111, member: 76111&quot;]My first coin shows took place at local gun shows.&nbsp; As a kid in the 1970&#039;s, gun shows were a regular destination what seems like every weekend with my dad.&nbsp; Nobody looked weird me that I went to them; it was part of our American culture still then.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Aside from tables of full of all manner of guns, WWII and Vietnam war helmets &amp; relics, knives, swords, ammunition, and other man/boy goodies there were often several tables of coin sellers.&nbsp; I won&#039;t call them Dealers; my recollection is that the were serious hobbyists like most of the gun owners who would rent a table like my dad and trade/sell duplicates or guns that had run their use in the collections.&nbsp; It was a social event as much as business and everyone knew everyone.&nbsp; We&#039;d be there much of the day especially if my dad had a table selling guns. </p><p><br /></p><p>And then there was the gun show hot dogs.&nbsp;&nbsp; A sustenance staple at every event and something that casts a cold shadow on circus, movie theater or street corner dogs.&nbsp; Gun show dogs where the shizzle!&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie50" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>It was a great experience growing up.&nbsp; &nbsp; I was greeted warmly at every table (I was under 10 at the time) and the coin sellers would invite me to sit and go though their boxes as long as I felt like it.&nbsp; I&#039;d look for key date or, more importantly, US MINT errors which was my specialty.&nbsp; I tried to talk my dad into buying me key dates.&nbsp; The 1909s VDB penny never can home because it was $100!&nbsp; Doh!!</p><p><br /></p><p>When I was in 8th grade, I found a present under my Chrismas tree that ended up being several boxes of mint errors and several Whitman books with complete Jefferson nickle and Roosevelt Dime collections in them.&nbsp; The guy who I visited regularly at the gun shows over the yeas had been dying of cancer and he gave them to my dad to give to me for Christmas.&nbsp; He was dead by the time I got them and I still have them today in his boxes.&nbsp; Isn&#039;t that just freaking cool?!&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie14" alt=":angelic:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>That was the first realization I ever had about the human impact we have on people as we move through life by realizing that I, just some kid, had enough of an impact on the old man that he wanted to make sure that I could continue to look through his boxes and enjoy his coins after cancer killed him and he was long gone.&nbsp; I owe him a payback someday and I haven&#039;t forgotten.&nbsp; I&#039;m going to do him proud with someone who will carry the fire like I did for the better part of 40 Years.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie58" alt=":jimlad:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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