Older Collectors (Aged 50+ only) Question: What coins circulated when you were young?

I got Wheats,an occasional Indian Head, Walking Liberty Halves, Franklin Halves,a few Morgan and Peace, V nickels, a few Mercury dimes, Roosevelt silver dimes, and rarely a Buffalo Nickel.

Wish I would have kept more then.

 

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I agree with most of what has been posted but since this question was basically for but not exclusively for folks over 50 [im 57 ] circulation has more thn a few meanings, but seriously with the explosion of the internet and the vast knowledge that is available with all the software to zero in on condition price etc I find that availability is still present alot harder sometime to find but still present today .I go to a lot of estate sales and bid on milk crates full of jars and coffe cans of coins [sometimes half washers or bolts and nuts] but as a previous replier said IT THE HUNT! redhorse

 

Yes I still have them all. Each one helps fill the 8 complete sets of Merc Dimes I have. I still remember they were $1.50 each. Sounds cheap? Think about a kid of about 8 or 9 back when you could buy a loaf of bread for less than a nickel coming up with that much money. My parents didn't know how rich I was. I used to sell score cards, pencils, newspapers on the corner of Addison and I think it was Shiffield by Wrigley Field.
Who would remember that at one time that place held baseball games, football games, wresting and boxing matches and even an occational rodeo. We all snuck in to everything on the Waveland Street side.

 

I think there was something called 2 cent nights also. The Bobs with no hands, remember? Picked up a lot of girls there and that's probably why no Morgan Dollars left. Girls were sure expensive even back then.

 

Yes, it would have been Addison and Sheffiled, Just Carl. Do you still live in the Chicago area? I would imagine it would have been a fantastic city to grow up in 40 or more years ago.

When I started collecting the first time in 1973 or 1974, I was never able to find any silver in circulation. Just the clad stuff. The fact that I was living in Hawaii at the time might have had something to do with that though. However, the coin shop where I used to make my modest, 8-year-old-collector purchases back then would occasionally give me something cool like a worn Buffalo Nickel back in change.

 

I Just read in an old issue of coin values a night ago that as late as 1934,
there was not any cent issue that was more than $2 uncirculated.
I couldn't find my 1930's Star Coin book by Max Mehl, but I did find a Star
from 1947 I picked up in a numismatic book auction. These books had
"buy" prices, but I also have a price list and they are resold at a rather
similar percentage as today's rare coins.

1856 flying eagle, $10-50
1877 IHC $3-10
1909-S IHC $1-5
1909-SVDB $1-5
1914-D .25-3.00

I am sure my family was similar, A favorite treat was a new "Indianhead"
composition tablet for school ( $.05). Luckily my mother didn't know I
did drawings in it instead of writing I remember it was Red, with
pulp paper pages, and had a drawing of an American Indian on the cover.