Hello all. I have a New thread today, Tuesday March 25th. I'm calling it "Talk About It Tuesday!". It works like this.... Post a coin(s) that got you started in the hobby and how it influenced you in some way, shape or form. It can be an event or person(s) that helped to facilitate you to get into this hobby? For me it was my Uncle and this Coin and Currency. He was the one who really perked my interest in coins. Back then, I was very young and didn't know much about coins or currency. I just knew that they were old and different. He gave me many coins over the years until he passed in 1989. I was 23 at the time of his death. He was a medic in WW2 and had may life experiences that he never talked about. 1937 Great Britain 2 shillings and my 1934A WW2 $10 Note.....
My aunt gave me this 1883 in 1948 when I was 5 years old. I thought it was amazing and it got me hooked.
I started out collecting silver art bars in 1974. COINS magazine (for art bar ads) and Carl Allenbaugh got me started on coins. He was the "cool old guy." https://nnp.wustl.edu/Library/PersonDetail/136
I bought this coin about 40 years ago. The dealer called it damaged but I knew better and paid only a few dollars for it. The coin put me on a long path of collecting clashed die coins. I sold it at auction last year for $3100. I now wish I had saved it. This is the coin. The obverse die for the cent was clashed with the obverse die for the $20 gold piece. There were other clashed die coins in 1857 but this one is the big money coin.
That's an interesting die clash. I understand, how the dies of the same coin can clash, but clashing with die of the totally different coin? How on earth that happened?
I don't have it with me right now, but I read a book by Rick Snow and he said many curiosities were made "at night" by a young mint employee (under 18 if memory serves) who was the son of mint official. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1857-1c-obv-die-clash-w-20-fs-403/37376/35 It's curious that there are no muled coins from the 1857 clashes with three different denominations. Also curious is that there aren't any $20 coins with the FE obverse clashed on them, that I'm aware of anyway. Did they not subsequently use that $20 die?
I've told the story many times on here how my grandfather got tons of world coins from being the head librarian at the Chicago Tribune, and split them up with his five grandchildren. My other grandfather worked for the railroad. He saved a bunch of 1935 silver certificates, and my father gave one to each of the grandchildren after grandpa passed away. I'm not sure what caused grandpa to save them. A dollar was a lot of money in the 1930s. Down through my cousins on that side, there were five generations of railroad workers in my family. It was a good job to have during the Depression.
I forget how I got hooked on Liberty Nickels and into coin collecting in general, but there's nothing better than a beautifully detailed coin like that! Here's a few of mine, I just picked up 10 more 1912-D's for a pretty great price too Edit: I just remembered you and I talking about your 1883 a while back when i mentioned the 1948 Willys jeep me and my dad restored. Hope all has been well with you
Does anyone remember my Featured Article about early days of collecting? I think it fits in with the subject of this thread. Building a Twentieth Century Circulation Collection | Coin Talk
As I have stated a few times, I am working on a one a year date set of cents. The grades are Mint State in some cases, but can be all over the place. Although I have the other large cents dates from the 1850s in Mint State, this is my 1853. It was the last coin my father bought for me. I spotted it at a flea market that was attached to a country auction is Sussex County Delaware. The upstate guys used to call us "down homers," and it was not a compliment. He paid $10 for it. Here's a Mint State large cent from the 1850s that I really like. It's graded MS-65, Brown.
