I thought of this last night. Sure, we all buy, sell, and collect coins....but what is the longest a family has kept a coin? Be interesting to hear a story about someone's Grandma who kept a Morgan dollar all her life, or something like that.
I have a morgan dollar that my uncle got for his high school graduation back in 1957. I inherited it when he passed away a few years ago and with it I got various other items including a list of every item that he got for graduation and who it was given to him by. I also have a 1922 peace dollar that I got when my great grand father passed away in 1984 when I asked my great grandmother she said that she had no idea how long he had it. It only grades xf but I had it slabbed just for the heck of it.
I have an 1867 two cent piece in the SDB that was given to me when I was 10 years old by my elderly grandfather. It would appear to look just like any other coin, except that it has a story. About 80 years prior when my grandfather was 6 years old he was working on the family farm feeding ears of corn through a hand cranked corn shucker. He didn't remember how it happened but when he put the corn into the shucker he got his pinkie finger caught in the gears inside the machine. His father did the best they could, but his finger was crushed and they had to go into town - a journey of about a day by wagon. Unfortunately he ended up having the rest of his finger amputated by the doctor in town. The next day they returned home and he recuperated. His older brother felt sorry for him and gave him the two cent piece to spend on candy at the store in town next time they went into town. Even at six years old he was so touched by getting the coin that his brother had saved for awhile to spend that he ended up keeping it as a memento. When he gave it to me, I was just starting out in collecting coins and was not yet familiar with 2 cent pieces - not even knowing that they had been made. So it is my first 2 cent piece, just an ordinary looking coin - but it has been owned by only two people since the fall of 1897.
Got a 1922 peace that my great-grandpa had since well 1922. He was born in 1911 and died about 7 years ago. I'm trying to get a type set for 1911 to remember him.
Sovereigns from my grand parents which they was purchased by their parents and taken with them when they were leaving Singapore due to threat of Japanese Invasion.
What a cool thread. Mine would have to be the Silver Dollars from my grandfather. Born in 1917, not sure when he had them but my mother remembers them when she was young and she was born in 47.
Gramps gave me a St. Gaudens double eagle which he said he refused to turn in when the FDR stole the nation's gold.
Got this one on 1995 before Christmas 16 years ago...Now kept on my Family and still counting..and this coin certified in public at Baltimore Coin Show in Maryland,USA on March 2000,personally graded by Mr. Alan Hager of Accugrade.
My great-grandfather (Or possibly great great, I can't remember) came here from Germany around 1881, and brought some coins with him that have stayed in the family.
I can´t be 100% sure, but there´s couple of Swedish ores from 1719 kept in family. Those are probably pulled from my ancestors farmland at least several decades ago. There´s at least five coins from 1700´s in my albums that were kept in family before me. Well, my kids will get a few thousand coins more to preserve
My dad has an 188? Can't remember the date, morgan belt buckle his father gave him that his father had since 1969. My dad has this locked up, and we are thinking about prying it out to check for that little "CC"
Sounds like the kind of farmland that needs to be checked with a metal detector every harvest time. Probably all sorts of ancient Swedes, Finns, Russkies in there.
138 years ago a Italian 12-14 year old ship ago My Great great grandfather came to the USA 1876 this was with him.1928 he passed he never knew how old he was as Birth Cert were not made back then. But my grandfather told me he also had 4 gold coins but guards at Ellis Island stole them from him. This coin to is my 1st coin in the family book of coins as I am a 3rd generation coin collector so this is one that I hope my son,4th generation semi coin collector to pass on to his kid:thumb:
My father had this medal since I was a kid in the 1950's. It was awarded to his relative (uncle?) in 1895 for doing well in school, so it has "been in the family" since then. Samuel J. Bridge Medal Original CT post with more details: http://www.cointalk.com/t187110
longest in family would be a bunch of early indian head cents, 1859 on up. my great grandfather was a sort of coin collector who saved high AU coins from circulation, seems to have put together a sort of type collection. there is a couple of 1864 2 cent coins, 4 flying eagle cents and an example of one or two of barbers, liberty head nickels, mercs, SLQs and on up. my grandfather gave a bunch of them almost 50 yrs ago when i was a youngster. still have most all of them. that's how I got hooked.
