Do you remember the first U.S. coin that you collected? Why chose it?
karenren
Posts: 78 ✭
Do you remember the first U.S. coin that you collected? Why did you chose it?
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First purchase was a PCGS graded MS64 Morgan on Ebay in 2001 or so.
I never collected coins as a kid, but my grandmother had about 80 well circulated silver dollars that she pulled from the retail shop where she worked for decades. I was fascinated by the old coins and figured that low grade was the only way that they came.
When the MS dollar arrived I was blown away by the beauty of the coin and was hooked.
@ Coinstartled So, Are you still collecting or buying coins?
Mercury Dimes. Got a few in change as a kid in the late '60s. Just thought those "lady dimes" were interesting.
Sure. A lot of them are for resale now. The Dollars are still my favorite.
What do you collect?
@REALGATOR lady dimes? A interesting name! Could you show me them?
@Coinstartled I collect every delicate coins or valuable coins or coins with story! Ha-ha!
Thats what I called them when I was 8.
Never got one this nice in change but here you go:
@REALGATOR Looks Good!
First coin I ever bought was a Barber Dime at the mall in a rotisserie type display.
I had a small collection from my grandmother but it was great to get something on my own.
Edit: The year was 1975 or 76 and I bought it because it had a great cheap to cool ratio..
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
The first coin that I collected was a heavily worn 1922 Silver Dollar given to me by my dad. The coin was his birthday year, and my granddad give it to him when he was a boy. I still have it.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
State Quarters. My Dad's passion for these got me interested in coins in general. Then I found this forum, discovered earlier coinage and now I'm mired in collecting Capped Bust Half Dollars as a result.
@sparky64 Do you have collecting habits?
@ Currin It must be memorable and valuable!
@ LJenkins11 You dad's passion influence you? Wow, keep on your passion. You will find more interesting thing here!
@FSF could you show me them?
I also like dollars. Ha-ha.
I think the first time that I ever purchased a better date and grade U.S. coin, myself, it was an XF-AU 1940 S Walker. I only paid about five or six bucks for it. Before that, I collected well worn Liberty nickels, barbers, Mercury dimes and Lincolns. Many were given to me by my father. Some he had purchased and some he had saved.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Started filling Whitman folders a a kid. No idea what the first one in was.
Randy Holder and his mid grade Barber Halves ruined me.
Me too. The first coin I ever bought was a Barber dime. At the hobby shop. We didn't have malls back then. Only Main Street. Anybody around here remember those days? Sidewalks and familiar faces. Had to be a good boy when you were downtown or else SOMEBODY would report back to mom and dad. Those were good days.
GSA CC Dollar
Wanted a piece of the Old West.
Yesss….a Type collection and silver Washington quarters.
Thanks for asking.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
It sounds like we all basically started out the same. The best part is how so many/all of our interest began with our parents or grandparents as a part of it. That's neat. It adds an extra special meaning to it all. It does for me. I'm sure it does for you too. And think about it.......most, if not all of us give thought to handing out collection down to the next generation. Hey, forget calling it a hobby, this IS a special kind of ENDEAVOR. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
My dad got me interested in collecting. We would sift through pocket change looking for Wheat Cents and anything "old", especially anything silver, in hopes of eventually filling my coin albums (Cents, Nickels, Dimes, Quarters). The first coin show that he took me to, I had enough money to purchase my first coin (a Mercury Dime), and second coin (a Franklin Half). I fell in love with the Merc, and all things shiny and silver!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
@Walkerfan Do you want to pass them on?
@Smudge Ha-ha! Two much coins? So you don't remember?
@Hydrant Yes! Sometime, collecting is a very memorable thing and very meaningful!
@Eric_Babula Pocket? wow! You must be very rich now!
Back in the mid to late 1970s, you could often find Wheat Cents as well as pre-1964 silver in the change you got back from the store. Of course, most of it was in G-XF condition, so nothing of monetary value. But, we didn't care - we had lots of fun being able to fill the empty hole in our Whitman albums!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
8 Reales Madness Collection
My first 'collection' coin was an IHC... used to get them on my paper route... I kept that one and that started me checking change....And here I am, and here's the show.
Cheers, RickO
The top of the 1995p Lincoln Cent DDO bubble...
Enough said.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
The "old coin" I collected was an 1838 half dime in Good that my mother's cleaning lady had. I bought it because it was there, and I was fascinated by its age.
I thought I would see a lot of you saying the Lincoln cent was your first collecting attempts? It was mine since I was a middle school kid and didn't have a lot of money. Eventually I went to Mercury Dimes as I love the design and remember well my Mother rolling them for bank deposits. Of Course this propelled me into Morgans and type collecting and other sets as well. NO REGRETS!!
Louis Armstrong
I started collecting at around 8 years old (~1968). Wheat cents first because they were so plentiful and i could fill in holes in my album. that was the goal, right? Around this time I also got the opportunity to "collect" from my grandfathers' coffee can of loose change. He was a soda jerk in the 20's and 30's and would get IHC's in change and flip them into the coffee can. I still have a few of those!
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
I bought an 1878CC Morgan in VF at a local coin club meeting back in the early '70' for $4.70. I still have it.
I collected wheaties I found out of my Dad's change, but I had to replace the ones I took with my own cents. I was probably 6 years old or so.
1908-S Indian Head Cent
Given to me in a group of 3 each that Gramma gave to me and my cousin.
His didn't have anything worth diddly.
Nice Gramma. Neener neener, cousin John.
.
@BillJones More older is more fantastic!
@kbbpll Keep it and then pass on to the next generation !
@topstuf Maybe it is not worthy but it is memorable, right?
@lkenefic You collected coins from 8 years old! Wow! It is not easy to insist on this collecting habit.
I do remember ordering a set of 25 foreign coins from a cereal box in the late 1950's when I was around ten and not receiving it.
My father had a collection of 1930's sales tax tokens which he kept in a small ceramic tea kettle which he let me look at.
My grandmother did give me some coins she brought back from a trip to Europe in 1955.
The first specific coin I remember purchasing was in 1964 because I wanted a gold coin.
I sent $50 to a Coin World dealer and received this:
United States $20 1927
I still have it.
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
@WillieBoyd2 It looks very delicate!
I have a brother that's 10 years older than me. So, I watched him and was naturally drawn into what he was doing as "the older brother". I think he started with Washington quarters from his paper route...
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
$5 Gold 1914 Indian Head coin. I started to watch those tv cable shows which I know some would laugh. But! Back in the day early in the morning, live feed auction, Gold Prices were just over $3OO a ounce, thus, I came into some money through a serious life changing injury, I bought over 200+ Indian heads that year alone and my wife went ballistic!!
The gold coins were around $80 to $100 a piece when I bought them. My wife still says I was crazy, but doesn't complain about her beach condos we bought when I sold most of my Gold@ almost 2k a ounce.
So, gold Indian was my first, fell in love with the design and still think it's awesome today! BTW. Still have it in my wife's necklace!
@SliderGuy You must love your wife very much!
Kind of lame but ‘32 Georgie D’s when I was a kid. Very easy and budget friendly. They could generally be had simply by swapping another quarter back then. Very reminiscent of Bi-centennials today.
Karenren, love her longtime. 35 years married. She will still go to coins shows and area hall auctions.
My “first” coin was actually a set...and it was a get-well gift from my father. I was home sick from grade school with recurring ear infections in the late 1970’s and dad brought home a 3-coin bicentennial silver proof set to cheer me up. I had admired it the prior week at Gimbel’s coin department but didn’t have enough to buy it.
That was my first “coin”...and I still have them. I still think of dad (and mom) when I see them. They were the start of a now 40+ year odyssey!
PS...dad was a collector...and so was his father...so I think he had ulterior motives in getting me started!