Questions - Minus the details, mostly...
Coinscratch
Posts: 8,765 ✭✭✭✭✭
...As I was finishing for the day, looking at Cents, several questions came to mind.
details - First successful day in a month at work, nothing to do with coins. But success brings happiness and happiness brings me back to coins. Actually, I still go there but with less enthusiasm, even on bad days I can find solemn or piece of mind there.
So, there I stood, looking at what most people consider ridiculous pennies, mostly worthless, and certainly a complete waste of time and energy. And so I began to reflect on past posts I've read and began to wonder how and why you have arrived where you are, including myself, and how did you get to where you are now? Dollars, halves, and what have you?
details - My desk won't allow me to sit, so I stand with a nice little arch to my back that reminds me on the hour every hour.
Especially, when I have to switch from magnifier to loupe every time a year in question comes into question.
So as I poured the last glass from the bottle and called a stopping point in my search, I realized I have some questions.
details - Don't trip it was only Cabernet and not tequila.
What percentage of collectors do you think started with Cents?
Did you? If not, then what and why?
details - It seems the easiest and cheapest way to start but, also somehow they have grown on me and, not that I would try but, if I did I don't think I could shake it...
Comments
40 years ago, probably everyone started with "penny boards ". In more recent years, I think it was probably state quarters. The Junior club members all seem to have started with quarters. It has to be something interesting that you could find in circulation.
I was hooked as the hobby bug bit me hard. Still have the folder today 56+ years latet.
Almost the same thing here, but probably 1961 or '62....My dad brought home Whitman Lincoln and Jefferson books for my brother and I. That was a start for a lifetime.
A few years later, I weaseled my brothers books from him as he was never a 'collector' type.
It has to be something interesting that you could find in circulation.
I agree. I started with cents and then came the fascination of Cameo proofs which I still like but, now back to cents for me. Nothing beats the high grade business strike and the ability to find at face value.
Edited for details - That was a gooood bottle of wine
Don't spend money on "details" coins. The "market" does not want them and neither should you.
It didn’t start with cents for me. It started when my mom showed me some coins she inherited from her father when I was 7. What fascinated me was the bigger coins and designs. I never really got into cents even now. I’ve always kinda ended up congregating around dollars and gold but I didn’t always have a dollar and gold budget.
I also like variety so I end up collecting other things to keep me interested.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
In the 60's I started with Lincoln Cents
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
My collecting started with cents at the tender age of 8... but my fascination began a year or two earlier when I saw a large, silver, German coin my Dad had (and I still have)... it was beautiful, heavy and mysterious. Then, as I grew older, and had a paper route, then a job... the the Navy... and after that, working in other countries and many different states.... collecting coins all the way....Dang I have a lot of coins
Yep... coins have always been an interest...and will continue to be. Cheers, RickO
I have a few coins of just about every series except very old gold which is out of my budget. But I started with pennies and still love the look of a high grade red wheat penny, I don't buy as many anymore as my 09-58 set is now complete but I still drool over the ones I see on websites and in dealer cases.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
he's talking about cents not "details"
Was a buffalo that caught my attention, but lincolns were my main thing through childhood.
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
I think it is good advice regardless. (I started by collecting Buffalo nickels and even had some Nic-A-Date treated coins in my folder. I ended up spending the Nic-A-Date coins when the local dealers wouldn't buy them. This was 1962.)
@coinbuf . What about 59 - present? That's where I'm currently at because those can still be found in high grades. I'm kinda dreading the 09-58 because I will actually have to purchase those. I while back I started the Lincoln set with varieties etc. Its something like 418 coins so, I have about 400 more to go.
I'm late to the game, in '63 I was negative 4 years old and started 2 years ago at 50. But, I do remember my dad giving us small stacks of change for doing chores, in the early 70's as a kid that was a lot of moolah.
Hmmm, Does it seem most of us started collecting at age 8? I would almost wager if you average the ages we started it would be very close to 8! Of course we need to throw out the late bloomers that didn't start as a kid!
I have a hit or miss strategy going after '58
its really hard to find nice coins from the 60's and much of the 70's as the quality the mint produced in the way of pennies was so poor. I have begun to fill in some of the holes as I find something that is of decent quality and not priced for moon money, but that is not very easy. There are plenty of nice coins after the redesign but prices are still quite high for the top end stuff so I continue to wait for more to get graded and let those prices drop thus I have very few in the set from 2004 on. If you click the link in my sig that is my '09 to date set and you can see where I have work to do
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Me too. Completed the 1941-to date set, then went and completed the Jeff set.
All from circulation, except for the 1950-D Nickel.
To this day, I still don't own one.
Pete
@coinbuf . That registry site is cool easy to use. I might be able to help you out on a few of those open holes, where I have doubles. Also, I'll have several in the 70's 80's 90's coming back from grading soon. But, like you said the quality of the 70's is tough and I may be getting schooled again depending on the grades that do come.
I started with the Lincoln cent second Whitman folder in the summer of 1961 at age 12.
The occasional silver dollar that appeared in the cash drawer of my Father's filling station. Taped them to a piece of cardboard until I learned better. Then the Lincoln memorial change in 1959 cemented the urge to collect.
I was 7 when dad & mom brought hame the Roosevelt dime folder as a savings from the bank, I filled it with pocket change. I still have the folder today, 59 years later, full of dimes. About 3 years later, Mom gave me the 1921 Morgan Dollar the doctor had given her when I was born, and then I was hooked for sure.
My older brother got me interested in coins (Lincoln Cents). He walked me down to the local coin shop some 3 blocks away. Purchased the Whitman Cent folder and began checking the change from then on. Thanks Brother.
Had all the main folders in '53 but cents were my thing. Buffs tended to be badly worn and silver had too much buying power for an 8 year old to put aside unless older dates, which generally got the pencil eraser upgrade.
Dimes were smaller then nickels so I would try to trade for the dimes. Plus I like the looks of the lady better then the Indian.
My father gave me his coin collection when I was 9. A decade later I sold it off for next to nothing. Two decades after that, bullion and metal detecting brought me back. And guess what? He gave me his collection again.
Very cool stories indeed. Nowadays, kids have video games and youtube but, I imagine you can still spark an interest if you start them early enough. I planted the seed in my eight year old a couple years back as he was helping me sort cents.
I Suppose I should buy him some Whitman books to help cultivate his interest.