60 years in Numismatics !

golden

I almost forgot my anniversary. In February 1961, I was sick and could not go to school. My Dad had to go to work at the Post Office and my Mom was a teacher and had to go to school. My Mom took me next door to stay with my Grandparents. Mom felt guilty having to leave me when I was sick. On the way home from school she stopped ( at Woolworth's ? ) and bought me a 35 cent blue Whitman folder for Lincoln Cents. I was immediately hooked.

Before long I expanded my collecting interests to other denominations. Soon I was getting rolls from the bank to look through. A short time later I was getting bags , every Wednesday, from the bank to go through.

When I got my first, last and only job I used part of my first pay check to buy a National Bank Note from my home town. I began searching for other National Bank Notes from all sources. Monday was my day off from work and each Monday I was at the local coin shop buying, selling and learning.

In August 1973 I had my first bourse table at the Blue Ridge Numismatic Association show in Birmingham, Alabama. I had tables at several shows over the next few years.

In 1977 I had my first article published in Paper Money magazine. Since then I have had 7 more articles published.

Over the years I have attended at least 250 coin shows all over the country including every ANA show from 1970-2019. I have attended shows from Boston to San Diego and from Seattle to Miami and many cities in between. I drove to a lot of the shows which allowed me to visit every state in the lower 48. I have met a lot of collectors and dealers that I have enjoyed knowing.

In 2019, at the ANA show in Rosemont, I received my 50 year ANA Gold Membership Medal. At the same show I also received a PCGS Registry Set award.

My wife and daughter have gone with me to some shows over the last few years. If my wife does not want to go to a show she always says that it is ok for me to go out and play. She is great.

I now collect U.S. Type coins and National Bank Notes from my home state. I greatly enjoy the PCGS Registry Sets and the PCGS Message Boards. I am always looking forward to the next coin show and hope to attend one real soon!

Kurisu

Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed that

Justacommeman

Congrats!

m

blu62vette

Great story and always great seeing you at shows!

Tom147

Congratulations on 60 years. I'll be there in 2024 but certainly not even close to the extent that you have sir. I'm jealous.

koynekwest

This year is also my 60th anniversary, as of June. And I also started with the Vol 2 Lincoln cent folder. My dad was a bartender so I got to search thru lots of coins. In fact that's where I saw the cent folder. He bought it for me, also letting me look thru the cents in the cash register. That's all it took-I was hooked, too.

Cocoinut

Congratulations on 60 years. My collecting started in a similar manner, in 1955. The sales clerk in the hobby shop told my parents that the San Francisco Mint had just closed, and that "S" mint coins could someday become scarce. I was soon collecting quarters, then nickels, in addition to cents. I worked in a busy coin shop for 4 years from 1979-1983, but then returned to a job in the business world. The collecting bug is still with me.

bidask

Wow that is some passion

CoinHoarder

That is an awesome collecting history. Sounds like you have had a very fulfilling and satisfactory 60 years in this great hobby!

RichieURich

Congrats on a wonderful 60 years in numismatics!

jesbroken

My goodness, has it actually been that long? Amazing. Congrats btw.
Jim

skier07

Congrats on 60 years. When I was 6 years old in 1964 I was in the hospital for a week. My parents bought me a Whitman Lincoln folder and I vaguely remember searching penny rolls all day long. I was hooked almost immediately.

Walkerfan

Congrats @golden ! Hope to see you at a show, someday!!

ricko

@golden... Congratulations ... We are likely close in age and years in the hobby. Amazing how looking at coins can be so interesting for a lifetime. Cheers, RickO

BloodMan

Congratulations on your achievement! I also enjoy reading your posts.

WildIdea

So cool! Thanks for sharing your awesome run! Here’s to many more years!

OliverDePlaise

So much for the folks who say you should sell before you get old.

CaptHenway

Nice story. I am supposed to get my 50 year membership this year, but I don't know if there will be a convention in Rosemont.

Most Woolworth's did have a small coin supply section plus a Berg rotator case with a variety of inexpensive coins. I bought my first Whitman folder there somewhere in the early 60's, but it was either 25 cents or 29 cents. They went up to 35 cents somewhere in the mid-60's, so you may be remembering one you bought for yourself later.

johnny9434

Congrats on a good thing. A way cool story to 🙂

BillJones

Congratulations!

My starting date was Christmas week, 1959. The spring of 1959 I had been hoarding all of the Lincoln Memorial cents I could find since they were brand new.

My uncle from Texas shipped up my first Red Book, the 13th edition, with the two Whitman cent holders for 1909 to 1939 and 1940 to date. I still have two out of three of those items.

I don't know which Lincoln Cent I pressed into which folder first, but I have made this one the "official first cent" because it was the best one I found early on.

divecchia

@golden Congrats on what sounds like a GREAT 60 years of collecting.

Thanks for sharing such a great story.

Donato

jesbroken

Here's my Woolworth's in Kingsport, TN in 1960. Road a bus to town every Sat to spend my ill gotten gains from my paper route. Double Feature at the Rialto for $.20, pin ball at Wallace's Newstand and a visit to Woolworths or Kresge's across the street.
Jim