What was the first coin you ever saved or collected?

Copperindian

For me, a 1883 IHC given to me by my grandfather. I was young at the time & I had never seen a coin with a 1800’s date. I recall it was evenly worn with no spots. Estimated grade would be a VF today.

RiveraFamilyCollect

I have one of those Quater maps of the U.S.

VTchaser

3 or 4 morgans passed down from my grandfather

jacrispies

One that I personally found and remember keeping was a cull 1914 cent found in McDonald's change. That was back when I enjoyed McDonalds so I was probably in first grade.

CRHer700

1920 cent found in my piggy bank. I didn't think that I could find anything older.

coinbuf

A small group of common date Indian Head cents given to me by my maternal grandmother. Still have them but they have no collector value as I polished them good right after I received them. Wish I knew then what I know now, those coins would not be worth very much but still more than in the cleaned condition they are now.

TimNH

A little pouch of Liberty V nickels, age 10 or so I "stole" them from my grandmother, and it's awful to say but she had what we now know as Alzheimers and it seemed OK at the time, she never would have noticed they were gone. Some of them had 1800s dates, a few had some letters of LIBERTY visible and that's how I learned to grade, they were just mesmerizing.

OAKSTAR

Every 50 penny's I saved, I would get on my bicycle every Saturday morning and head down to the bank for a 1964 Kennedy half. And I still have them today.

GaCoinGuy

An ugly, beat up 1859 IHC; so discolored, it looks like a damaged dime, which what I got it as in my change when I was 17. Still have it.

hfjacinto

In 1976 as a 7 year old my parents emigrated from Portugal to the US. We used to live in a rural town a few kilometers from the beach.

We moved to an apartment in an Urban area of NJ. Coming from the beach and having over an acre it was an adjustment moving to a small apartment.

One of the neighbors realized I was having a hard time and asked my parents if I was interested in any hobbies. My mom told her I had a coin collection in Portugal. The neighbor proceeds to put together a small collection of US coins including Mercury dimes, Ikes, Wheat Cents, Bison Nickels and some Indian Heads. I was super excited. My dad picked up the Whitman folders so I could start filling them in. As Wheats were still in circulation, I found the majority of the set just from circulation.

When I turned 17, I got my license and found a coin chop in a nearby town. Every couple of weeks I picked up the missing wheats and completed the 1941 to 1974 set.

I finally moved that set to a Dansco late last year.

erscolo

A 1914-D Lincoln Cent I got from my father. It was an extra fine condition and was the only coin he ever purchased. He paid less than $20 for it in the early 1950s. The second was a roll of Indian Heads cents my grandmother had, which included a 1909-S, also in extra fine condition. The fifty coins were still in the original bank roll, probably from her father.

BLUEJAYWAY

Lincoln cents in the old blue Whitman folders. Urged into collecting by my older brother. Remember walking down together to the local hobby store that sold coins and supplies.

Walkerfan

My first collectible Walker was a 1940-S in raw XF/AU.

divecchia

The first coin I ever remember saving because it was old, was a 1916 Buffalo nickel. It was in the early 1970's and I was probably 8 or 9 years old at the time.

Donato

BryceM

A 1987 Proof ASE I bought from the mint. I still have it. It picked up a bit of toning from its OGP. It’s slabbed now.

Barberian

I don't recall the first cent, nickel or dime I pressed into a Whitman folder, but they're still there.

My dad gave my brother and I four Morgan dollars and a Peace dollar shortly after we started collecting that he had left over from a late '50s promotion for milk while traveling. If the waitress at a diner mentioned "milk" when asked, "What do you have to drink?" they were to be given a silver dollar for a tip. If they didn't mention milk, they received a normal tip along with a wooden nickel that tells them they could have had a silver dollar if they'd mentioning milk.

I still have those silver dollars in old 2x2s with rusty staples. 1878 7-feathers VF, 1881 AU, 1921 AU, 1921-S EF, 1923 EF. I should scan them, but I just took them back to the bank.

TheGoonies1985

I believe it was a 1990 Canada proof set but I could be wrong that was a long time ago.

alaura22

Indian head penny..........cent for some of you out there that don't like penny

MapsOnFire

Seven Morgan and Peace dollars on my 7th birthday, 1950. Given to me by William A. Marcus, my mother's Uncle Bill, who had previously been President of The California Bankers Association. I still have a couple of them.

may

I had a 1906 Indian and a dateless SLQ to kickstart my collection. I’ll post pictures when I get home.

PhillyJoe

I was a paperboy for the Lafayette Journal & Courier (IN) in the mid 60’s. Once in a while, a customer would give me a peace or Morgan dollar as a Christmas tip. Still have them all.
When I tell my kids some people (most didn’t) tipped me a dollar for delivering the paper 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year in the mailbox, they just shake their head.

lkenefic

Like many, I got my start with Lincoln Cents in the late 1960's. My brother was a collector too, and of course, i wanted to be like my older brother... i really got hooked when my grandfather gave me a couple of Indian Head Cents and then let me plug holes in my second folder... IHCs... from a coffee can full of them. He was a sida jerk back in the 1930s and would throw them into the coffee can as he got them in circulation.

Martin

@TimNH said:
A little pouch of Liberty V nickels, age 10 or so I "stole" them from my grandmother, and it's awful to say but she had what we now know as Alzheimers and it seemed OK at the time, she never would have noticed they were gone. Some of them had 1800s dates, a few had some letters of LIBERTY visible and that's how I learned to grade, they were just mesmerizing.

I think your Gandmother would be ok with that

Martin

Allentram

For my 8th birthday, I got a Bicentennial Eisenhower Dollar from my grandmother. I was impressed at the big size of it. I obtained a few other coins as a child but that sticks out as really the first one, and I still have it today.

Pnies20

Christmas 1994 I got an XF 1809 half cent. I miss that coin!!!

Cougar1978

Circ barber 25c

oih82w8

It was a Type III Standing Liberty Quarter that I purchased at Woolco Dept Store. I foolishly cleaned it with a baking soda solution, back it the late 70's early 80's. I still have it and from I remember...it looks terrible. I'll have to see if it is still in the three ring binder with my childhood collection.

I need to buy a coin to make myself feel better.

shortnock

Mid-1940's as a six-year-old, was given foreign coins by servicemen returning from WWII overseas.

jesbroken

My uncle gave me an unc 1884 O Morgan$ on my 10 bday 1958. He got me started collecting and never stopped. Even 3 years overseas I filled a buffalo nickel album out of nickel rolls from NCO Club(lacking keys).
Jim

fathom

Yep, here it is, a gift from my grandfather in the sixties, bought a blue book, still have that, said $1.25 value. Of course I wiped it pretty good, got it nice and shiny.

TorinoCobra71

United States War Nickels...I was "BROWSING" thru my dads dresser and came upon them. Was instantly hooked, of course he found out, but he let me keep them knowing I had an interest in the hobby........

TC71

1Bufffan

I received a Hobo Nickel on Trick or Treat night a long - long time ago and I still have it! and I love Buffaloes to this day.

jfriedm56

In 1965 when I was 8, I remember trading a classmate a silver 1964 Washington quarter for a brand new 1965 clad quarter. I wonder who got the better of that deal? I still have that quarter today!

pocketpiececommems

Lincoln cents

Fraz

The pennant kiosk gave me a 1909 P cent with my change at the NY Worlds Fair. I’ve dropped that three or four times around here already, though. Now I know that it was a curse.

seatedlib3991

Not exactly on topic but when my mother died we found over 700 dollar bills with the K letter.
Something to do with JFK if I remember right. james

Fraz

@seatedlib3991 said:
Not exactly on topic but when my mother died we found over 700 dollar bills with the K letter.
Something to do with JFK if I remember right. james

K indicates that the bills come from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. So there’s many. However, you can play the numbers game and make them attractive for market.

062917 Birthdate
PT 109
19171963
75202 zip code

People love that Kennedy coincidence stuff.

pocketpiececommems

My first piece of gold purchased raw in 1968 for $61

mirabela

In ~1979-ish my great grandfather died and left my dad a remnant of what had I'm told been a pretty impressive collection in its time; he'd sold most of the more important things in the 60's to help some family members out and what we got was a box of Morgan and Peace dollars in varying conditions, some Barber, WL, and Franklin halves, a few IHC's, etc. That's what sparked my interest. The first coin I remember acquiring on my own was a 16-S Mercury dime in Fine that I bought from a dealer in Barre, VT sometime during the winter that I was in 3rd grade.

Steven59

Wheat cents - any and all!

AUandAG

I've pictured these here before... But, even though they are not the first coins I collected, they are the first coins I ever bought above face value. I paid 25¢ each and bought a dozen of them.. I was assured by the coin shop that they would be worth a lot of money in years to come. I still am waiting for the windfall. They are from 1960. Denver mint.
bob

The_Dinosaur_Man

A 1985-D Jefferson Nickel with a tilted D. The coin got me to stop and study a variety and I learned that mintmarks weren't supposed to be hand punched in that year (whatever that meant to my younger self, I know better now). I brought the coin to my LCS only to find out it was still worth just five cents, but that visit exposed me to all other sorts of coins.

SanctionII

The first coin I ever collected was a silver Roosevelt dime (1963 or earlier) that I obtained from my parents' pocket change on the day (in 1963 wen I was 7 years old) that my father brought home and gave me a blue Whitman Roosevelt dime folder. I do not remember what date and mint mark the coin is. I still have the folder. It was filled by me from pocket change (including all silver coins from 1946 through 1964 and some of the clad dimes dated in the 1960s and maybe early 1970s.