What (and who) got me into coin collecting? A short synopsis and a sad revelation

ElmerFusterpuck

I saw an Instagram post recently on what got you started in coin collecting. Those discussions have been posted here too. Mine is pretty straightforward.

I got the spark back in 1972 (I was 10 years old) when one of my classmates brought a penny folder to class. I was living in Shaw AFB in SC at the time. I was curious and asked to look at it. It was the usual Whitman Lincoln cent #2 folder, but almost filled up. Somehow, that got something going within me. I asked him how he got those cents and he mentioned mostly from change, plus a few from a coin shop down the road. He then handed me a couple of spare cents since I was interested. I still remember the dates, 1929 and a 1953-S. I do remember calling up a hobby shop about the Whitman folders and my parents drove me to the shop, where I ended up with a Whitman #1 (1909-1940) and the #2 (1941 to date). It was pretty neat being able to press a couple of cents to get those folders started! Over time, I was able to fill in quite a few of those holes in the #2 folder. That was enough spark to start and still keeps me going 50+ years later! Within a year, that classmate moved away and I didn't hear where he went or anything.

Then in 1976, I saw some tragic news in the local SC paper, that classmate had accidently shot his little sister to death. Not too many details were provided due to their ages, but there was no doubt that messed their family up. After that, I didn't hear any more, life went on for me but I would wonder occasionally what happened to him.

For some reason, I though of him the other night and went to look him up to see if anything was out there. This wouldn't have been possible all that long ago and especially before the internet. After some digging and searching, I did find him but found there really wasn't too much out there. No social media presence, only a handful of addresses and finding out his mom passed away in 2004. Had no idea what happened to the dad except that he got divorced and disappeared long before that. The other part I did find out is that he passed away back in 2021 in New York state, aged 59. There was a very spare announcement, no well wishes, signatures or sympathy posts. It was so much like that Beatles song, "Eleanor Rigby." Finding out all this did help fill in some gaps, but I'll never know his full story.

I'm sure all of us know someone who briefly crossed our paths, and ended up making a major impact on our lives. It could be going all out on coin collecting or another hobby, a career path or something else where you knew if that encounter didn't happen, you would be doing something else that's completely different.

So RIP Brett C., the kid who got me going in this hobby and is no doubt the reason I'm posting in this forum today, along with going to coin shows, building registry sets and so on.

Thanks for reading.

seatedlib3991

Thanks for sharing. I am the kid from the other side of the tale. I brought coins for show and tell my entire school career. By 7th grade there would be an audible groan when my name was announced for show & tell. Small town with a lot of repeat customers. James

pmh1nic

It was interest in American history and the idea you could having something that represented a particular time of that history. That got me acquiring coins from early American large cents to Franklin Half Dollars, a collection I could realistically complete and not have my wife divorce me.

jesbroken

Great story, Interestingly, I was stationed at Shaw AFB, SC in 1968 before going overseas. Great little base and loved the local Blackwater State Park which is what we called it. Not sure it's real name. Great that the internet can be used to search for old friends and such.
Jim

Coinscratch

They’ve been reunited. All is well now.

RobertScotLover

First thing that came to mind after reading, how somebody can accidentally shoot & kill his sister, and then get away with it

lermish

@RobertScotLover said:
First thing that came to mind after reading, how somebody can accidentally shoot & kill his sister, and then get away with it

He was 14. I don't think that was the point of the story though.

raycyca

Mine was my grandfather on my mom's side. She's 88 and doesn't take a single medicine! Back around 1964 he gave me a 1964 silver Kennedy. I was about 5, and not very smart, just like I am still! for some unknown reason, he had an indoor fireplace. It had vents on the sides with grates on the tops and bottoms. I dropped the coin in a top grate, and it disappeared, and I got nervous, so I didn't tell anyone. We were so poor that was a LOT of money for us, and I couldn't say I lost it! Many years after, I looked in the grates, on SEVERAL occasions. I never found it. I guess he found it and tossed it out or used it? Anyway, I joined the military in 1977, it took me all around the world, which was nice, but wasn't able to collect coins for many reasons. But since I was in the states and could find coin shops and the internet, etc. I started collecting the Kennedys I guess to "replace" the coin and probably the memories of my grandfather who had already passed. I started with blank albums and started going through rolls to find dates to fill in the slots. Then with the internet, I found PCGS, and they had them slabbed to protect them and the internet helped me find them. Then PCGS started a registry and off I went and got in over my head, and the rest is history, along with my first wife. I know, boring 'hairy head" coins. Sorry guys, but you can try to get old memories through collecting something, plus I have helped others collect various sets, especially Lincolns. My dad loved them and was trying to complete a raw set. When he died on Christmas day 2008, I vowed to complete his set. I did, but I got the keys like the 1909-S VDB in PCGS XF-45 with beautiful iridescent toning from a board member. Plus, all the other keys in PCGS holders. It took me about a decade to complete, but it was WELL worth it. I know he's smiling down from heaven and telling me he's proud for me to complete his set. Thanks dad! I love and miss him but will continue to keep collecting the updates and improving the grades of the coins. I have LOTS of spares because of buying box lots from online auctions.

sellitstore

Thanks, Erik, for the well-written and touching account of your beginnings in numismatics.

We lost a lot of people in NY to Covid in 2020 and 2021. It was the leading cause of death then but now heart disease and cancer have retaken the lead. Covid has dropped to #4.

Fifty-nine is too young. I'm sorry for the loss of opportunity to reconnect.