Celebrating 64 years in Numismatics.

golden

In February 1961 my mother brought home a 35-cent blue Whitman folder for Lincoln Cents. I was immediately hooked. I have enjoyed all of the friends that I have made, enjoyed learning about history, enjoyed traveling around the county to coin shows and have greatly enjoyed the hunt.

Before she gave me the folder my mom told me that she had something for me that my cousin had. My cousin lived on a farm in Illinois and was 7 years older than me. Over the years he had found a lot of Indian arrowheads in the fields in Spring plowing. I thought she had arrowheads for me. I do not think that I would have enjoyed collecting arrowheads anywhere near as much as I have enjoyed Numismatics.

If you like, please post a cool coin.

edwardjulio

FlyingAl

Congrats! I immensely enjoyed imaging this one.

lermish

coinbuf

I suspect that many started that way then, not sure how one gets started today.

alaura22

golden, nice story like many of us old timers
When I was 8 years old, on my birthday my aunt (godmother) let me reach into her bag of coins ( she was a collector) and I pulled out a Indian head penny, I was hooked!
Never did get any support from my parents, they thought it was foolish, but I found the way to continue despite the lack of support from them.
I remember sitting in front of the bank getting a roll of pennies a at time to search through, not much money then. Made friends with the tellers at the bank and some of them saved some old coins for me.
Those were some of the best times for me.

Crackout

Here’s a coin with some arrowheads!

SanctionII

Congrats on 64 years in the hobby.

For me I am soon to be 62 years in the hobby (my dad gave me a Whitman Roosevelt Dime folder in mind 1963 and I was hooked; I filled it from pocket change and still have it). I did step away from about 1978 to 1998.

Here are two coins of mine that have been with me since 1963 (the nickel was given to me by the father [who was a collector] of a classmate of mine when he learned I started collecting [the nickel was blast white when I received it and after sitting in a Whitman folder for over 40 years it toned up nicely]; and the Morgan was obtained by my parents from a bank in 1962 and given to me).

1630Boston

@golden
Great historical account of your journey,
about the same journey for me.

here are my favorite [COOL] coins

pursuitofliberty

Something about being 8 years old I guess ... although for me that would have been 1972. A checkbook box of coins from my Uncle Tony in Chicago. I think I was 8 ... or maybe 9.

While my interest has ebbed and flowed over the years, it's a hobby that fascinates me still, and I appreciate all I have learned and the friends I have made along the way.

Here's something I could only dream of back then ...

lilolme

Good story. I don't have that type of specific memory but can recall some more general and being driven to the coin shop and / or bid boards. Not sure if this makes the cool or not but I liked the reverse fat die crack. Tried to take a little time and see if I could get a decent photo with the snap-o'matic - a maybe.

JeffersonFrog

~ 1966. Dad. Living Room Floor. Lincolns. Blue folder. The dime below is the only coin I have that I absolutely know came from my childhood collecting (accumulating?) days. It's a micro-O. Back in the day it was shiny, I thought it was BU, it cost $.50, and the redbook said it was worth $15. I thought I was a genius. It hasn't aged well, but it doesn't matter.

WillieBoyd2

My grandparents lived in Chicago in the 1950's and in 1956 took a two-month tour to Western Europe.
I was eight years old then and my grandmother gave me the French coins she brought back.
I was fascinated by the "foreign" coins.

One of them:

France 100 francs 1956
Copper-nickel, 24 mm, 6.0 gm

I started really collecting coins when I was 15 years old.

Later in 1964 I wanted a gold coin and I sent $50 to a Coin World magazine dealer and received this coin:

United States $20 1927 St. Gaudens
Gold, 34.0 mm, 33.4 gm

I still have it.

BLUEJAYWAY

Much praise to you for hanging in there all these years. Through all the ups and downs in the coin market.

WiscKau

Congrat's on your longevity in the hobby. I like your story.

Creg

Thanks for the post.

Walkerfan

You are an inspiration. So glad to have you here. You’re an asset to our little community and to Numismatics in general. It’s been 51 years for me, when my dad bought a GSA for each of us for $15 apiece in 1974.

ambro51

Age 5 I was allowed to go the 1/2 block to Billy Breders store. I got a New Memorial Penny in.change and Ran 1/2 block to my Grandmoms house! She was a true coin collector and it was the first one she’d seen too. She got out her blue Whitman and popped it in. That was in 1959.

oldabeintx

Like many started with cents, then nickels, dimes, quarters. This was about 1953. Parents were great supporters. My dad found a guy in SF that had a horde of $5 Indians. I got to take my pick at $15 each. My mom found a partial role of Barber dimes in an antique store in SF, bought them cheap, the owner looked up a few of them but must have been a very old price list. Included two unc 01s which I was able to convert to gold type sets. Got me started with high-quality coins. Still have two XF Barbers that I had slabbed for sentimental reasons. Everything else sold over the years. Collected off and on, latest and current iteration began about 15 years ago. Now retired and serious.

Tramp

My interested start at 7 or 8, back in the early 70s, helping my grandparents at the family owned gas station in northeast Nebraska. Helping them count and wrap the excess change each week for bank deposit. Seeing the occasional Indian cent, Mercury dime, WWIi nickel and steel penny peaked my interest.

Never found anything like these in the wild though but I dreamed I would.

Now a happy caretaker:

ChangeInHistory