"Family Coins"

lkenefic

Does anyone else keep coins in their collection that have little numismatic value, yet would be about the last pieces you'd ever part with due to a family connection. I have a few...

Found in my Grandmother Kenefic's change purse... my family immigrated to this country from Ireland in 1845...

From my Grandfather's First Communion... obvious graffiti :

From my childhood collection...

TomB

I believe @airplanenut will have a solid contribution to this thread.

For me, I kept the 1932 WQ and 1922 Peace dollar that my maternal grandmother gave to me the day after my maternal grandfather passed away. He had apparently kept them in his dresser drawer for years and they have gotten nearly chestnut black from the tannin. Both looked as though they were plucked out of circulation immediately after issue. These grandparents also gave me a pair of large sized currency notes that were really ratty and that had been handed down through the family. Those two notes I have framed in a double-sided glass frame in our home.

MasonG

MEJ7070

Grandads’ old pocket piece. It’s an 1878 Morgan in XF 45ish condition, but absolutely priceless to me. It’s on display at our house in the mountains next to his old deer rifle hanging on the wall.

Barberian

Coins dug up while gardening on Long Island by my grandfather. Not shown are an 1809 half cent and an 1854 large cent that are in my 7070 at the bank.

Brazilian counterstamped 40 Reis - representative of the actual coin, just add a touch of vertigris and it's a match.

The Mexican one real coin on the right is again dug from a garden by my grandfather. The coin on the left is a Machin's Mills I found MDing at Washington College, MD.

My grandfather found more old coins with a pitchfork in his garden than I did with a metal detector. All four coins are going to my 2nd cousins.

Mr_Spud

Mrs_Spuds great grandparents grandparents coins

pcgsregistrycollector

Slab them for protection. Who cares if they come back details. If in the end you are focused on the slab and protection, the grade won't matter.

hummingbird_coins

@pcgsregistrycollector said:
Slab them for protection. Who cares if they come back details. If in the end you are focused on the slab and protection, the grade won't matter.

I tried doing that with my grandparents' gold eagle, but the coin came back without the layer of grimy toning it had acquired from envelope storage, and it was given a details - cleaned grade. Even though I never thought to take pictures ahead of time, I insist that it was exquisitely original-looking when I sent it out. From what I've heard, blowing compressed air on coins is PCGS protocol, but what if I had had proof it had been altered? Or what if it had happened to a major rarity? End of rant...

oldabeintx

Two Barber dimes that my mother helped me find as a kid. Also, an Australian crown that my father brought back from his time in the Pacific in WWII. I had them slabbed for posterity.

I put together graded birth year sets for me and my wife, both sets of parents, my grandparents and paternal great grandfather, along with representative birth year coins dating back to 1670, on my father’s side. Those would be the last coins I would sell, but they don’t have great sentimental value. Hopefully the kids and grandkids will learn something from them one day.

seatedlib3991

I treasure a slick Standing Lib. Quarter my Oma gave me the last time I saw her. I had spent the Summer with her. As I was leaving she pressed the coin in my hand and said, " I'm as worn out as this old coin. Keep it in memory of me." I took the phone call 3 days later when they called to say she had died. James

coastaljerseyguy

Dad always kept any silver halfs or quarters he got in change starting in the 60's and threw in a cardboard shoe box. Had probably $100 that he gave me before he passed. Started a Franklin, WLH and Washie album collection since had so many dates. Collected the other dates until the albums were completed, but sold the Franklin & Washie's when silver jumped. Kept this quarter due to its toning and will not part.

cheezhed

My family was poor so no hand me downs.

airplanenut

Thanks for pointing me to this post, @TomB. I suppose this doesn't qualify as low value, but the value of the coins is incidental (and that one is a key date is serendipity)--if they were worth $10 I'd still keep them. And value is an interesting concept here. My great grandparents were not wealthy by any stretch. When these coins came to light when I received them in 2007, the biggest question in the family was how on earth could my great grandfather afford to put away $7.50--back when these coins really were just used in circulation--when the intention was (apparently) to keep them as coins, not simply store them as savings.

It should come as no surprise that there are very clear instructions as to where these coins will go next.

Jimsokay

French coin, 1727. Handed down to me from my father. No information came with it that I recall.

pcgsregistrycollector

@airplanenut said:
Thanks for pointing me to this post, @TomB. I suppose this doesn't qualify as low value, but the value of the coins is incidental (and that one is a key date is serendipity)--if they were worth $10 I'd still keep them. And value is an interesting concept here. My great grandparents were not wealthy by any stretch. When these coins came to light when I received them in 2007, the biggest question in the family was how on earth could my great grandfather afford to put away $7.50--back when these coins really were just used in circulation--when the intention was (apparently) to keep them as coins, not simply store them as savings.

It should come as no surprise that there are very clear instructions as to where these coins will go next.

Your grandfather's name reminds me of B. Max. Mehl.

Coins3675

@airplanenut said:
Thanks for pointing me to this post, @TomB. I suppose this doesn't qualify as low value, but the value of the coins is incidental (and that one is a key date is serendipity)--if they were worth $10 I'd still keep them. And value is an interesting concept here. My great grandparents were not wealthy by any stretch. When these coins came to light when I received them in 2007, the biggest question in the family was how on earth could my great grandfather afford to put away $7.50--back when these coins really were just used in circulation--when the intention was (apparently) to keep them as coins, not simply store them as savings.

It should come as no surprise that there are very clear instructions as to where these coins will go next.

That is cool

GaCoinGuy

I have several in my 7070 that came from family along with a few Morgan, Peace, and Ike $ that my step-dad's mom had. My wife's grandmother gave me all of the grandfather's collection...it is mostly random IHC, Wheats, and some foreign coins he picked up somewhere.

lkenefic

@airplanenut said:
Thanks for pointing me to this post, @TomB. I suppose this doesn't qualify as low value, but the value of the coins is incidental (and that one is a key date is serendipity)--if they were worth $10 I'd still keep them. And value is an interesting concept here. My great grandparents were not wealthy by any stretch. When these coins came to light when I received them in 2007, the biggest question in the family was how on earth could my great grandfather afford to put away $7.50--back when these coins really were just used in circulation--when the intention was (apparently) to keep them as coins, not simply store them as savings.

It should come as no surprise that there are very clear instructions as to where these coins will go next.

Wow! I only mentioned "low value" because that's where the great preponderance of coins would likely land... I guess ANY gold these days would be significantly more valuable, and a key date gold too! Very nice... and I completely understand why you wouldn't ever part with such family history.

airplanenut

@pcgsregistrycollector said:
Your grandfather's name reminds me of B. Max. Mehl.

No relation . However, if the name @MFeld reminds you (B) M. Mehl...

Elcontador

Nothing low value per se, but some history. When the President required gold coins to be turned over to the Federal government in 1933, my immigrant grandmother was suspicious. She put two double eagles, two eagles, and two half eagles in her safe deposit box. She thought the government would confiscate silver coins next, so she also put 40 silver dollars into the safe deposit box.

When she died, my father inherited these coins. When he died, his instructions were to split them up between me, my brother and sister, which I did. All common dates except for a 1914 S half eagle in VF. Split up the gold between the three of us, kept the nicest 3 Morgan and Peace dollars, one going to each of us, and sold the rest at a Long Beach show, with some helpful pointers from forum members.

I put all coins we kept into air tites before distributing them. My coins are in my safe deposit box. Have provided inheritance instructions for when I'm not around any longer. These coins have been in a safe deposit box for over 90 years.

The_Dinosaur_Man

I have a few. One to share today without pictures is an 1831 Large Cent my dad found as a kid in the ruins of an old hotel, him and my uncles were having a fight throwing clods of dirt at each other when my dad found a metal disc inside one of them.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, I went and got an 1831 Large Cent for each of my siblings as a Christmas gift. This was during the pandemic and, on Christmas Eve night, we were all gathered via Zoom for a family tradition or two. Before we disconnected, I asked my siblings to retrieve the gifts I sent them, handed my dad the original, and let him tell the story of how he found it once again.

These are the coins my siblings received.

golden

My Great-grandmother had a 1912-D Nickel in her purse when she passed away. It is about a VG. I have it now.

airplanenut

Oh, and how could I forget these? They’re now framed and I see them every day. The backstory is here: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1109223/a-few-inexpensive-coins-and-a-very-valuable-envelope-with-3-words-on-it

USMC_6115

My dad was a mom and pop variety store owner (remember those?) He had thumb buster albums of most every denomination there was. Most of them had a few coins here and there. Over the years since his passing I completed all of the albums. Indian Cents, Lincolns, Jefferson Nickels, Washington Quarters, Walking Lib Halves, and Peace Dollars. I filled the albums with circulated pieces the way he started them. Glad I did it! I'll pass them down to my kids when the time comes.

lkenefic

@airplanenut said:
Oh, and how could I forget these? They’re now framed and I see them every day. The backstory is here: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1109223/a-few-inexpensive-coins-and-a-very-valuable-envelope-with-3-words-on-it

this is super cool! Thanks for sharing...

WACoinGuy

I was given this from my Grandmother, whose husband got it from his mother from a traveling salesman. It had been in the family ever since. And of course, when I was given it as a teenager I commented "yeah but the year is worn off and it's got a hole in it, so it's probably not that valuable." Thankfully I kept it; still a treasured part of my collection.

DMWJR

A friend just dropped off some "Family Coins" but they are junk. What do I tell him?

RiveraFamilyCollect

@DMWJR said:
A friend just dropped off some "Family Coins" but they are junk. What do I tell him?

Just humor him. Throw a couple of them into a flip with a label so they look nice. You don't have to pretend they are worth anything but maybe throw them in a binder or whatever you think will get him smiling about the coins.
My sister in law got her hands on her dad's coin collection. (or part of it) and most of it was nickles worth $0.06-0.10.
I threw the best few coins into a flip like the war nickel and Jamaican farthing. She seemed very happy with that.

lordmarcovan

Not exactly a coin, but...