Woolworth Store memories....Coins in the case

Manorcourtman

Does anyone else remember when Woolworth stores sold coins? They were in a glass case that had two buttons that would either make the trays go forward or backward. Although I have no memories of the coins they sold I still remember it was the only retail store that actually sold coins. Anyone else? Chris

ms71

I remember it well. I didn't have a Woolworth's in my little town, but whenever I got to the "big city" I'd revolve those little trays a few times. I don't think I ever bought anything, but I always looked. Seems to me that I remember that the prices were too high, I did my buying at a couple shops.

SmallSizedGuy

Yes, I remember those days. Suburbs of St. Louis, MO. Had a Woolworths my father would take me to and I thought it was a big deal. I also remember the cashier letting me go through the cash register to find Mercury dimes I needed. My guess this around 1966-1967.

100proof1957

No,but i remember woolworths lunch counter !

My local dealer still has the cases with the reversing buttons on them !
Buncha trays on a rotary drum of some nature

I remember when they had a nickel coke machine in the mid 60s,they still have a bid-board on thursday nites and i used it last month for the first time in over 30 years !
I have my bidder number from the 60's and they still honor it !

MikeinTyler

Yep, I remember the coins at Woolworth. We also had a 5 & 10 cent store that had a few coins, mostly IH and early wheat cents as I remember.

DHeath

One of my department store purchases was on my first trip to NY. My father took me there in 1968, and I spent my savings on the 5th floor of Macys in the coin shop. I bought a decent 57 proof Franklin. Prior to that, my only department store purchase was from the Sears catalog, a set of 20 S mint Lincolns, along with a battery powered magnifier, some cleaning paste, and a Whitman.

nankraut

Ah yes....I remember those rotating display cases. Used to stand there and wish my dad had enough money to squander on a coin for me. But, he called it "foolishness". (1946)

ccex

I remember the coin department at Woolworth's fondly. I bought a few Whitman folders there, and still have a 1964 uncirculated year set in a plastic holder from their Mankato, MN display case. That set cost $2.25 in 1972. My parents didn't buy me lunch on that shopping trip, though, even though the coins were near the Woolworth's lunch counter. I had approached the maximum of my coin budget with that purchase, and felt punished. If my parents had been Groucho Marx fans, they would have sentenced me to "ten years at Leavenworth, eleven years at Twelveworth and five and ten at Woolworth".

Yes, Woolworth's selection was limited, common, and overpriced, but lots of fun for a 12-year-old coin collector spending his allowance/paper route earnings.

Why don't department stores offer coins anymore?

fishcooker

Ours used to have a popcorn machine right around the corner, too.

boz

Sears also used to sell coins

tsacch

my hand is up, fond memories for sure...........man am i old

gamer1958

Yeah, I remember it (and reveal my age along with everyone else). Only bought Whitman albums at Woolworth's; in NYC, there was Macy's, Gimbels, and Abraham & Strauss that had coin/stamp departments as well. Most of my coins (in those days) I bought from small shops where the guy had a couple display cases, a big old safe in the back and a few cigar boxes filled with worn-out IHCs, Barbers, et al. I used to spend hours digging thru those looking for low-mintage dates, and he always made me feel like I'd scored big no matter what I found (best I remember was a 1913 Type II Buff in AG or so--you could barely read the date). But that's when collecting was really collecting (for me), and that's where a lot of my "weekly allowance" got spent. Last time I drove past the old place (20+ years ago), it was a liquor store. Do shops like that still exist today?

MORGANHUNTER2

those were the days.............

DHeath

he always made me feel like I'd scored big no matter what I found

The essence of the hobby.

UncleJoe

gamer1958 hit it on the head for me.

During the 60's I would go to Macy's, Gimbels and the MANY at the time mom and pop coin stores. Didn't have or spend much money but it was alot of fun.

I remember Woolworth's coins but they were overpriced and I never bought anything. I also remember going to Stacks and never buying anything because I couldn't gather enough change to make a purchase.

I see those Woolworth type cases in antique stores and flea markets these days and they do bring back many memories. Haven't bought any coins out of them either, again very overpriced. (for the tourists)

Joe.

Nic

Yes, I remember it well though hadn't thought about it for years. Thanks for the flash back! K

CoinHusker

<< <i>Why don't department stores offer coins anymore? >>




Probably for the same reason most don't even offer good service anymore. It's not important to them.


Boy does this thread bring back memories! Thanks!!!

Hedger

Yep, that's where I bought my folders and Lincoln cents. This Woolworths was located on Wood Avenue in Linden N.J. and I think it's still there. My dealer here in Charlotte has a binch of those cases too.

OnlyBuffalos

In Chicago in the mid-1950s, just about every downtown department store had both a coin and a stamp deprtment. The ones remembered are Marshall Field, Carsons, the Fair, Sears, Woolworths, and Montgomery Ward. In addition, downtown coin dealers included Ace Stamp and Coin, John Ross, Liberty Stamp & Coin and Leonard Stack. Many neighborhood department stores also had coins and stamps for sale - Wieboldts, Goldblatts, SS Kresge Dime Store among them.

zzzz

What's a "Woolworth"???
Did they they sell wool and coins?

Sequitur

I was thinking the exact same thing -- is "Woolworth" a wool store? Why was it selling coins?

DHeath

Woolworths is a 5 & 10. My Woolworths here in Greensboro is now being converted to a civil rights museum, and was the site of the lunch counter sit-in in 1960.

Shamika

<< <i>Sears also used to sell coins >>


Yep, I remember the Sears in Knoxville, TN had a coin and stamp counter about 25 years ago. They also sold bank notes.

I still have a Buffalo nickel (1925-P) and an off center penny that I purchased at that counter. I used to be into stamps in those days, but I don't recall ever buying any from their display.

kranky

<< <i>Woolworths is a 5 & 10. >>



And now I await someone asking "OK, what's a 5 & 10?"

We didn't have Woolworth's but when I was a teenager I would take the bus once a week or so to downtown Pittsburgh in the summer and make the rounds of four places that sold coins. One was a department store and the other three were typical coin shops.

Looking back, it was nice that none of them ever got sick of seeing me even though the only thing they got out of me was the greasy fingerprints I left all over the display cases. I didn't find out until years and years later that one of the shop owners had a 1894-S Barber dime (he's passed away now, but his wife/son still run the shop).

coynclecter

It was the version of the 99 cent store except most of it was made in America.

I saw my first double eagle in their case around 1960 and said Id have one some day. Now I do.

Merc

I vaguely remember seeing a Woolworths when I was a litle kid around 1980. Are there any still in business today?

XpipedreamR

Marshall Field's and Carson's in downtown Chicago both have coin and stamp departments. Field's is way better. They have a monthly bid board, and I've actually gotten some pretty cool stuff there in the past several years.

And they're just a hop, skip and a jump from Harlan Berk, for all your one-stop-shopping coin needs



PS: They have one of those cases that Manorcourtman mentioned, too

littlejohn

I DO , I GOT SOME OF MY VERY FIRST COINS THERE.!!!IT WAS IN DALLAS,TEXAS
LITTLEJOHN

Darkhorse

In Germany they still sell coins in department stores! I was in a place called Karstadt and they were in a hobby section. I bought a little collection of BU Italian Euros and a book for them that I eventually gave to coincopwife.

lasvegasteddy

an ol thread here on an ol times begone facet of the hobby but here's a newp bought just for such setiments

funny how much was spent and today there's still no money on the table but at least it's still sticker'd

DoubleDime

I certainly do remember. The first coin I ever bought was a 1956 Franklin Half that I need to earn the Coin Collecting Merit badge. I think I paid $5 for it. When I learned about a local coin shop I never bought another coin there again. This was in 1971.

500Bay

I remember those displays in the Woolworths in the Plymouth Meeting Mall (PA). I know I bought some coins as a kid. It was great to roll the display and look at all the coins. As I recall they had foreign and US coins.

AndyMac

I remember them well. After looking at the coins I would get a banana split. They had a deal where you would throw a dart at some balloons on the wall and there was a little piece of paper in the balloon that revealed the price you would pay for the split. I think you could get it for as litte as a dime.

curly

Yup, I remember. There was a Woolworth's in Springfield, Ohio and I remember pushing the button to look at the coins.

Delorean

I barely remember Wolworths but i do remeber GW Grants!! Man i'm 46 and think the late 60's early 70's were the best, except for Vietnam..

JedPlanchet

<< <i>an ol thread here on an ol times begone facet of the hobby but here's a newp bought just for such setiments

funny how much was spent and today there's still no money on the table but at least it's still sticker'd
>>



I really like this ... one case where the holder is definitely more valuable than the coin!

ElKevvo

I loved going to Woolworths when I was a kid (almost as much as toy shopping in the Sears Catalog for Christmas!) Between the candy counter and the lunch counter the place was great. I still have some of the Whitmans I bought at the store.

K

Stew

Yes I remember going to the local Walgreen's with my mother when I was a kid. She always knew where to find me. At the magical rotating coin display. which I was able to control with those two buttons. That is why when Mrs. Stew and I were at a recent coin auction. I could not pass these up. Enjoy the memories I know I do.

mozeppa

L.S. Ayers in indianapolis sold both coins and stamps....ceased in the mid 70's

coinkat

Yikes... the prices!

Back in the goold old days, there was a 5 and dime called Grant's (I can't remember the initials J.W.? But I might be confusing that with Robinson's) and they had coins. I remember buying afew coins there and never heard the end of that from my brother and sister

savoyspecial

i'm 35 so i barely remember the Woolworth's that was in our town (Asheville NC) and it was probably closed down by the time i was 10 or so.......the pictures in this thread are great! it's interesting to see that many of these were not that great of an investment 40-50 years later (given the price on the sticker and the coin's condition)......that being said, i would love to find a group of these somewhere just for the nostalgia of the little cardboard packaging


as a side note, there is one well documented case of a "department store bargain" as numismatics are concerned (Gimbel's though, not Woolworth)


text below copied from coinfacts.com
>>(1894-S Barber Dime)
"Lawrence-9: Ice Cream Specimen. Good-4 with an old reverse scratch through 'ONE DIME' plus some other light circulation marks on the obverse. Graded VG by New Netherlands. Authenticated after 1980 Steve Ivy sale by ANACS to Numismatic Funding Corp. Even though this is referred to as the famous "Ice Cream Specimen" there's no way to be certain that this is indeed the piece Hallie Daggett spent. Robert Freidberg bought this coin over the counter for $2.40 (24 times face value) at Gimbels Department Store, NY, in 1957. Later: A. Kagin; New Netherlands (1951, lot 581); A. Kagin; Harmer Rooke (Nov. 1969); James G. Johnson; sold for $34,100 at 1980 Steve Ivy ANA Sale (lot 1804); sold for $27,500 by 1981 Bowers & Merena ANA sale (lot 2921); private collector.>>


it makes me wonder if other legendary rarities were sold in this fashion, perhaps sitting unknowingly in a yard sale near you

Walmann

I do remember this, when visiting my grandparents (they lived in a larger town) the Woolworth there sold coins.

Also fondly remember the drugstore in my home town had a soda fountain, the best ice cream sundaes, and handed out ice creams to the kids on Halloween. This was the last stop for the kids in their trick or treat route.

DBSTrader2

I remember going first with my grandparents to the big Woolworth's in downtown Philly (close to where the Gallery is today) and looking thru their coin department's many cases. It was situated right towards the front doors on the street-level, near the stairs to the lower level.

I know I bought a bunch of supplies there like Whitman folders, and some still have the 39 cents, 50 cents, etc stickers on them! I think most of my purchases came from the cofee cans full of "melt" silver at the counters of several smelting companies some blocks away that my grandparents used to walk with me to. Back then, I could have bought all the Barbers, Merc's, SLQ's, Roosies, Washingtons, Walkers, etc I wanted in G to F condition at 4x face. Being only 7 or 8 years old after silver was withdrawn from coins, I didn't know better & was on a small budget, so I missed out on MOST of those!! But fond memories, especially when thinking of all the time my grandparents spent with me cultivating my budding hobby for which they had no vested interest or collection to pass on....... it's close to 30 years now since they passed away, but memories like these still keep them close in my heart.....

Anyway, I also remember the sales Woolworths held as they got out of the business in the 70's/80's. By the time I started working in their stores (Mgmt Training program), they were down to just a few straggler coins, blue Whitman folders, stamp "packages" & hinges, etc...... I found more silver, wheaties, war nickels, & silver certificates while cashing-out register drawers than I ever got from their coin department.....


I miss those opportunities!!

By the way, not only are all those gone, but so are most of the B&M stores from downtown Philly, Lansdowne, etc, as well as storefronts in places like the old "BAZAAR" in Clifton Heights, PA, the "309 Flea market" in North Wales, PA, etc............. hardly anywhere besides local coin shows or the occasional table at flea markets (or the permanent year-round Quakertown, PA Flea Market) - - and they're usually overpriced or not geared to the "junk-box junkie" like myself............ Although there still is the throwback old coin, etc shop in North Wales (?) = "Hen's Coins", where you can still go thru some junk boxes & binders, lots of display cases, get used Whitman folders for 50 cents (some pretty musty smelling), etc!!

- - Dave

Classof67

Many fond memories of this one. It fell to the wrecking ball just this week. (Downtown Little Rock, early to mid-fifties)

Bcsican

I too was born in the 50s (54). My grandmother was the manager of the lunch counter of the Woolworths in Merced California, from the time I was born until she retired in the early seventies. It is a ton of merories for me me growing up in all kinds of ways. Remindes me of a Norman Rockwell painting that time forgot. She never had much but she gave all she could. Once she gave me a Peace Dollar saying someday maybe it will be worth a lot of money. It is the only coin I wish I never sold...even if it was so common...

DBSTrader2

was it "T.J. Grants" or am I confusing that with "E.J. Korvettes"?

oldfolkie

Wow, lots of memories in here. In Glen Burnie, Maryland in the 60s and possibly even into the very early 70s I remember both the Sears store, and Wards had coin shops in them. The Sears shop had a pretty good sized counter. I bought a lot of my Dads silver dollars there. I remember saving a quarter of my allowance for 4 straight weeks to buy a 1955s Lincoln for $1, that must have been around 1965. I was just thinking, with all the great coins I foundin the 60s, even old silver keys I never did find a 55s penny or a 50d nickel. I remember both stores wanted about $20 dollars for that nickel.

dragon

What a great thread!


I remember the Woolworths years ago just blocks from my house in Edens Plaza in Wilmette, IL. and I remember eating lunch there all the time but I don't recall them selling coins there. I do remember though that if you ordered a Coke at the lunch counter they would mix it up with the syrup and water, and if you ordered a chocolate malt they would make it in that big light green shake machine and serve it to you in the big metal thing along with a small glass to pour it into.

I also remember my dad taking me downtown on Sat. mornings on the Northwestern train and we'd have breakfast at the cafeteria at Montgomery Wards and then go to Rarcoa on Clark St. and he'd buy me a different date circulated Liberty nickel each time because those were my favorite coins at that time.

coinnut

It was W.T. Grants. We had one here in Bangor, ME but I never saw any coins for sale there. I did buy some real gem Morgan Dollars in the mid 1970's at Rich's Department Store for $16.00 a piece. Those were the days!

gimli89

Wow what a mind blowing memory thread.
Worcester MA. Mom would take me down to woolworths for a haircut and a hamburger and just to the right of lunch counter were the coin displays, bought my first merc dime there.
Maybe 9 or 10 at the time.

Smittys

I remember the Woolworth cases very well.
Luckily I was smart enough to know the coins were over priced
Still I would look at each tray as it spun