Showing My Age...But Did Anyone Else Ever Buy Coins at Macy's, Gimbels or Woolworth's?

RichR

Believe it or not, but when I was a kid I got some very nice GSA Morgans back in the day at the coin counters in Macy's & Gimbels's here in NYC.

The prices were actually a little higher than other sources, but the old men running the operation seemed to really know their stuff....and were happy to take time to talk to a young customer.

Now I wish I could go back in time and buy every GSA coin they ever touched!!!

JJM

I remember doing so in the late 60's, getting coins and turtles at Woolworths

RichieURich

Woolworth's, plus Woodward & Lothrop ("Woody's") in Washington, D. C.

mrearlygold

No but I do remember my Mother taking me to Woolworth's when I was a kid, in downtown Westfield NJ and having an ice cream soda at the soda counter!

tradedollarnut

Woolworths, yes.

ricko

Never bought a coin there, but remember the advertisements.... Cheers, RickO

drwstr123

I remember the coins in those stores, but gravitated downtown to the coin dealers on Nassau Street
I took the ferry from Staten Island and walked Broadway to Wall Street, past the Treasury to get there.

Bubblehead

<< <i>I remember doing so in the late 60's, getting coins and turtles at Woolworths >>

ful


Late '50's... Colorful baby chicks before Easter! Coins? Not so much..

JMW

I remember a store in New Jersey "Two Guys" that had a rotating show case full of coins including gold. That was back in the late sixties.

oldfolkie

I bought coins at both Wards and Sears in Glen Burnie Maryland back in the 60s. Spent a lot of paper route money here.

chumley

I got turtles at woolworths...someone else apparently cleaned out the morgans

agentjim007

Woolworth. I remember the holders looking nearly as old as the coins in them. Not too many buyers back then.

fastrudy

When my mother and aunts went to 34th street, I would head to the coin dept of Macy's (or was it Gimble's?). When I was old enough to ride the subway by myself, we went downtown to the dealers there...there were many, many there (Ann, Church, Broad Sts). As an added attraction we went to Aqua-stock company on Chambers st to look at the hundreds of tropical fish tanks displayed there. That place had everything!!

RichR

<<Woolworth's, plus Woodward & Lothrop ("Woody's") in Washington, D. C. >>

And speaking of Woody's...did you catch the recent CW cover story on the secretary who bought a monster gold rarity from them back in the 1960s? It seems her family recently had it slabbed and stands to make a killing at auction!

It seems the woman spent her life as a secretary at the CIA and would spend her spare cash buying interesting coins at Woodward & Lathrop...smart woman!

Barry

I recall getting a few coins at Gimbel's as a kid.

DanielBoone

Gimbels also had a store in Paramus, New Jersey. I remember when I was very young in the 1960's going there with my parents and seeing the really cool coins under a glass case. There was a Woolworth's store in Bergenfield, New Jersey which I remember too which had a pet (fish and little green turtles) and coin department! Wow...I haven't thought about those stores in years.

Coins101

Woolworths. Only game in town except an old guy at a pawn shop. He was the best, both prices and education about coins. Use to spend hours at his shop dreaming about all those coins he had and all I had was a nickel to spend! I remember he talked me into buying a BU 1964 dime with a pointed tail 9 - said it was going to fortune in the future.

I guess he missed that one.

291fifth

Woolworth's, Marshall Field's and Hudson's.

291fifth

<< <i>Woolworths. Only game in town except an old guy at a pawn shop. He was the best, both prices and education about coins. Use to spend hours at his shop dreaming about all those coins he had and all I had was a nickel to spend! I remember he talked me into buying a BU 1964 dime with a pointed tail 9 - said it was going to fortune in the future.

I guess he missed that one. >>



Those pointed tail 9s are still waiting for their day in the sun.

cheezhed

I purchased coins and coin supplies at Woolworths.

PTVETTER

I remember woolworth in Pittsburgh ( east liberty) the coins and coin supplies were downstairs... Why I rmemeber that is beyond me!

claychaser

I remember a now defunct retailer called "WT Grant" selling coins in 2x2's mounted in large display boards. As a kid, the clerks treated me like a pest. Maybe that's why I am the way I am!

blue594

<< <i>I remember a store in New Jersey "Two Guys" that had a rotating show case full of coins including gold. That was back in the late sixties. >>



I remeber the one in Hackensack or was it Bergenfield had coins. I don't remember if the Little Ferry store had them.

John

Correction: The store in Little Ferry was a "Valley Fair". I used to get all my coin supplies at the Valley Fair in Hillsdale, NJ.

LindeDad

Wasn't Sears a outlet for proof sets in the 1980's?

UncleJoe

I frequently went to both Gimbel's and Macy's in the 60's and early 70's. I bought a blazing red 09-S VDB at Gimbel's for $200 that I sold a short time later for a $25 profit!

Believe it or not (believe it), I actually modeled clothes for one of Gimbel's catalogs in the 60's (I still have the copy, my mother saved it). A modeling agency was doing a photo shoot for Gimbel's at the boys club that I attended and one of the models was ill and they needed a replacement that would fit the clothes. I was selected as the right size! I had to run home to have a release signed to do the photo shoot. One half-hour of "work" and I was paid $30. I guess that makes me a professional model!

One day high school let out early and I went to Macy's and was picked up by a truant officer at the coin counter. I was taken to somewhere in the bowels of Macy's until the truant officer confirmed my story that school was let out early that day. When I got back to the coin counter, John (one of the two guys I was familiar with that manned the counter, I forget the other guy's name) told me that the truant officer once picked up a guy that looked young but was married with children. John wished the truant officer would go away because apparently the truant officer fished the coin counter frequently for truants! It wasn't some of you guys was it?

Joe.

SaorAlba

Early 80's when I was a kid I remember buying some low priced coins in a downtown big city Woolworths.

Zoins

I haven't, but that's interesting. I have seen coins for sale at Dave and Buster's; however, they haven't been around nearly as long and they don't really have quality coins.

I was thinking another way to spin this question would be:

<< <i>Showing My Age...But Did Anyone Else Ever Receive Coins at Macy's, Gimbels or Woolworth's? >>

edix2001

Basement of Gimbel's at Green Acres Mall in Valley stream, NY back in the mid-70s. Stunning array of cameo proof sets in custom holders from the 50s-60s in the display case.

RichR

<<John wished the truant officer would go away because apparently the truant officer fished the coin counter frequently for truants! It wasn't some of you guys was it?>>

Today, if some strange guy is trolling around for boys now...I think you SHOULD CALL THE POLICE! My...how times have changed!

WTCG

Maybe this is an age thing but I can't recall buying anything at all, much less coins, at Woolworth's or Gimbel's. Are either of them even around anymore?

RichR

Absolutely true story, I just happened to be looking at my GSA hardpacks the other night and opened up the box holding the 1890-CC (which has since been slabbed by NGC as a 63). Now this was a coin that I "treated" myself too during a lunch break after getting a new job across the street from Macy's main store in Herald Square.

Inside was a handwritten receipt with the date 5/26/90...price $179, with tax included! And I bet I looked through several, took this one and handed the rest back! Why didn't I just take them all?!? Stupid kid!

Zoins

<< <i>Maybe this is an age thing but I can't recall buying anything at all, much less coins, at Woolworth's or Gimbel's. Are either of them even around anymore? >>

Not as department stores. Gimbels closed in 1987 and was liquidated while Woolworth's shuttered their department stores in 1997. Woolworth's still runs Foot Locker and has since renamed their company to Foot Locker.

Zoins

<< <i>Absolutely true story, I just happened to be looking at my GSA hardpacks the other night and opened up the box holding the 1890-CC (which has since been slabbed by NGC as a 63). Now this was a coin that I "treated" myself too during a lunch break after getting a new job across the street from Macy's main store in Herald Square.

Inside was a handwritten receipt with the date 5/26/90...price $179, with tax included! And I bet I looked through several, took this one and handed the rest back! Why didn't I just take them all?!? Stupid kid! >>

That's a great story RichR. It's interesting to think about a time when coin collecting was popular enough to have GSA hardpacks at Macy's.

RichR

<<Maybe this is an age thing but I can't recall buying anything at all, much less coins, at Woolworth's or Gimbel's. Are either of them even around anymore?>>

Unfortunately not. I think Gimbels went out in the late 1980s and Woolworth's in the mid 1990s.

But does anyone remember the specific type of case Woolworth used? My store had a glass case that had about a dozen narrow trays that rotated around...and you had three buttons on top to progress forward, move back or to stop. And I think everything was contained within soft PVC flips...BIG FUN!!!

Staircoins

Never bought coins there, but I do remember going to Woolworth's with Mom and Dad when I was young.

I have bought a couple of collections that had coins in old holders with Woolworth's prics tags. Pretty cool.

pitboss

The Woolworth's I went to in Brockton Mass had one of those rotating displays. I looked forward to going there when my parents went to

Brockton shopping from our home in Mansfield.

RichR

<<It's interesting to think about a time when coin collecting was popular enough to have GSA hardpacks at Macy's. >>

....or when coin collecting was popular enough for department stores to devote floor space to it. Although I think it was generally kept near the telescopes, fishing poles, sporting goods, etc. But still...it was there!

In all seriousness, this hobby needs Wal-Mart to start selling modern proof sets...or bullion coins...then you'd see a crazy rebirth overnight! Hey...I think that's a pretty good idea! Do we know anyone at Wal-Mart central in Bentonville?

Nysoto

Downtown Seattle had a Woolworth's, but I can't recall any collector coins being sold there. Frederick & Nelson was a large department store in downtown Seattle that had a coin shop, where I bought some IHC's, still have one of them. The F&N coin shop moved to the Seattle Convention Center when it opened, where it still operates with the same owner. The old Frederick & Nelson building is now the Nordstrom flagship store.

RichR

<<The Woolworth's I went to in Brockton Mass had one of those rotating displays. I looked forward to going there when my parents went to
Brockton shopping from our home in Mansfield. >>

My friends would go look at the nearby fish tanks...or play with the [green] plastic toy soldiers and tanks...while I looked at the coin case! My parents should have realized this was an early onset manifestation of mental disease!!!

Zoins

<< <i>

<< <i>It's interesting to think about a time when coin collecting was popular enough to have GSA hardpacks at Macy's. >>

....or when coin collecting was popular enough for department stores to devote floor space to it. Although I think it was generally kept near the telescopes, fishing poles, sporting goods, etc. But still...it was there!

In all seriousness, this hobby needs Wal-Mart to start selling modern proof sets...or bullion coins...then you'd see a crazy rebirth overnight! Hey...I think that's a pretty good idea! Do we know anyone at Wal-Mart central in Bentonville? >>

Can you imagine the Wal-Mart folks negotiating prices with the Mint? That might either be short-lived or pretty entertaining!

Ahrensdad

There was a large Woolworths in downtown Minneapolis across from the old Daytons Department Store (now Macys). Many of you may remember seeing it in the background of the Mary Tyler Moore Show when she throws her hat in the air. I remember going there as a kid in the early 80's. There wasn't a coin counter that I remember, they only had a few supplies. I wasn't that big into coins at the time, just a bunch of wheat cents in a can. My mom would go shop and I'd roam the store. Simpler times.

Coins101

<< <i>Those pointed tail 9s are still waiting for their day in the sun. >>



That was 1965 or 1966. I should have put it in a paper envelope - might be a real toner by now!!!

RichR

<<Can you imagine the Wal-Mart folks negotiating prices with the Mint? That might either be short-lived or pretty entertaining! >>

Can you imagine if Wal-Mart started selling 5-oz pucks!!! Suddenly, we'd have millions of new"friends" to beat off with sharp sticks!

RichR

It seems that others have had a similar coin department with a department store discussion. This is a cute link:

http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v07n44a12.html

WTCG

<< <i>

<< <i>Maybe this is an age thing but I can't recall buying anything at all, much less coins, at Woolworth's or Gimbel's. Are either of them even around anymore? >>

Not as department stores. Gimbels closed in 1987 and was liquidated while Woolworth's shuttered their department stores in 1997. Woolworth's still runs Foot Locker and has since renamed their company to Foot Locker. >>



Makes sense. I can remember Woolworth's but I have no memory of Gimbel's although the Woolworth's I remember weren't department stores but more like the CVS Pharmacy stores of today.

Bear

Ahh, you are bringing back warm memories of a bygone era.

Often , I wish I could go back to that time when things seemed

a whole lot simpler.

BillJones

I never bought from Macy's, but I did buy a lot of stuff from Gimbels and some stuff from Woolworths. They both charged some high prices, but I held on to most stuff long enough that I made some money when I did sell. Given Woolworths mark-up, which included their mark-up plus the mark-up from the vender who supplied the coins to them, that was quite a trick. I think the best thing I ever got from Woolworths was an 1848 large date half dime. That one was actually a bit scarce although no one really knew that when I bought it circa 1964.

ajaan

I remember buying coins at Penny's in Amherst, NY in the 1960s.

RichR

I think the actual Gimbel Brothers were big collectors of coins, stamps and artwork...therefore most of their stores had nice counters. As a kid, I tended to hit the counters in the Manhattan store (on an upper floor), at Green Acres Mall/Valley Stream (in the basement), and at Roosevelt Field Mall (on the second floor near the candy/cookie counter).

At the Yonkers store, my parents also bought me a clear lucite plastic cube paperweight with a 1964 proof set embeded inside. I stared at that damn thing throughout grade school, high school and college...and felt really weird when I found it while cleaning out the house after my parents passed (mom had tucked it away nice and safe...bless her).

Funny how most department stores dabbled in this stuff back then...but then again, we also bought our pet dog in Macy's...yes, they actually had a pet department back then too!

ecichlid

Our Sears had a coin department in the late 70's top early 80's. Many coins in flips. Lots to choose from.

bidask

Have great memories as a 12-15 year old kid taking a city bus to downtown St Louis and go to Famous Barr and their coin department.

I would barter, trade and buy coins. Great fun.