Personal numismatic stories.

TwoKopeiki

What's your coin-collecting related story?

Here's mine:

I've been interested in numismatics ever since I was a kid, watching my brother do pencil rubs of his collection for cataloging and reading descriptions of countries and rulers I never heard of. When I started collecting coins myself, as an adult, I couldn't pick a direction for some time, trying this and that, buying coins that looked neat without any rhyme or reason. One of the stories was about meeting a guy named John dealing in antiques in Toronto. He was a Nam veteran and we would spend hours at his place swapping war stories and drinking beer. This was 2006 shortly after I moved to Canada after coming back from a year in Iraq as an MP in Baghdad.

One of the evenings over at his appartment he pulled out 4 coins and told me that this was what was left of his coin collection, asking me if I was interested in buying them, since he really needed the cash. The coins looked to have been Thalers. At the time I couldn't tell what they were, let alone how much they were worth. I told him that, to which he replied that he only wants $50 per coin because he needed the cash quickly. I offered him a loan, which he turned down, saying he wouldn't feel right due to the fact that I've only known him for a few weeks.

What I didn't know was that he had a serious drinking problem.

I only had $150 on me, so I walked out with 3 of the 4 coins. Later that week I also purchased a PCGS membership and sent them in to be graded.

My first ever submission results were:

1772 Thaler - Baden, German State - EF45
1767 Thaler - poland under Saxony - EF45
1628 Thaler - Wulfenbuttel (Wildman) - VF35

Looking at previous auction sales I got a good sense of what these were worth and called-up John to tell him I'll be dropping off a few more hundred bucks. He didn't pick-up. After a few days of being unable to reach him, I stopped by the antiques store he was working at to learn that he passed away from liver cirrhosis a few weeks ago. I remember feeling the shock of these news and also feeling partially responsible, because I probably should've tried to figure out why he needed cash in such a hurry.

I've managed to hold on to the Baden piece for a number of years, ending-up giving it to my brother for his primary collection of German Thalers with a promise that if he ever thinks of liquidating, he'd return it back to me.

Here's the Saxonian:


And the Baden Thaler:

determined

That's a emotionally overwhelming story. I had to pause after reading it.

I'm glad to see that you still have one of them around.

Thanks for sharing.

PS - I think your post might be a thread ender. It's hard to post something after that.

worldcoinguy

determined - well said.

2k- I am touched by your post. I just do not feel my story has substance against something like that.....it would simply take away from what you have posted already.


p.s. - Incredible Baden taler. I've seen it before but I wouldn't tire of seeing that one again and again and again.

IloiloKano

My story goes in another direction.

When I was 12 (um, 40 years ago) a friend of my dad, who was a bank manager, heard that I collected coins, mainly wheat cents, but also the occasional Indian Head cent or Liberty Head dime. The bank manager found an 1858 Flying Eagle cent one day and gave it to my dad to give to me. Later on, he found a 1964 Jefferson nickel, which was a mint error with the reverse struck through something that left a copper clad surface over the entire reverse, except for a few small areas around the outer edges where it appeared like delamination of whatever was struck through.

I kept both coins, but years later, when I was in college, my parents gave my cousin a place to stay for a few days (my old bedroom) after his parents had thrown him out of the house. When I came home from college, I discovered he had stolen the most valuable coins in my collection that I had left at home, including the 1964 Jefferson nickel error and the Flying Eagle cent given to me as a child.

Not counting the nickel error, for which I had never figured out the worth, my cousin stole a couple hundred dollars worth of my collection. However, he completely obliterated any chance of friendship, even though I understood he was battling a drug addiction at the time.

lordmarcovan

That's a bittersweet (well, sad) story, but boy, what a handsome coin.

I'm loaded with coin stories. For once I'll shut up, though, at risk of repeating one of my too-often-told tales.

TwoKopeiki

<< <i>That's a bittersweet (well, sad) story, but boy, what a handsome coin.

I'm loaded with coin stories. For once I'll shut up, though, at risk of repeating one of my too-often-told tales. >>



I didn't mean to bring the mood down, but as we say in Russia: "Can't take words out of the song". It's one of the experiences that helped shape me as a collector and a person.

LordM - I'd love to hear your stories. You must have quite a few, having been a collector and a dealer. Not to mention hunreds of coins you've unearthed with your detector.

ajaan

Mine has to do with my uncle Art. An uncle by marriage, uncle Art was a coin collector from the 1940s and perhaps earlier. Other than buying Mint and Proof Sets from the US mint, most of his collection was taken from circulation including a 1909-S VDB cent he got while stationed states side during WWII.

The year is 1964. I'm young. Uncle Art comes over to our house and gives me, his God son, a brand new Kennedy half dollar. Being young, I really wasn't all that interested in coins; a few years later I become more interested when my older brothers started to collect. So, there I was in my parents from lawn flipping the new Kennedy Half up into the air doing the heads/tails thing. All of a sudden one of my flips landed in the big blue spruce tree my parents had on there front lawm. Well I searched for the coin but couldn't find it. My parents still live in the same house, the tree is gone*, and the half dollar was never found.

*my parents had the tree removed while I was in Thailand. If I had been in the area I would have searched again for the coin.

pmac

<< <i>Mine has to do with my uncle Art. An uncle by marriage, uncle Art was a coin collector from the 1940s and perhaps earlier. Other than buying Mint and Proof Sets from the US mint, most of his collection was taken from circulation including a 1909-S VDB cent he got while stationed states side during WWII.

The year is 1964. I'm young. Uncle Art comes over to our house and gives me, his God son, a brand new Kennedy half dollar. Being young, I really wasn't all that interested in coins; a few years later I become more interested when my older brothers started to collect. So, there I was in my parents from lawn flipping the new Kennedy Half up into the air doing the heads/tails thing. All of a sudden one of my flips landed in the big blue spruce tree my parents had on there front lawm. Well I searched for the coin but couldn't find it. My parents still live in the same house, the tree is gone*, and the half dollar was never found.

*my parents had the tree removed while I was in Thailand. If I had been in the area I would have searched again for the coin. >>


Sounds like LordM should go over the front lawn for you.

harasha

I suppose that this thread is about defining moments in our coin collecting hobby. Mine takes place in the Fall of 1966 or maybe a little bit later. I am in junior high; probably not even 13 years old. I collected Lincoln pennies then, still have the collection. The closest coin dealer, J & J Coins (a store still is there, amazingly enough, now known as American Coin & Stamp Brokerage) was about 4 miles to the south. Back in those days, no one thought anything about a young boy bicycling through a busy suburban area for that distance. Anyway, whenever I had a few dollars saved up, I would bicycle on down and get myself a penny.

I always noted, on the rear display case, a few ancient coins. I was fascinated, but did not have the nerve to ask the price. One day, finally, I could not resist and asked. Son of a gun, the darn things were cheaper than the pennies! I bought my first ancient, an antoninianus of Gordian III. $3.50 if I remember correctly and I think I do. That coin brought me to the dark side and I eventually amassed a decent collection for a young person. It even influenced my major in college. My interests ultimately turned elsewhere as the price of coins outstripped my finances and my career turned away from history. Most of the coins I sold off in an auction (beginning, by the way, my chronic distrust of auction houses) so as to finance an addition to my mother's home.

But I will never forget that first antoninianus.