A Coin I've Owned For 47 Years...NJ Copper
ambro51
Posts: 13,949 ✭✭✭✭✭
Where does the time go? A distant memory now of the Quest for a New Jersey Copper. It began about 1962, when at age 12 I seen two of these on display at the ancient Batsto NJ post office. ....mesmerized I would stand and state at them held by small pins to a display of period items. Wow. It was a "goal" coin and to one enthralled with the most worn Limcoln with a barely readable date from the teens, the NJ just screamed age. My Mother that long suffering poor soul, was frequently and annoyingly badgered by this whiney 13 year old Brat to drive him 12 miles so he . could . stare . at . some . Stupid. . Coin. --- the Next close encounter came when as part of the NJ 300th celebrations in 1964 my town built a small recreated log cabin and one of the displays there was a (!) NJ Cent! I'd make that 6 block walk each Saturday to stand and stare at it. Finally, Mr. Sooy the Scoutmaster, actually let me hold it. (hooked). And so it went with a poor kid wanting a cool, and totally out of reach cash wise ~~~~, one time we went to Aunt Coogies house in Vineland and somehow I got involved talking with these chatterbox biddies and Coins came up. That day, my first visit to a fairly good B&M and seen THIS. It just looked really nice and detailed, I thought the clash was "damage" but it felt smooth and nice to hold. It was Twenty Seven Fifty. I had four dollars and he agreed to "hold" it for me, put it in an envelope with my name on it and told me to bring him the rest when I could. You're 13. Your only income is $3 per lawn mowing (a huge double lot) every 2 weeks. So..... I got a sanka coffee can and crimped and soldered the lid back on. A small slit with a knife and this became my "Bank". Well I'll tell you I kept that lawn better mowed for awhile than a fairway at Augusta! True to word I showed up several weeks later and got My Prize! Geez I can not imagine the sheer amount of "eye time" I spent with this coin. Often, if travelled to high school, where it sat quietly on my desk, frequently getting more attention than the schoolwork. HOW I never lost or damaged it I not know. Today, I took these photos of it, my only NJ and a pretty nice one, especially for a 13 year old to buy. 
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Comments
Tom
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
It's always fun to think back on the circumstances and emotions that got us into coins in the first place.
<< <i>Awesome story and congratulations on still owning that coin.... and it is a great coin, Cheers, RickO >>
Yep.
I still own the first collector coin I ever bought, a 21-D Merc Dime for $40. Not quite as old as yours but sort of the same storyline.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
Awesome story, great to see that it's still a part of your life.
carolinacollectorcoins.com
Thanks for sharing.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
When I was in 4th or 5th grade, my brother started reffing youth soccer games, with the pay being $25/game and typically 3 games a weekend. I quickly did the math and saw that one weekend could pay for the copper. A few years later, I started reffing, too, but put most of the money away to savings. I always searched to find a great NJ that maximized quality and value--there were lots I could afford but just didn't like. Whenever I saw the CRO guys, I'd talk about it and see what they had, though usually their pieces were out of my budget. One Baltimore show, I think the show on the weekend between my college graduation and leaving to go west to enter the working world, they had the perfect one. I wanted the coin for more than a decade, and it was a great feeling to finally own one.
I remember my first NJ copper that was added to my collection (wish I had a picture). I started to get interested when I was very young, but the bug really hit me when I was about 12-13. My father, being a NJ collector, offered me my choice of either a Maris 59-o from the Norweb collection or a Maris 34-J (Deer Head) if I made Honor Roll at school for the entire year. Well, I did, and I smartly chose the 59-o from Norweb. A few years back, a good customer friend talked me out of it for his collection as he wanted to have my first NJ more than anything.