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First coin you bought?

What was the first coin (over face value) that you bought?

Mine was an 1865 three cent nickel in pretty worn condition for $11.55. I liked it for a small period of time, and then sold it and netted a miniscule profit. Definitely a weird first coin purchase to make...

Comments

  • MeltdownMeltdown Posts: 8,650 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I bought an album off ebay with about 8 Franklins in it. Then I proceeded to fill it up with the rest of the dates.
  • TopographicOceansTopographicOceans Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
    I don't have any computer records, since computers didn't exist back then. There was a time before eBay

    It would have been a Lincoln cent, probably in the teens and I probably paid a nickel or a dime for it.



  • chumleychumley Posts: 2,305 ✭✭✭✭
    Bought 4 morgans from the local tv auction...all severely whizzed,dipped,cleaned and perhaps verbally abused
  • amwldcoinamwldcoin Posts: 11,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Pretty sure it was 2 or 3 MM Lincoln's from the teens I bought at Woolworth's while there with my Grandmother in the late 60's. The sad part is they still would not be worth what I paid for them today!
  • alohagaryalohagary Posts: 2,761 ✭✭✭✭
    19 50 - d nickel that my mom brought for me at my first coin show for $20 in the early 60s, been collecting since. First started when my aunt gave me a coin collecting set from Sears for Christmas. I still remember going to the bank to purchase rolls to fill the Lincoln Cent album.
    Great times
    Gary
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,499 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A 1955-S cent to complete my Lincoln album #2. Never did find one in change.
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
    the first coin I bought was way too many years ago to remember, but my first slabbed coin happened about 15 years ago, a 1942-D Walker/PCGS MS66.
  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,411 ✭✭✭✭✭
    mine was a 3 piece bicentenial proof set from the mint. i still have it today.
  • BaleyBaley Posts: 22,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My first visit to a coin shop in 1975, picked up circulated common date indian cent, buffalo nickel, and liberty nickel. Spent about $1.50 and started on a US type set.

    Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A CC 1870 Morgan.... raw.... Cheers, RickO
  • AblinkyAblinky Posts: 625 ✭✭✭
    A 1890 S $1 in BU, still have it to this day.

    Andrew Blinkiewicz-Heritage

  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    A silver dollar...
    Good for you.
  • morgandollar1878morgandollar1878 Posts: 4,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My first coin that I ever bought was a 1943 circulated walking liberty half when I was about 13 years old. Unfortunately a thief broke in to our house and stole it and the 3 or 4 others that I bought a couple years later when my parents and I were away when I was in high school.image
    Instagram: nomad_numismatics
  • oih82w8oih82w8 Posts: 11,867 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1925 SLQ bought it at a Wollco Department Store.

    I still have it. Looks pretty rough after a cleaning 35+ years ago.
    oih82w8 = Oh I Hate To Wait _defectus patientia_aka...Dr. Defecto - Curator of RMO's

    BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug...
  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The first I bought wasn't even a dime! It was a Buffalo Nickel 1925-S raw for $5.
  • RaufusRaufus Posts: 6,784 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was a little kid. I wish that I could remember.
    Land of the Free because of the Brave!
  • WaterSportWaterSport Posts: 6,696 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I can remember I was working and I put a 1910 s cent on layaway for about $20 and paid it off $5 each week.

    WS
    Proud recipient of the coveted PCGS Forum "You Suck" Award Thursday July 19, 2007 11:33 PM and December 30th, 2011 at 8:50 PM.
  • BarndogBarndog Posts: 20,454 ✭✭✭✭✭
    this was the first half dime. I still own it and it is part of my Registry Set

    image
  • Type2Type2 Posts: 13,985 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I hate to say it. But it was the SBA, the only reason I did was my dad was all pissed off because he gave the gas station clerk what he thought was .75 but gave him $3.00 for gas and back then gas was .79 a gal and then I ask to see what they looked like and that was when it put the hook in me, that's when I bought a roll from the mint with the money I saved up. image


    Hoard the keys.
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 43,794 ✭✭✭✭✭
    IHC's from Mel Jorgensen (RIP) who was one of them "go to" guys who ran around town with his brother Bob. They were always going to estate sales, garage sales, and wherever … to be"pickers".
    I was about 12 or 13 … ( 1967) at the time, and Mel was a neighbor down the street. Life long friends of the family in the 'hood. I'd get most of the coins I collected from my paper route.
    Oh but those IHC's had won my heart early. And because I sold them to a reputable dealer who made an unreasonable lowball offer, in 1972 to fund my Christmas shopping, I got so upset,
    …. I stayed away from coins until 2000.

    Taken me a long time to "get back" into that series. I still like 'em. I just never chase them now.
  • kiyotekiyote Posts: 5,568 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A 1981 proof set from a coin show when I was a kid.
    "I'll split the atom! I am the fifth dimension! I am the eighth wonder of the world!" -Gef the talking mongoose.
  • tyler267tyler267 Posts: 1,233 ✭✭✭✭
    1883-O Morgan, I think I paid about $3 or $4, I still have it
  • jdimmickjdimmick Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't remember what I bought when I was younger, probably and indian head cent as I had started a set first.

    Later on : after I got back into collecting around 1990: took the money from selling off my sports card collection and bought three coins: 1916-d Merc in VG, 1909-s vdb in AU-50, and 1877 Indian 1c in VF-30 all old white anacs holders.

    My first purchase on ebay some 16yrs ago was a 1814 classic head large cent in PCI 15

    My first re- purchase after selling off my collection several years back to open the b & M was an 1856 Flyer in au-58


  • NicNic Posts: 3,340 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A nice AU 1927 Peace Dollar in 1972.

    Great thread.
  • topstuftopstuf Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1913 $2.50 gold.

    $14.50 at the hobby shop I bought models from.
    Oh and.......stamps. image
  • ChangeInHistoryChangeInHistory Posts: 3,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    3 common date seated dimes G-VG, at a flea market, $14.
  • winkywinky Posts: 1,671
    Columbian expo. 1959 for .75

    Too bad it is gone.image
  • david3142david3142 Posts: 3,388 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Like a poster above, I think my first coin was probably a 1955-S Lincoln. I remember being so excited at the low mintage but my roll searches came up empty. It wasn't a perfect MS and I remember trying to clean it by using a bath in Coke. It turned a bit and my Dad told me that I shouldn't have touched it. It was a nice coin and that's why I paid $2 for it! I still have it, although I have a few 1955-S coins at this point so I'm not positive which one it is. Recently, my wife inherited an OBW roll of 1955-S cents from her grandfather. It was quite a treat to open it and see 50 beautiful gleaming red cents, kept safe for all those years.
  • WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 8,897 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My first raw Walker was a 1940s 'S' minted coin in XF. I believe it was a 1940-S?? Not sure, as I don't remember, specifically. But I paid about 6 or 7 bucks for it. My first certified Walker was a 1916 D NGC MS 62 coin. I think that I paid $250 for it about 20+ years ago. I believe it was from Numismatic Corp Of Arizona in Sun City. I purchased it mail order through Coinage or Coin World.

    “I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • grote15grote15 Posts: 29,479 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Some late 30s Buffalo nickels at the neighborhood coin shop back when I was about 10-12 years old.


    Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
  • goldengolden Posts: 9,018 ✭✭✭✭✭
    In the early 1960's my dad took me to a camera/coin shop that was on the other side of town. They had some Indian head cents in an album in the case. I said that I wanted a date run from 1900 to 1907 or so. The owner took the album to the back of the shop and came back with a little sack of coins. I was so excited when I got them home. I opened the sack and was sick to find out that the 1907 had a huge gash on the obverse. This was not the coin that was in the album that I had picked. I was disgusted that anyone would cheat an 11-12 year old kid. I never went back to that shop. I later had a very good relationship with another shop and did a lot of business with them. One of the partners is in his 80's now and we still see each other at shows and still do business.
  • LanLordLanLord Posts: 11,672 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It was many moons ago, probably 1967 or 1968, I was but a young lad.
    A new friend in a new neighborhood which we just moved to asked me if I wanted to ride my bike over to the local coin store.
    I responded with, "coin what?"! People actually go to a store for coins?
    Well we rode over, walked in and I looked around.
    They had this gumball machine in the corner, for $0.25 you could get a little plastic container with a coin in it.
    I happily planted my quarter in it, turned the knob and out popped my plastic container with a 1885 indian head cent in Fine+ condition.

    I was sold.

    My father gave me so much crap when I got home. Saying something like, "you spent twenty five cents on a penny?".
    Later on in life, he caught the coin bug from me and had a nice set of certified commems and various early type coins in the early 90s.


    Ahh the old days.
  • TireKickerTireKicker Posts: 870 ✭✭
    54 Lincoln at the local shop for a nickel
    All the best,

    Rob

    image

    Successful Trades with: Coincast, MICHAELDIXON

    Successful Purchases from: Manorcourtman, Meltdown
  • DDRDDR Posts: 1,560 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was about 9 or 10 years old. I purchased a 1935 Buffalo Nickel in Very Good condition for 25 cents by mail order. I thought that coin was so cool!
  • jmski52jmski52 Posts: 22,304 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A 1909 vdb Lincoln in Good or Very Good for $0.25 in 1961. I probably overpaid. Er, my dad overpaid.
    Q: Are You Printing Money? Bernanke: Not Literally

    I knew it would happen.
  • Coins101Coins101 Posts: 2,602 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I don't have any computer records, since computers didn't exist back then. There was a time before eBay >>



    Same here. I believe it was a 1901 Indian head cent in good condition for $.25 from my local coin/pawn shot. Boy was that old guy that ran it great to sit and talk to!!!
  • clarkbar04clarkbar04 Posts: 4,922 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Our local fair used to have a big carnival. I was probably 8 or 10 and bought a common date circulated mercury dime for 80 cents or something like that from a vendor. I remember thinking it was weird something that old could be so cheap, despite the fact that it was probably only 40 years old back then. BUT, I was 10, and anything 40 seemed really old, and for the record I turn 40 this year.
    MS66 taste on an MS63 budget.
  • LotsoLuckLotsoLuck Posts: 3,786 ✭✭✭
    1883 No Cent with some gold still left around the devices from Yosimite Coins in Fresno California around 1974.
  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,642 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Probably an overpriced G-VG Indian cent from Littleton back in the '70s.
  • goodmoney4badmoneygoodmoney4badmoney Posts: 1,109 ✭✭✭✭
    I bought a 1999 Connecticut state quarter PCGS MS65 and about 10% off center. Over paid for it and sold it later. It gave me the spark I needed for error coins though.
  • I believe it was an 1859 Canadian Large Cent, common variety, around VF condition. That was the summer of 1993.

    Radiant Collection: Numismatics and Exonumia of the Atomic Age.
    https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/3232

  • mrearlygoldmrearlygold Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭
    "Bought" ? I was buying boxes of US $20's and a lot of other coins, metals etc back in 1978/1979 when a young fellow named Bill Mulligan from the Stone House coin shop in Scotch Plains NJ would come to my home with double row boxes of coins and I would go thru them with him finally asking "how much for the box"? Was fun watching the scramble image I remember learning what we thought was real MS-65 Saints then. They're quite a bit tougher a coin to aquire than most people think. Think MS-66 CAC nowadays.

    I would usually end up buying at least that kind of quantity each meeting and we met quite often so the motivation was there to sell me a lot of coins!

    Oye what a long time ago that was image


  • segojasegoja Posts: 6,112 ✭✭✭✭
    Bought a 1974-S Proof Silver Ike from the mint for $10. Was going to make a killing since the 73's had gone up so much in value. My $10 is worth $11 today, but that's 41 years later. Guess I'd have been better off buying a $2 1/2 Indian (assuming one could be bought for $11 back then.
    JMSCoins Website Link


    Ike Specialist

    Finest Toned Ike I've Ever Seen, been looking since 1986

    image
  • DRUNNERDRUNNER Posts: 3,791 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1967 or 1968 . . . . . always was fascinated by older coins, but had no way to get to a shop or pursue this at the ripe old age of 11-12.

    Childhood friend, Robert Vaughn, and I noticed an ad in some magazine where you could pick certain Lincolns in 'circulated' condition for various prices. I went for the killer -- the 1909-VDB. It was about $2.00 or so . .and I paired it up with a few lower end coins in the 25c. range each . . .and we sent off our money and proceeded to wait.

    We hounded the mailman until I swear he wanted to change routes. We were poised daily on our Schwinn Sting-Rays at his mailbox at the end of the driveway like little coin-gangsters. It seemed forever . . . three weeks or so. Finally the package arrived and I nearly destroyed my bike as I kicked free of it at the top of his driveway to run into the house. We opened that up and just sat there transfixed by these slick P-01s or F-02s . . but WE COULD SEE DATES!

    Those little letters on the reverse of the 1909 -- they made me King of the Neighborhood for at least two days . . . until Dave Munk broke the Keeland's window with an errant baseball throw.

    Oh well . . . . STILL the best numismatic memory I will ever have . .

    Drunner
  • NapNap Posts: 1,702 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1803 large cent in Fine from the coin department at Macys department store in Herald Square, Manhattan. Circa 1992.

    It was Christmastime and my younger siblings were waiting on line to take a picture with Santa. I really didn't have any interest in this 2 hour wait but I was a good sport about it. As a reward my dad took me to the coin shop and told me to pick something out.
  • guitarwesguitarwes Posts: 9,237 ✭✭✭
    My first collector coin over face value was a 21-D Mercury Dime in VG+ I bought for $45 from an antique shop 11-12 years ago. I (and my wife) thought I was crazy to pay that much for a "dime".

    @ Elite CNC Routing & Woodworks on Facebook. Check out my work.
    Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.

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