It is my 40th anniversary as a numismatist today! (11/25/16) *DantesDad won the giveaway!*

lordmarcovan

Today is my fortieth anniversary as a numismatist.

I've related the story before, but still trot it out every year Thanksgiving like they do with "It's a Wonderful Life" around Christmas time.

The short version basically goes like this: on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, when I was not quite 11 years old, we were at my grandmother's house and I was asked to set the table for the upcoming feast.

Grandmomma pointed out where the silverware drawer was in a huge old sideboard in the dining room of her grand old Atlanta house. In that drawer, I found a 1936 Mercury dime! It seemed incredibly ancient to me at the time... forty years old. Now forty years have elapsed since I found it. I also found a 1948 Franklin half that had been shot with a bullet, and a 1943 steel cent. (Grandmomma let me keep the steelie but not the Frankie- that was a souvenir of some uncle's marksmanship and had apparently been shot in the air, Annie Oakley style.)

The 1936 Merc dime won't win any "best coin" competitions, but being the sentimental creature that I am, I kept the coin, and it survived the vicissitudes of the building, destruction, and rebuilding of so many of my collections over the years.

This is the coin that launched my numismatic adventure.

It is one of only two pieces which remain from my original childhood collection.

Here is the other.

I received this 1827 Bust half for my 11th birthday on December 28, 1976.

Do you still have any of your "original" collection? Post the "seed" coin that planted your interest in the hobby, if you had one, and still own it!

I will do a random drawing to celebrate. To enter, simply post once here.

No need to relate a childhood numismatic experience if you don't have one to share. I will randomly pick a winner in a little over 24 hours from this post, at 3:00 AM Eastern on Saturday the 26th. (I work graveyard shift, you see.) Winner will receive a Silver Eagle.

Update: DantesDad won the drawing.

TopographicOceans

Congratulations on your 40th.

Growing up in the 60's and 70's my parents had a big See's Candy box where they kept their Special Currency i.e. silver coins they pulled from circulation and other sources.

Then times got hard and when the milkman (that was somebody who left fresh milk on your porch) and paperboy (before the Internet newspapers were delivered to homes) came to collect my mom didn't always have the cash to pay them.

So she would have to get some silver coins out of the See's Candy box to pay the bill.

I still have to See's Candy box, but it has mostly wheat cents and some dimes and quarters left.
But I remember when it was full of Morgan's, Franklin's and Roosevelt's.

Once the milkman from Adhor Farms became obsolete he probably used all the silver coins he got to fund his retirement.

jtlee321

Very cool story!! Unfortunately I don't have any of the coins I once had as a kid, I really wish I did. I remember my Grandmother giving me a small handful of old coins as a Christmas present back in 1986 when I was 11. The one coin that has clung to my memory was a well worn 1838 Large Stars Seated Liberty Dime. I've made a promise to my self that one day, I will buy another one in MS condition to set aside as a tribute to her and my memory of my first coin.

tychojoe

It all started around 1974 in Kansas. Around the corner from our tree-lined street, we had a neighbor who owned a metal detector. We met them while selling lemonade on the corner that summer. He and his wife took to inviting my younger brother and me and 2 other neighbor kids to search for buried treasure in their front and back yards. While he coached us, we got to take turns passing his metal detector back and forth over the grass, our ears primed for telltale electric squeals. We got a lot of hits! We'd dig one up and there'd be a small group of Lincoln wheat-back cents. The afternoon's hunting would end with ice cold koolaid his wife brought out for us, over chit-chat about the day's finds. It wasn't until much later it dawned on me that we found those little coppers in his yard because he planted them there just for us! The thrill of the hunt and the celebration of the catch spurred me. From then on, I always kept an interest in checking my pennies and keeping the wheat-backs to push into a simple Whitman Blue coin folder. Checking my pocket change after that, I once discovered a 1919 Lincoln. Wow! Something from ancient time in the palm of my hand!

This is not that seed coin, or one of the ones he let us dig out his lawn. I might have that 1919 in storage back in Kansas where I can't get to it now. But it is representative of the appreciation for wheat backs he and his wife instilled in me, and I got it from @cohodk back in 2008. It came out of a complete or nearly complete set of Lincolns:

drei3ree

Great story. Thanks for offering the giveaway!

1Mike1

I'm in thanks and happy 40th

TwoSides2aCoin

An honorable thing and fellow.

ricko

Great story LordM... Happy Fortieth....I am traveling right now (and could not post a picture anyway)... however, I do have two pieces left.. a large silver German coin celebrating some royal twins birth and a Two Cent piece.....
Cheers, RickO

erwindoc

Very nice story Rob. I also started with Mercury dimes, but from my Grandfather. I have a some of them remaining, but I have contributed a few of them to the budding YN under my roof. Thanks for the opportunity on the ASE.

Tookybandit

Congratulations on a very cool accomplishment! 40 years is a significant moment on your journey!

Coinlearner

I have none from way back when. Spark that started me was going through my grandfathers cigar boxes full of 90% with the red book,looking for treasure..Thanks for the chance....

chumley

happy 40th.... my early coin experience came as a paperboy.I had a deaf/mute elderly couple on my route,every week they tipped me an indian head cent.My older brother decided I needed to learn how to play Acey/Ducey and he became to owner of all those cents

Coin Finder

Great story! My interest started when my dad showed me his coin collection a blue Whitman Lincoln cent holder, Trifold. He was missing the key dates but got all the rest from change. I still have it..The want list was written by my grandma for my dad. My dad is 79 and did this in his teens I am guessing late forties and early 50's, all from change.

DantesDad

Happy 40th!

ajaan

My Uncle Art was a coin collector. He pulled a 1909 SVDB out of circulation in the 40's. In 1964 he gave me a brand new Kennedy half Dollar. I no longer have the coin, I lost it in my parent's front lawn.

donzme

I'm sure there's more fond memories during those forty years. Thanks for sharing.

crazyhounddog

Great story, I very much enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for sharing.

Baley

Congrats on four decades as a numismatist, LordM, it's a great story that many can relate to, in essence if not in details.

Here's a coin I bought at the first coin show my dad took me to in 1978, I was 11 years old and had found my Nirvana

hchcoin

My grandmother gave me some great coins as well in the 70's. My grandfather's family had a tradition of giving someone a silver dollar when they turned 18 or got married. He moved in with us when he was getting older and had a stash of Peace Dollars. My dad distributed them to the grand kids a few years ago. My oldest son carries his around in his wallet. I just asked to look at it yesterday when he was home for the Thanksgiving feast and it looks great for being in a leather wallet for a few years.

1630Boston

I've searched and searched for the photo from the early 1970's when my brother and I were so proud to have our 'coin collection' on display at the public library.
A few partially completed Whitman folders and some loose coins placed in the lobby in a display case.
Total value at the time [value = face value] maybe $8.00.
We were so proud and it was featured in the newspaper.
I was hooked for life. Things seemed much simpler back than.

Edited to ad that my fondest memory was when my single mom took me to a coin show at the Stadtler Hilton Hotel in Boston around 1970.

PS while searching for the photo I found a newspaper featuring President Kennedy's death.

PPS @lordmarcovan I'm glad you are still here.

Kudbegud

Nice story and nice guy to offer a giveaway!

pmac

My dad got me interested. He never collected big ticket items, stuff from his change, an occasional visit to JJ Teaparty near where he worked. I continued with collecting with the minister at my church. He liked Canadian coins. It was at this time that the GSA dollars were released. I had enough to get 1880-1885, six coins total. If I recall correctly, they then offered to those who bought, the culls, not considered un-circulated. Some were highly tarnished, as Ricko likes to say and I got a couple of those. They sat away until I got the bug again around 2005. I joined our host and had them graded by them, not knowing that much of the allure of the GSA dollars was their holders. PCGS cracked them out, graded them, and sent them back. There was nothing to get excited over. Thanks for rekindling the memories of the start.

joeykoins

Heartfelt and warm story, Rob. 40 years, man. That 1936 Merc. reminds me of my childhood coin. (my avatar, Morgan Dollar) Gifted to me by my father and engraved when I was born. Rob, did you ever think of slabbing the coin that your Grandmomma gave you? PCGS will most probably personalize it for you like they did to my Morgan? Anyway, thanks for the chance, Rob, and carry on brother to collect another 40 years LOL-joey

AUandAG

I had been collecting from pocket change (Mom and Dad's) when I heard of the small date/large date cents. These were my very first purchase as a collector. Paid 25 cents and might be able to get my money back today!
bob:)
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bigmarty58

It was my mom who got me started with a 64 proof set.

CascadeChris

Oh lord, nice story. I'm in. Thanks

JJM

Swampboy

Thanks for the chance
I do have a 1905 nickel that's been with me since i collected it on my Newsday route way back when. But here is a pic of 1905 nickel my grandaughter showed me just yesterday, a change find her dad got in 5 Guys down in Arizona last month.
Coincidenty her nickel and mine are in the exact same condition, same year.

jwitten

Thanks for the contest, I'm in!!

Lakesammman

Keep posting the story annually - it's new to me every year.....

1st recall collecting in 1964 when silver was being pulled from circulation. Bought as much as my puny income would allow and still have most of it - however, spent a few on cherry bombs one year.....

AMRC

Not fair! They did not have calendars when I started collecting!

EXOJUNKIE

Great story. I would have loved getting a bust half for my 11th birthday!!!

csanotes

Happy 40th! Thanks for the chance. Enjoy the weekend.

illini420

Congrats on 40 years, very cool!

I started collecting wheat cents from my parents' change when I was 4 or 5. Had a few of my relatives hunting them down for me as well at the time. Still have my Whitman folders from when I was a kid, in storage somewhere

cheezhed

Nice story.

justcollecting

Congratulations
Thanks for the chance.
Here's my starter coin.

WillieBoyd2

Happy 40th Anniversary, LordM!

mannie gray

Nice write up, LordM......cool that you've kept those.
I can't remember what got me interested in coins. I simply don't remember a time when I _wasn't___interested.
I have 2 coins from when I was a punk kid- a 1890 $ from my Grandmother and a 1909-D $5 Indian that I purchased with money saved from about 1-1/2 years of selling papers.
Everything else is pretty much gone/upgraded/rolled into other stuff/sold/bought/resold etc. (I am a recycler).

lordmarcovan

@EXOJUNKIE said:
Great story. I would have loved getting a bust half for my 11th birthday!!!

Oh, believe me, getting a Bust half for my 11th birthday was as if I was a 16-year-old with a new driver's license getting handed the keys to a Ferrari. LOL

lordmarcovan

Thanks for y'all's posts. Enjoyed reading the stories and seeing the pix.

The random number generator hath smiled upon DantesDad, so he has an ASE coming.

Kudbegud

Congrats DantesDad !! Thanks lordmarcovan for the giveaway.

ElKevvo

Happy 40th anniversary! Pretty cool that you can recall the exact day you started collecting. I started collecting when I had a paper route. One older gentleman often gave me wheaties etc. as I think he knew I was collecting them. I still have most everything from then in some Whitman blue folders. Good times!

Oh...even though I missed it thanks for the giveaway! Stuff like that keeps the boards fun!

K

ricko

Congratulations DantesDad.... Great giveaway LordM.... Cheers, RickO

sparky64

Congrats LM & very generous of you.
I missed it but I enjoyed your story and the others as well.

1630Boston

Thanks LM

DantesDad

Thanks Lm! I am going to give it to my son in the hopes of it being his start into this wonderful hobby!