Home U.S. Coin Forum

Do you remember when pocket change looked like this?

SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,687 ✭✭✭✭✭

Here's Your Change; courtesy of a Jazz Album Cover from 1953. Sure would be fun to spend some time looking through a can or jar of coins like this stashed away in the 1950's.

Comments

  • CoinlearnerCoinlearner Posts: 2,517 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 5, 2017 1:43PM

    Once in awhile I'd pick out coins from my pocket change that did not have that funny copper color on the edge. I'd try to save the silver ones,,even though money was "tight" ..... :)

  • WoodenJeffersonWoodenJefferson Posts: 6,491 ✭✭✭✭

    No Barbers, but V nickels, Merc dimes, buffalo, Indian Heads, Wheaties, silver half Franklins, Walking libs, even an occasional Peace Silver dollar.

    Chat Board Lingo

    "Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
  • JustacommemanJustacommeman Posts: 22,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 5, 2017 1:59PM

    I missed it completely and I'm jealous. It would havel been cool to have been a teenager in the 50's like my folks. They were next door neighbors to boot.

    mark

    Walker Proof Digital Album
    Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 47,049 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I remember walkers, SLQ's, mercury dimes, buffalo nickels, etc were common in change. I also remember when you could get Morgan and Peace dollars from the bank for face value. Of course, at the time that's all they were worth. I also remember going to major coin shows and seeing major coin transactions where the buyer used several $1,000 bills.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • LanceNewmanOCCLanceNewmanOCC Posts: 19,999 ✭✭✭✭✭

    .
    4.3m say what!
    .

    <--- look what's behind the mask! - cool link 1/NO ~ 2/NNP ~ 3/NNC ~ 4/CF ~ 5/PG ~ 6/Cert ~ 7/NGC 7a/NGC pop~ 8/NGCF ~ 9/HA archives ~ 10/PM ~ 11/NM ~ 12/ANACS cert ~ 13/ANACS pop - report fakes 1/ACEF ~ report fakes/thefts 1/NCIS - Numi-Classes SS ~ Bass ~ Transcribed Docs NNP - clashed coins - error training - V V mm styles -

  • WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,306 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting topic - Coins on Record Album covers.

    Thank you for posting.

    :)

    https://www.brianrxm.com
    The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
    Coins in Movies
    Coins on Television

  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Certainly! I was collecting when that stuff was circulating-everything but the dollars and, as was mentioned, those could be had at the bank for face value. Woulda been a great time to be into VAMs back then.

  • dpooledpoole Posts: 5,940 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Ah, yes. All the cents were Wheaties. I remember all the fuss about 55-S being the last year for the San Francisco issues. I got worn 26-S and 27-S SLHs out of circulation. Buffalos were all over the place. Walker halves were worth a fortune to a kid! (hence hard to collect).

    My step-grandfather was a bus driver, and came home with lots of coins I could look through. My grandmother got me a '54 proof set for Christmas, that set me on my way...

  • chumleychumley Posts: 2,305 ✭✭✭✭

    I was a paperboy in the late 50s to early 60s........I always had a pocket full of silver

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 35,005 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I remember all of the silver coins from the 1950s plus the Mercury Dimes, Standing
    Liberty Quarters and Walker Liberty Half Dollars. Buffalo Nickels and steel 1943 Cents were common. Barber coins? I never saw one in circulation although a school mate brought one to school as lunch money, which I bought for face value in 1959, which was the price in the Blue Book.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • hchcoinhchcoin Posts: 4,839 ✭✭✭✭✭

    How fun that would have been. Some day they are going to be asking if you were alive when all these raw coins were selling so cheap on eBay. :)

  • KellenCoinKellenCoin Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭✭

    I was only born 50 years too late!

    Fan of the Oxford Comma
    CCAC Representative of the General Public
    2021 Young Numismatist of the Year

  • thisnamztakenthisnamztaken Posts: 4,101 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yep, all of those could still be found in circulation when I was a young whippersnapper. We had 1-2 carnivals come to town every year in my small hometown, and the local Lion's club would always put up a wooden stand where you could buy steel rings just slightly larger than a silver dollar & toss them at the silver coins lying on a flat platform in the middle. After you tossed a ring, you got to keep whatever coin(s) your ring completely covered. You got 3 rings for a dollar if I remember correctly. :p

    I never thought that growing old would happen so fast.
    - Jim
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 33,040 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The cents through halves yes, but the dollars only happened when a friendly teller down at my parents' bank saved one for me.

    Numismatist. 54 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. 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. Author "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," due out late 2025.
  • AUandAGAUandAG Posts: 24,989 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I remember an occasional Barber and V nickels from my paper route back in the mid 1950's.
    bob:)

    Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
  • topstuftopstuf Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 5, 2017 8:38PM

    $1.25 was the minimum wage.
    A new car was 1500.
    A house was 12,000

  • illini420illini420 Posts: 11,467 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @topstuf said:
    $1.25 was the minimum wage.
    A new car was 1500.
    A house was 12,000

    And $1.25 in 90% silver coins melts for around $15 today... just what the folks here in SoCal want the minimum wage to be... funny how that works out.

  • crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 14,089 ✭✭✭✭✭

    In a word yes. Yes I'm that old :)

    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 5, 2017 10:21PM

    No, but it would have been fun!

  • mannie graymannie gray Posts: 7,259 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No I don't remember those days.
    I was a paperboy in the 1970s and change was dull, dull, dull.
    I'd get the occasional wheat cent and a couple of times a year a war nickel, and a silver dime rarely.
    I never saw a Franklin Half or Walker in circulation.

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes... I not only remember...heck, like many above, I lived it... I too had a paper route in the mid fifties... all those coins circulated... most were common... SLQ's, Walkers, Mercs and Buffs..... The old saying when someone wanted something you had....'cross my palm with silver'... literally meant to pay with silver coins... Cheers, RickO

  • TwobitcollectorTwobitcollector Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I sure do

    Positive BST Transactions with:
    INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
    coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
  • OuthaulOuthaul Posts: 7,440 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yep! I used to spend that stuff.

  • TennesseeDaveTennesseeDave Posts: 4,813 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No, but I should. Born in 64 I am sure plenty of silver was still circulating when I was a youngster.

    Trade $'s
  • AthenaAthena Posts: 439 ✭✭✭

    Before my time :)

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file