A great story about one of my coins -- with pictures
Romankow
Posts: 104 ✭✭✭
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share with you my best coin story...
I inherited most of my coins from my grandmother, who was a New Jersey bank teller back in the 1950s through 1970s. Throughout her career, she would always put aside old coins that she found during the course of her work (i.e., if she found a coin, she would keep it and pay the bank back at face value). During her career, she found tons of silver -- Morgan and Peace dollars; Walker, Franklin and Kennedy halves; Barber and Washington quarters; and Mercury and Roosevelt dimes. She even found a couple of seated quarters and halves! And of course she found lots of Buffalo nickels, wheat pennies, and silver certificates.
When I was about 8 years old, she learned that I was interested in coins, and so she began giving me pieces of her collection each time I saw her. Over time, she gave me hundreds of pieces, which I still have to this day (and many of which I am now considering selling). I owe my love of coins to her, as I never would have seen these great pieces if it wasn't for her!
So here's the best part...
One day in the 1970s, a teenager came into the bank and presented to my grandmother a dozen St. Gauden's $20 gold pieces. He asked her to give him face value for the coins ($240), which she did. Now, my grandmother happened to know the boy and his mother, and knew that the boy was "troubled" (my grandmother indicated to me that he may have had a drug/alcohol issue), and since she didn't have $240 of her own to buy the coins herself, she told the bank manager the story to help ensure that the mother could get her coins back. After the boy left the bank, the bank called the boy's mother and told her what happened, and told her that she could come to the bank and buy back her coins at face value.
The next day, the boy's mother came into the bank, bought back the coins, and talked to my grandmother about the incident. The woman was so thankful, because the coins were quite valuable and they were an investment for her and her husband. And, as a token of gratitude, the woman gave my grandmother not one, but TWO of the gold coins!
My grandmother ended up mounting each of the coins in gaudy necklaces and gave one to my mother and one to my aunt. My mother wore the necklace for many years, and unfortunately had it cleaned by a jeweler a few times, which has given the coin a polished look. My mother gave the necklace to me a few years back, and I took it out of the mount. Thankfully the coin had been clipped into the necklace mount and not soldered in, but it did leave dents in the coin, and the coin also has many other scratches and imperfections since the necklace was kept in my mother's jewellery box for two decades or more.
No matter. I love the coin with all of its imperfections and incredible backstory. It was a gift to my grandmother, a gift to my mother, a gift to me, and will be a gift to one of my children when I am ready to pass it on one day...
Comments
Great story and a true testament to being honest.
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That is such a wonderful story...........thanks for sharing it.
Honesty and integrity always has its' own rewards.
Pete
That's wonderful
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The provenance you have shared is what increases the attachment that you have to this coin I'm sure. Great story.
Thanks for sharing.
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Great story... love it when there's a personal connection with a keepsake of any kind.
That is a marvelous story... both parts of it. How great to have such an heirloom...as well as other coins passed down in your family. Thanks for sharing the story...Cheers, RickO
@Romankow Wow, what a wonderful story.
Thanks for sharing it.
Donato
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Cool stuff! It’s nice when everyone does the right thing.
Awesome story. Love it!
Great story and great coin !
Good read.....thanks!
bob
Great story, thanks for sharing.
Wow..great story.
Great coin-related family story.
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Great story!
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Great honest story which is so awesome in so many ways
That is a great story and a coin I would probably not want to sell.
Loved your story! We need more like this as it is very entertaining and much better than a lot of the banter that goes on around here!
Great Story!
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Awesome post.
Nice!
Nice story. Some sentimenal value on that one!
Sweet !!!
Nice, thanks!
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Great "human interest/coin story". Thanks for sharing.
well, you did live up to the title of your thread.
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That is a good story...thanks for sharing! Banks used to know their customers very well, not so much now I think.
K
I like your story. I don't know her, but I like your grandmother too.
Great story, thanks for sharing!
great story! i even cried at the part when the jeweler cleaned the coins.
"One day in the 1970s, a teenager came into the bank and presented to my grandmother a dozen St. Gauden's $20 gold pieces. He asked her to give him face value for the coins ($240), which she did. Now, my grandmother happened to know the boy and his mother, and knew that the boy was "troubled" (my grandmother indicated to me that he may have had a drug/alcohol issue), and since she didn't have $240 of her own to buy the coins herself, she told the bank manager the story to help ensure that the mother could get her coins back. After the boy left the bank, the bank called the boy's mother and told her what happened, and told her that she could come to the bank and buy back her coins at face value."
I'm glad that the people in the bank knew the family, just about anywhere else it could have been a no questions asked transaction if the kid was of age. I hope the family took action with the kid, as I have seen situations like that go from bad to worse enabling drug addicts with soft treatments when what they often need is the stern discipline of the law.
That sure was better than an Ebay story.
Ah, the early ways collections started. I love it!
WS