When I was younger, it was not necessary to recruit people to the hobby, everyone seemed to have some interest in coins. In grade school through junior high school, I believe every kid knew what a 1901-S V.D.B. cent was.
Virg Marshall III (The Penny Merchant) (Wymore, NE) was my primary source for Lincoln Cents and SouthPark Coins (Forney, TX) was my "coins on approval" source. Both are still around from the 80's. I did not know about our local coin shop until I was able to drive.
oih82w8 = Oh I Hate To Wait _defectus patientia_aka...Dr. Defecto - Curator of RMO's
No CAC or numerical grading. BU Morgan Dollars at $2.60 each, 1907 Gem BU Saint $80, the 1950-D nickel was King.
If you could not grade, tell a Gem BU from an AU slider or avoid counterfeits you got ripped. I remember getting a $5 roll of dimes circa 1962 with lots of Mercs in it. Coins like an 1891-S PL MD could be had at the bank for face. The Registry, Holder, Sticker game would have been laughed at. People bought BU dollars by the roll. My local coin shop offered free dipping service. " Premium Quality BU" coins from mail order ads usually were either AU sliders or coins with cleaning marks.
I miss being able to find meaningful things in circulation. Trading coins with my childhood friends to complete Whitman folders. Going to multiple coin shops in a single day with my father and the occasional auction to add to my collection. Old collectors actually advertising in the newspaper - (remember classified ads) offering to sell duplicates. I remember going to one gentlemens house on multiple occasions to purchase from his collection.
I still get a blast out of handling my coins raw thinking of who else has handled them and where they have been. Hope I don't get banned for not having all my coins stabbed!
Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Back in the old days growing up in Southern Cal, the thing I remember were the bid boards. And it could get crowded and intense... but it was fun. From the early 1970s through the late 1980s, I remember at least 5-6 different shops that had bid boards. Some of the stuff was ... well stuff... And there were some decent coins if you looked.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
25 years ago, when I re-entered the hobby, my mentor was Jack Bauer, great grandson of George Bauer. George began dealing in coins in the late 19th century in Rochester,NY. When the business had evolved into Jack's hands (4th generation), it was so well known that he was able to factually claim having handled nearly every item listed in the RedBook of the time. I got to witness some very esoteric items, including a PCGS certified Unc. 1860 Clark, Gruber & Co. $10 "Pikes Peak Gold" struck in Copper, and a Proof Morgan Dollar Silver Pattern (J-1550A) which I owned briefly. My favorite recollection is of having learned that George Bauer had handled Gem Proof Morgan Dollars at very small premiums over face. Even Jack had claims to having handled the largest hoard ever of Gem BU Lafayette Dollars.
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1901-S VDB??? I sure didn't know about that one.
Virg Marshall III (The Penny Merchant) (Wymore, NE) was my primary source for Lincoln Cents and SouthPark Coins (Forney, TX) was my "coins on approval" source. Both are still around from the 80's. I did not know about our local coin shop until I was able to drive.
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, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
No CAC or numerical grading. BU Morgan Dollars at $2.60 each, 1907 Gem BU Saint $80, the 1950-D nickel was King.
If you could not grade, tell a Gem BU from an AU slider or avoid counterfeits you got ripped. I remember getting a $5 roll of dimes circa 1962 with lots of Mercs in it. Coins like an 1891-S PL MD could be had at the bank for face. The Registry, Holder, Sticker game would have been laughed at. People bought BU dollars by the roll. My local coin shop offered free dipping service. " Premium Quality BU" coins from mail order ads usually were either AU sliders or coins with cleaning marks.
I read a Coin World article today by QDB, some great insights on coins from the 1940s on, and how many exploded in value.
I miss being able to find meaningful things in circulation. Trading coins with my childhood friends to complete Whitman folders. Going to multiple coin shops in a single day with my father and the occasional auction to add to my collection. Old collectors actually advertising in the newspaper - (remember classified ads) offering to sell duplicates. I remember going to one gentlemens house on multiple occasions to purchase from his collection.
I still get a blast out of handling my coins raw thinking of who else has handled them and where they have been. Hope I don't get banned for not having all my coins stabbed!
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Back in the old days growing up in Southern Cal, the thing I remember were the bid boards. And it could get crowded and intense... but it was fun. From the early 1970s through the late 1980s, I remember at least 5-6 different shops that had bid boards. Some of the stuff was ... well stuff... And there were some decent coins if you looked.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
25 years ago, when I re-entered the hobby, my mentor was Jack Bauer, great grandson of George Bauer. George began dealing in coins in the late 19th century in Rochester,NY. When the business had evolved into Jack's hands (4th generation), it was so well known that he was able to factually claim having handled nearly every item listed in the RedBook of the time. I got to witness some very esoteric items, including a PCGS certified Unc. 1860 Clark, Gruber & Co. $10 "Pikes Peak Gold" struck in Copper, and a Proof Morgan Dollar Silver Pattern (J-1550A) which I owned briefly. My favorite recollection is of having learned that George Bauer had handled Gem Proof Morgan Dollars at very small premiums over face. Even Jack had claims to having handled the largest hoard ever of Gem BU Lafayette Dollars.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com