In Which Decade was Coin Collecting at its Finest?
braddick
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There is a certain charm to being a kid or a young adult and putting together coin albums. Some from change- others from visiting local coin shops.
Of course there is a safety net now in place when it comes to having your coins checked for authenticity (ANACS) and later, grade (PCGS). The pinnacle of enjoyment?
For you personally, was there an era or decade that defined pure enjoyment for you with this hobby?
And if so, what markers made it so?
peacockcoins
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The 1960's because that is when I started collecting and you could collect from change.
I'd wager right about when you could buy gold Proof sets in the late 1890s and early 1900s.
Unfortunately, my time machine has been acting up recently.
Coin Photographer, ANA Heath Literary Award Winner.
I agree. Anyone remember what Coin World was like in the late 60s?
DPOTD-3
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Don
I would kill to go back to the 90s
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Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Yes. I started collecting around 1960-61, and began subscribing to Coin World in 1967. I went to work for them in 1973.
No time like the present.
I'd have to agree with the 60s. Plenty of coin clubs, coin shops, large local coin shows, and you could still get decent stuff in change.
Late 50’s and the 60’s marks the happiest times for myself. It’s when my dad and I were collecting together.
When I started collecting in 1965 at 6. I saw the following:
(I loved coins, but my search by some standards were casual. My parents were not enthusiasts, but would get me 2 to 4 rolls at a time, every few weeks.)
Every new type coin was an adventure! I viewed obsolete types as an extinct species added to my collection.
Early lincoln cents from rolls, best was 1909-vdb
Nearly all of the Jefferson Nickels- no 39-d or 50-d
Mercury dimes - one from the 20's most from 30's and 40's
Never found any Standing Liberty Quarters.
Walking Liberty Half-1944 found as change at Garden State Parkway toll booth!
Found a smattering of Buffaloes, missing dates and mostly 1930s.
First coins show about 1967. A Good 1860-O half dime and 1891 25C nearly fine, both for $4.50. Still have them.
Sent away for 2 cent piece. Waited like a month for coin where there were no pictures. $2 for an AG 1864 Large Motto. Still have it.
First allowance was 1934 25C. Still have it.
Dad gave me some type coins including 3 cent nickel and Seated Dime. Have both.
One thing that I liked about the 80's, was before being married in 88, I got to spend a chunk of my paycheck! Bought 1871-cc 10c (now PCGS G6) for $450 and 1846 10c (now PCGS xf-45) for $600.
My friend Paul started collecting in 1948. I think he would say the 40s.He put together a full set of Walking Liberty Halves, Washingtons and others. Silver dollars were face value. He sold a MS-62 1892-cc that he received from a bank in NYC for $1, several years back for $$$.
Pat, thank you for starting this thread. It quickly brought back many wonderful childhood collecting experiences and memories.
As a result, this will easily be one of my longest posts here.
For me, collecting was unquestionably at its finest in the 60’s. I first started collecting then, when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and it was so very exciting.
In no particular order of time or importance…
My younger brother and I checked all of our change, looking for Lincoln cents to fill the appropriate spaces in our album. And of course, we were also looking for the occasional Buffalo nickels, Mercury dines, Standing Liberty quarters and Walking Liberty half dollars.
We were allowed to look through the change at our local barbershop and that was always a special treat.
One of our neighbors acquired hundreds of brand new Kennedy halves in 1964, including many that I believe he had gold-plated. He even let us look through them and keep some for ourselves.
One time we got some older coins in change from a store, including an 1858 half dime.
My grandmother had an old box of coins that she let us look through. Among other treasures, we were thrilled to discover a Seated Liberty dollar and a Three Dollar gold piece.
I remember I bought - I think it was - a 20c piece that I was told was a “ hole filler”. I mistakenly thought that it meant that the dealer would replace it for me when he got a better one. I soon learned what it actually meant and I don’t think I ever bought another “hole filler”😁
Having grown up in Manhatten, my brother and I walked to Stack’s on many a Saturday and feasted our eyes on all sorts of amazing coins.
Accompanied by our stepfather, we even went to and bid in some Stack’s auctions. I remember we won a nice Unc. Standing Liberty quarter for about $18 and I think we also won an Unc. Liberty nickel.
I’ve already posted about this previously but it fits in here perfectly …One time I bought a coin at Stack’s and as always, I checked my change when I got home. One of the coins I examined was a 1942 dime. With mounting excitement, I thought I might be looking at an overdate. But I’d never seen one in person before so I got out my magnifier and looked in my Redbook. Sure enough, it was one! It felt like a dream - I could hardly believe it and just kept staring at it.
Sometime later, I went back to Stack’s and sold the 1942/1 dime to them for $75. After the transaction was (or was nearly) completed, I proudly and obnoxiously asked “Don’t you check your change?”
I don’t remember what the answer was. But I remember having the feeling that in essence, it could have been the title from a very old song “Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me”. 😉
If memory serves me correctly, with the $75, I bought a beautiful golden-toned 1876 Proof Seated Liberty quarter with violet peripheries.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Not a decade, but the earlier years of the 2000s. Best balance of availability (from the internet) and affordability for what I'm interested in collecting. My budget is larger now, but not enough to keep up with the price increases.
The wife don't let you spend anymore huh? LOL
Do you still have those coins?
I wasn't around for the time, but hearing all the stories makes me think the 1960s were the best. What is found in change today absolutely pales in comparison to getting bank rolls full of silver and not thinking twice about it, and not only that, the chance of getting any Barbers or Seated material at face? Or collectible pre-33 gold not at wallet-evaporating prices? If my time machine was operational, I'd ride into that time period on the back of a brontosaurus!
Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.
Sounds like you know me! Yes, it is more limited!
I don’t - they’re long gone.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
The early 1960's coin boom was great for a teenager with little money. We were all going to get rich on coins! ... and then came May of 1964 and the great market collapse.
While I started collecting from change in 1958, wasn't old enough to drive until early 60's. Loved the 60's for many reasons, but my absolute favorite was 70's. I lived in East Tennessee on I-81. Most every weekend there was a coin show that moved up I-81 Corridor for a hundred miles. Each sizeable exit had one. Gas was dirt cheap($4 to fillup) Had a good job after military and could afford to go with friends most weekends and where after collecting for 15+ years, I found I had to buy the more collectible coins, what a transition from change searching. Lol Absolute wonderful time in my life.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
1960s. I can still recall the scent of a Scan-O-Matic and Nic-A-Lene and my grandfather's redbooks.
1790's - Pulling chain cents out of circulation and plugging them into wooden Boudinot boards.
What did the Scan-O-Matic smell like?
I started collecting in the late 1960s into the 1970s. My brother is 10 years my older, so he got to grandpa's coffee can of Indian Head Cents and Buffalo Nickels long before me... lol!
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
The 50's were pretty cool. You could spend a day at Macy's looking through their coin displays and then your mom would take you to the shoe department and get your feet x-ray fitted with new shoes. Fun times.
Our Woolworth's had a rotational shelving display case which prompted my brother and I to wear out the button until we were run off by a clerk. 😆
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Money?
Am I correct that you could buy pre-1933 gold in the 1960's including Double Eagles without a problem from your local dealer ? As long as THEY could get the coins, often from overseas, and get past the import restrictions put in place by Leland Howard (the same guy who said the 1933 Double Eagles were "stolen"
).
Bought my first gold coin, a BU 1900-S $20, for $50 from Earl Schill in downtown Detroit in May of 1966. He had several.
The current decade is by far the finest. We have computer access to the inventory of every major coin dealer and every major auction house including pics of their coins. We have access to several very competent grading and authentication services with experts who will evaluate your coin and then encapsulate it a protective holder. We have access to several coin forums where we can share information and comradery with many fellow coin collectors. We have access to a trove of coin information that grows every year as new research is performed and as new discoveries are made. I'm sure you can add more to this list.
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
Depends when you start. There’s a sense of newness when you begin collecting that can never be revived. The first old coin you buy, your first coin show, the first unusual coin you find in change, the first book about coins that you own, the first friend you make in numismatics.
When objectively looking, I’d say the early 2000s was a nice time- with the internet you suddenly had access to all the auctions in the world, the online marketplaces were a reasonable hunting ground for coins, and not flooded with proliferation of fakes as they tend to be now. The creation of online discussion groups like this one made knowledge very accessible.
Now is not a bad time either. Yes, coins now are more expensive than they used to be, but so is everything else, and many rare coins have not kept up with inflation.
Indeed it was great to be a kid then 👍
For me it was the early to mid 1980s, after the big crash of 1980. I was earning a decent salary and was able to buy some good coins. They included the Chain Cent, which is my avatar, a 1796 Quarter and a 1796 dime. The prices paid ranged from just over $2,000 to under just under $5,000. The certified grades range from VF-25 for the Quarter to AU-50 for the dime.
I was most active in the 2010s.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
the early Ebay era was a gold rush of classic B&M liquidation. The number of Raw treasures was huge and prices still modest.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
But it would be harder to buy proof gold back then compared to now
Not sure what is meant by “finest” but it was certainly fun collecting from circulation as a kid in the 50’s and 60’s, then messing with better coins in the wild and wooly pre-slab decades.
It would be vastly easier. Just write a letter to the mint with the money you needed to cover the Proof set, and they mail the Proofs back to you.
Coin Photographer, ANA Heath Literary Award Winner.
It depends on the type of collecting one does. If one is interested in finding rare die marriages and cherry picking, I'd say the past two decades have been outstanding because of the increased access to coins via the internet. One can now cherry pick in their PJ's at home instead of attending shows and cherry picking under constant dealer scrutiny. I could never amass a roll of 55/54 overdates as easily in three years trying to cherry pick at coin shows.
Yah but many youre not the only one picking anymore.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
It was fun and exciting when I started in the early ‘70’s, silver prices were booming, and I looked forward to each issue of CoinAge magazine. Me and the other jr high coin geeks would buy/sell/trade our treasures to each other.
However, I really wish I could go back to the late 1980’s. I was making a decent income and had just enough knowledge to be dangerous lol! But the big regional shows were both amazing and intimidating. I still remember seeing chain cents, ‘39O halves, and Bust dollars in quantities that you just don’t see anymore, even at shows like FUN. I wished I knew more about coins like that, and had more confidence back then, but I was preoccupied with middle grade early walkers and filling holes in my 7070.
I'd vote for mid 1960s to mid 1970s. You could still find Walkers, Franklins, and Mercs in circulation, along with 90% Roosies and Kennedys. Such a cool time to be a collector. Variety!!!
Dave
Hot plastic with a hint of copper (since I was roll-searching cents)
Coin collecting was indeed fun when I started in the late 60’s, but was the best for me in when I started back up in a big way about 20 years ago when I was living in Charlotte. I had collected casually off and on since the 60’s, but It was about 2004 or so when my wife started asking about coins and I taught her how to grade coins the old school way with a red book and circulated rolls from the bank. She started getting into it and we started shopping on eBay. We ended up joining the Charlotte Coin Club and my wife became the secretary. I found this forum and started collecting fairly seriously. It was great fun and lasted until we had to move to California for my job. It’s still fun, but it was more exciting back in Charlotte going to all the coin shows including ones that my wife helped run for the coin club and also on this forum back then.
Mr_Spud
Mark, the collector deep inside of you yearns to be free! Unleash yourself! Discover new vistas!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
For me it was the 70's. Silver was pretty much gone. But, I owned a Western Auto in a rural community. Those farmers and ranchers kept all that old stuff laying around and would grab a bit when they went to the store. Pulled so much silver from my register, it was crazy good! My Banker was a collector and he was my go to for selling. I'd get old paper too and he'd buy it, for a fair price, the same day I got it.
Loved those farmers and ranchers so much that I put an "office" in my back room for them. It had a coffee urn, Playboy and Hustler mags and boy did they like telling the wife, got to go to town!! It was a revolving door of customers that had to buy something before they got home. So the silver just rolled in for years!
bob
I got into the hobby in the late 90s. There was tremendous opportunity to buy raw or certified at reasonable prices. $20 Saints certified in 63/64 for $400 or so, better date $20 Libs. did not have huge premiums. The NY ANA was impressive.
More collectors today can afford a 1 oz gold eagle than could afford a $20 gold coin back then
I think @PerryHall makes a very good point... the Internet wasn't around during my formative years when I was just starting out in the hobby. It has taken me around 2-3 years to accumulate the Large Cents in my collection. These are mostly raw, though I have had several certified. Even if money was no object back when I was 12 yo, I never could have gotten to where I am now in such a short time frame without Internet sales. That, and location... I lived in eastern NC... not many major shows coming around.
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, $20 in 1913 has the buying power of $654.68 today. Spot of an ounce of gold today is $3,374, or roughly 5x more than a what would be needed to get a $20 Saint back in 1913.
Coin Photographer, ANA Heath Literary Award Winner.