How did you start collecting?

tupa1234 · February 23, 2006 7:29AM

Just curious. I started when my mom found a 1889 indian penny in her purse and gave it to me! (AU55)
It still took me a while to get started.

mirabela · February 23, 2006 7:36AM

My great grandfather died when I was seven. He had been a real numismatist, but sold his core collection in the early 60's. The cigar box of stuff he left my sister & me was mostly what he had saved out of circulation around the time of the conversion to clad coinage -- lotta choice AU Morgans & Peace dollars, mainly. That's how it began.

DeputyPud · February 23, 2006 7:36AM

When I was a wee lad in Columbus, Ohio, I had a paper route before school in the morning. On Saturdays, I would go out on my bike to collect. A lot of times the older folks would tip me in silver certs or an old half dollar (Walkers and Franklins). I saved that stuff in a can simply because it looked different from what I normally saw.
As the school years passed by, my favorite subject was history, and the fascination with the old money fell right into place.

09sVDB · February 23, 2006 7:39AM

Grandma got me started in the late 60's.

shirohniichan · February 23, 2006 7:40AM

I can't remember if it was the coffee can with coins my dad saved from change (including a circulated Monroe Doctrine half and a bent half dime) or my brother's school project with 19th century world coins glued into a shallow, white cardboard box.

ram1946 · February 23, 2006 7:40AM

I started in the late 50's by going through the Sunday church collection. Our pastor, who was an avid collector himself, allowed us to take coins for our collection as long as we replaced each coin we took with one of equal denomination. Shortly afterwards, my Dad gave me a pocketful of change to go for an ice cream. Two 55DDO's were included. Sadly, both the collection from the church as well as the 55DDO's are long gone. But the memories remain.

Freak1c · February 23, 2006 7:51AM

My father gave me a proof set when I was younger and it started from there.

Freak

BlindedByEgo · February 23, 2006 7:51AM

Grandpa gave my dad dozens of rolls of IHC's, all of us kids (4) had Lincoln punch books as well (the ones in the shape of the coin; the 40+ crowd will remember). My uncle was a vest pocket dealer in NC, sent me smoe coins... I was the only kid that got stuck with the addiction. Bought coins from my Junior High classmates for lunch money in the early 1970's... It went downhill from there

busco69 · February 23, 2006 7:52AM

My dad got me started in the seventies and I am very happy that he did.He once bought a pickup truck full of wheaties about 50 bank bags full and he gave us kids a dollar for each key date we found it took for ever to go thru them.

OffMetal · February 23, 2006 7:53AM

I started when I was forced *cough* errr... I mean bribed to go to the coin show

Merc · February 23, 2006 8:06AM

My uncle was a small time dealer and would give me a few coins when I went to visit. He taught me how to grade and to identify problem coins. He died a few years ago, but I still have some of the coins he gave me.

My parents had no interest in coins but would drop me off to go to coin shows. I went to my first show at age 12.

tupa1234 · February 23, 2006 8:09AM

not ONE person from my family ever really collected. so I hope to pass it on to my kids!

ar18 · February 23, 2006 8:13AM

My dad gave me a bag of wheats he got from his dad(grandpa) whom really collected, that and a bottle jewel luster later(dad didn't know either) I got started.

TorinoCobra71 · February 23, 2006 8:18AM

My Father gave me a Circulated WWII Nickel Set when I was seven and was instantly hooked!

TorinoCobra71

Baley · February 23, 2006 10:08AM

coffee cup full of junk silver and a few foreign coins, inherited from Grannie.

Barberman55 · February 23, 2006 10:29AM

Started out in the early sixties collecting foreign coins that I bought at a local coin shop. My older brother collected U.S. coins, typical stuff like Lincoln cents, Jefferson nickels, Roosevelt dimes, etc. He also had a couple of well worn, common date Morgan dollars that really caught my eye.

I loved the large silver coins and started to think of ways to relieve him of his Morgans. As he got a little older and started to lose interest in his coins, I managed to trade an old Panasonic transitor radio, for a couple of his Morgans. At this time, I had friends who collected old comic books and coins, and I would trade some of my rarer comic books for Morgans, if they had any.

Needless to say, I never collected another foreign coin again.....it was strickly U.S. coins all the way.

Coindexter · February 23, 2006 10:36AM

I found an 1875 CC Seated Half dollar in a tin in my basement. It now lives in an ANACS VF30 slab. That got me in the door...

Burks · February 23, 2006 10:40AM

My grandpa got me started. He collected here and there, kind of stop when he retired and just saved what he found in change. Wheaties, silver, etc. I went to shows with him and stuff but got out of it around 9 or 10 years old. Just started up again last year (20 years old) and my collection has increased enormously. Went from about 30-40 to well over 400+ coins from around the world. Still haven't made a "big" purchased. Highest was a $40 1899-O MS63 Morgan. I liked the toning

Same year as my great-granfather's birth as well.

Since then I've got my dad into collecting coins too! It's fun to go to a show and teach your parent's something new about coins. Seeing a $5,000 chunk of silver just makes people wonder a lot.

construct · February 23, 2006 11:23AM

I started out with Whitman push-in folders when I was an elementary school kid. My mother would exchange rolls at the bank for me, and my friends and I would go through them to fill our folders. We collected everything through quarters. A half dollar seemed like a lot of money back then. This was in the 1965-67 time period when silver was getting drained out of circulation. Every once in a while I could find an IHC or a Barber dime! My grandfather would also sometime give me a silver dollar he got at the bank. That was pretty neat, too.

After a long time away from collecting, I returned to the hobby when the statehood quarter series began. Since then I've developed an interest in 19th century type coins. Well, I always had that interest, but there's a limit to what a kid can ask of his parents. I did get an 1852 trime, an 1857 FE cent, and an 1877-CC quarter when I was a kid. I thought the mint mark with two letters was really neat.

TheRaven · February 23, 2006 12:13PM

State Quarters basically and watching old coins on TV (never got the urge to purchase anything however).....

Always was interested in history so somewhat natural.....

When sports cards got way expensive, I figured coins where a cheaper way to go, not right on this one.....

But $500 for a hunk of gold or a slice of cardboard

Smitty79 · February 23, 2006 12:43PM

Well, I started out with a small cache of coins when I was about 12. My Mom gave me a '78 Ike and a '69 Kennedy. I got a couple modern Canadian Loon dollars that my brother found in repo'd cars and I found a '43 cent on the ground. Also had a few bicentenial quarters. I held on to this small group of coins for some time. Heh, I kept them loose in and old Sucrets box. Then once the state quarter program started, that's when I started to get serious with Whitman classic albums and 2x2s and whatnot. I haven't looked back since. I've accumulated a modest little collection since then ranging from state quarters to silver proof sets to getting my first (and so far only) Morgan, a '79 O, last year. I'm by no means a 'serious collector', but I have fun. Most of my collecting habits can best described as haphazardly. The only series I've seriously pursued so far, aside from state quarters, are the MS SAEs. Only need four more date to bring it up to date. As for my original cache of coins, all but the steelie, Ike and Kennedy are gone. The bicentenials got spent and the Loons went the way of ebay. I can honestly say that I will never get rid of what remains of my original "collection".

Mercury · February 23, 2006 1:18PM

When I was a kid (in the early 70's) my Grandfather, who was a bank president, and his friend would give me coins that were in 2x2's. They were common date lincolins and buffalos and a few steal war cents. Well, It was great fun as a kid to get what I thought were great treasures at the time. Because of them I was always on the look out for anything intresting in my change. In the following years I collected lots of low grade stuff from my change and I also collected anything new or diffrent. This went on until 1999 when my uncle, who I did not even know collected coins asked my Dad for help in selling off the coins he had. This led me into the true coin world. My fether asked me to take care of it. and handed me a brief case of coins. That I was to decide what to do with and give the money to my Uncle. I have to admit, I wis h I had those coins back with what I know now I bet I could have given my uncle three time what I set to him. However, that sent me into the real world of collecting. And, since then I have been told my Grandfather has a safe full of coins that will not be opened untill the death of both him and his wife. Well, that mistery along with the deside to know more and the coins I was collection drove me to coin shows and the internet coin chat rooms. And the rest as they say is history. (of coures, I am still waiting for that safe to be opened)

Mercury

numobri · February 23, 2006 2:52PM

It's a long story but,gramps started it. He was a cool guy.

Brian

TUMUSS · February 23, 2006 2:55PM

Newmismatist · February 23, 2006 3:03PM

"Santa Claus" (aka my Dad) give me a penny book Christmas Day, 1949 and a "Blue book" - I've been collecting ever since. Bought my first coin on the day after Easter in 1950 - an UNC 1931-S for 50 cents - picked it out an original roll. It helped pay for my 1st car when I turned 16 -

coinnut86 · February 23, 2006 3:16PM

<< "Santa Claus" (aka my Dad) >>

My mom sent me off to get a loaf of bread at the store when I was 7 or 8 and as I was in line, I glanced down to a 1936 Washie

... I still have it

rmoss · February 23, 2006 5:07PM

This is a good question for my 1000th post.

When I was a kid in the mid 50's and early 60's there were still Standing Liberty Quarters, Walking Liberty Halves, Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, an occasional Indian Cent, or Barber coin to be found in circulation. All these different coins fascinated me and I kept what I could when I had the money. I still keep or buy what I can when I have the money. It's been a lifelong love affair with coins.

MAD4MORGANS · February 23, 2006 7:34PM

I started saving a few coins when I was a kid delivering newspapers and later working in stores.

Then real life got in the way until I discovered eBay.

(mixed emoticons)

curly · February 24, 2006 12:04AM

In 1964 I was traveling between military bases and the bus dropped me off in Redding California. Having a few hours to kill, I walked into a restaurant that happened to sell coins on the side. I bought a penny book and a few pennies. After eating, I walked across the street and bought a few rolls and started to fill it up. Been hooked ever since. Great hobby.

How did you start collecting?

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