1939 dbl die/the coin that started my obsession

fishteeth · April 9, 2007 11:38AM

This coin was several first for me. I cherry picked this coin out of a junk box at a flea market for 25 cents as an 8 yr old kid. I had just started "collecting" after finding a box of foreign coins in our house. A few weeks after finding it I took it to a dealer to find out what had happened to it to create the weird letters and he promptly offered me 100 dollars for it, That was a small fortune for me and got me hooked on the hobby. I luckily turned it down and a few yrs later I sent it into ANACS, PCGS was just getting started at this time. I thought it was so cool to have my first certified coin. This was during the late 80's and I should probably be thankful that I didn't have money to buy the "real coins" at that time. Since then I have taken a few breaks from the hobby but never really left it.
The funny thing is I never bought another Jeff nickle, instead I was always drawn to the early stuff, however, this coin will never be sold. The fuzz is on the holder.

Does anyone else have one coin or moment that got them hooked on this hobby. Hopefully I can finally get an Icon this month

commoncents05 · April 9, 2007 11:42AM

Love it! I started my collecting when I ordered a 20th century type set board from a book order in the 4th grade. I've been going stronger and stronger since, for about 10 years now!

-Paul

cwazzy · April 9, 2007 11:59AM

I started collecting in 2005 when I was handed an article from Reader's Digest about coins to look for in pocket change. One of the coins pictured was the 1979 P SBA wide rim. I had just started a job as a teller at the time and was changing the dollar coin bag from the coin machine and happened to notice a 1979 on top the pile of coins. It happened to be the wide rim and I have been collecting ever since.
Someday I hope to be able to afford more than pocket change

.

mgoodm3 · April 9, 2007 12:00PM

I like the 39 DDR. They have nice spread on the doubling.

Colquhoun · April 9, 2007 12:15PM

When I was 9 or 10 years old I walked into a coin shop for the first time. My father had given me a whitman nickel album and the key to the coke machine in his store. I had managed to put together a respectable set of nickels even found a couple buffalos. I stepped up to the counter and showed my album to the dealer, with pride. I then stared wide eyed, as he reached back in his safe and pulled out a 2x2. He said, kid if you like nickel you surely will like this. He showed me how the word Monticello was doubled, told me all about how it happens. And showed me the value of it in the Red Book.. $7.50. Suddenly I forgot all about felling the holes in my album, and made me first implusive and real coin purchase. I was hooked. I still have that coin today, along with the year old red book he tossed in for free. And for the next 20 years, until I married and moved away. I made a majority of my coin purchases from that very dealer.

JRocco · April 9, 2007 12:30PM

Great story and a really nice coin. I have always loved varieties and EVERY collector at some time in their journey realizes how awesome these varieties are. Even Russ, who used to look at us variety guys as weenies, now is into varieties---like his birthmark Kennedy's (now don't feel you have to reply to this little truism Russ

- there really is no shame in calling yourself a variety guy)

ddbird · April 9, 2007 12:37PM

Neat Story...

I started...10 years ago (I've been collecting for more than half of my life).

My grandfather handed me a dateless Standing Liberty Quarter. I sat and looked at it for a good three hours while he watched. Then all of a sudden he said "Well I guess if you like that enough you might as well have the others"

Boy did my eyes light up. I still have every single coin he ever gave me. Including some neat Carson City Morgans he purchased for face from the bank.

stephunter · April 9, 2007 12:51PM

Great story and nice coin (better than AU50 by todays standards).

My grandfather gave me a coffee can that was about 1/4 full of silver dollars 10 years ago that were passed down from his mother. I went through them and found a 34-S Peace dollar that looked like a nice AU coin to me. I took the coin into a dealer about 3 years after getting it he sent it to Pcgs for me. It came back MS62!!

cladking · April 9, 2007 1:18PM

My first "keeper" was a nice XF 1936 buffalo that I found in my
dad's change in 1957. I finally completed the set in 1964 but had
to buy a lot of the coins mail order.

The '36 wasn't a DDR unfortunately.

foundinrolls · April 9, 2007 1:19PM

I really get a kick out of varieties. That's a NICE one!!
Bill

1939 dbl die/the coin that started my obsession

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