What is the record for longest period of time being a coin collector?
SanctionII
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I assume that there are some collectors who started out at 6 or 7 years of age and 80-90 years later were still collecting when they died at their kitchen table, slumped over his newly acquired [and last] coin, with a loupe in one hand and a Red Book in the other.
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Jim
We have people here who started before the war, I believe.
Ooooops rick beat me to it. Do you hear an echo???
Hendershott attended the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In 1994 he authored a book on the 1904 World's Fair memorabilia. I thought it amazing that a book was pubished in 1994 about the 1904 World's Fair and had been written by someone who actualy attended the Fair!
Here is a link to a page with more information about Robert Hendershott: Hendershott's life
Edited to add that 291fifth beat me to the nomination. But I feel confident that we are correct.
<< <i>i'm definitely not gonna be in this one with all the old farts around here......
Hey...I resemble that remark...
Well, according to my folks, I was grabbing for coins before I could walk...
Started "collecting" at age 4...1958
<< <i>I am very confident that no one will be able to "beat" my nominee, Robert Hendershott. Hendershott was born in 1898 and started collecting as a child. He died in 2005, at age 106. He was a founder of the FUN coin club. The last time I recall seeing him was in 2003 at the January FUN show. So Hendershott may have collected and/or been interested in collecting coins for 100 years!
Hendershott attended the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In 1994 he authored a book on the 1904 World's Fair memorabilia. I thought it amazing that a book was pubished in 1994 about the 1904 World's Fair and had been written by someone who actualy attended the Fair!
Here is a link to a page with more information about Robert Hendershott: Hendershott's life
>>
There may well be no famous collector who collected longer
but there are dozens if not hundreds who aren't or weren't
famous. Many people start collecting very young and stick
with it their entire lives.
1976 Selling as a Young Dealer at age 14.
Dealers in the LA area gave me consignments of coins and I learned about keeping the difference.
I made great money as a "Kid Dealer".
Those were the days.
Gardnerville, NV
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I actually doubt that there are "dozens" of collectors who collected longer than Hendershott. And I believe a little work with some data will show it is very clear there aren't "hundreds." I think it's undeniable that white males are, by far, the vast majority of collectors, so I am going to restrict my analysis to white males. According to the census in 2000 there were 5,799 white males 100 or older. Hendershott lived to be 106; in 2000 there were only 1,183 white males 105 or older. (These data are on page 7 of this link.)
How many of these oldersters might be expected to be coin collectors? I can approximate the number by noting that the ANA has approximately 30,000 members. Let's suppose that 1/5 of people we classify as collectors belong to the ANA. (In other words, I am excluding people who once in a while throw a coin aside. I don't think of these people as really being "collectors" as the word should be used. And I seriously doubt that any of these very casual collectors "collect" for over 100 years.) This fraction means there there are about 30,000 x 5 or 150,000 coin collectors in the United States. Now, if there are 150,000 coin collectors in the United States, given that the U.S. population is about 300 million, this then means that about 1 out of 2,000 people is a coin collector. Frankly, this ratio seems high t me, but let's use it. So out of the 5,799 over 100 white males alive in 2000, we'd expect about 3 to be coin collectors. And of the 1,183 over 105 white males, we'd expect about 1/2 of a person to be a coin collector. Now how many of these people started collecting as a child, as did Hendershott? I doubt all did--let's say that 1/2 started as a child. That means that Hendershott's "competition" is 1 1/2 white males over 100 and 1/4 of a white male over 105. AND let's keep in mind that in 2000 Hendershott himself was over 100 and hence subtracting him out leaves only 1/2 of another white male over 100 who collected coins as long as Hendershott.
Now, that was a lot of math. And it was just for one year; I am unsure how I'd try to extrapolate this one year over more than one year. But I think it's clear that the number of collectors who collected as long as Hendershott is incredibly small and perhaps zero.
By the way, until I started to search for these data, I had no idea how remarkable Hendershott's "accomplishment" was. And so I must thank Cladking for interesting me in these calculations. I rarely disagree with Cladking, but in this one case I think I do.
<< <i>i'm definitely not gonna be in this one with all the old farts around here......
Hey!
Are you disrespecting your, ah...... your...
your....
Nevermind.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
"Hundreds" might be an exagerration but I doubt "dozens" are.
Let us average it and call 1939 the start point for me. That certainly isn't a record, but I think it is for living posters on this forum so far.
<< <i>I am not sure just when I started. It was somewhere between 3 and 5 when my aunt gave me a silver three cent piece.
Let us average it and call 1939 the start point for me. That certainly isn't a record, but I think it is for living posters on this forum so far. >>
I was thinking of you when I suggested there was at least one member here who started before WW II.
What I found simply awesome was his tall tales of saving pristine gem brilliant uncirculated coins from newly issues coins in 1881 as a 6 year old. I thought it was so impossible until I did the math!
I started collecting myself as a 6 year old in 1959 or as a 7 year old in 1960. For some reason, I get the correct year mixed up.
I have made a promise that I will sell my collection by the time I am 67 years old which will be in 12-13 years.
<< <i>Bob Hendershott may hold the record. I'm not sure if he started collecting at the time of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, which he attended as a six year old, but if he did he would have been an active collector for 100+ years. I seem to recall he died in 2005. Correct me if I'm wrong. >>
Gotta be Bob. And he had all his marbles when he went.
He lived to be 106, dying in 2005. This would make his activity in numismatics a span of some 95 years.
Eric P. Newman started collecting coins when he was 7 years old. His maternal grandfather gave him an 1859 Indian Head copper cent. He was born in 1911, making his start date 1918. That was 90 years ago.
My friend Eric, now 97 years old, is incredibly active and has a mind that is like a steel trap. I recently visited with him at his money museum in St. Louis and he is simply "THE BEST" TM.
Interestingly, both of these men were from St. Louis, MO.
<< <i>Bob Hendershott may hold the record. I'm not sure if he started collecting at the time of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, which he attended as a six year old, but if he did he would have been an active collector for 100+ years. I seem to recall he died in 2005. Correct me if I'm wrong. >>
i got to meet henderschott in 2003 or so. the old fella was still sharp as a tack.
cool question re: the op!
K S