How many of you had/have parents, grandparents or other ancestors who collect(ed) coins?

SanctionII · May 1, 2009 6:59AM

If you do/did, are/were they the reason you started in the hobby?

For me the answer is no [that I am aware of].

My maternal grandfather was born in 1860 and died in 1956, when I was six months old. Too bad he did not collect new coins out of pocket change for his entire life and give them to me as a gift on the day I was born

That would have given me quite a nice collection to start out with.

stinkinlincoln · May 1, 2009 7:00AM

Yea, my dad and grandfather. Not his dad, my moms dad.

And yes they are why I collect today.......

doh · May 1, 2009 7:05AM

My grandfather and mother both collected...they're definitely the reason I'm in this hobby.

SilverEagles92 · May 1, 2009 7:08AM

My paternal grandfather and great-grandfather, as well as my maternal grandmother and great-grandmother have coin collections, of sorts.

Paternal:

Great-grandfather: Started accumulating silver coins from circulation as they were being phased out of coinage in the late 60's or early 70's. Also inherited a small amount of coins from his father, and bought modern mint products from proof sets to 4-piece gold sets. He has a nice accumulation. He let me catalogue it a while ago, and the value is probably near $12,000 now. A few interesting points: Bought a roll of 1996 silver eagles in 1996 for $100, bought 3 $5 GAE's NGC MS69 in 2001 for $45 each.

Grandfather: He started collecting not too long ago, he received a 4-piece gold set for Christmas from my great-grandfather. He collects statehood quarters, and he bought a few odd denominations at the March ANA show in Charlotte in 2007, he came along with me. Also has some coins he has accumulated from change.

Maternal:

Great-grandmother: buys tons of things from QVC, unfortunately. I've never seen her collection, but my parents have. She supposedly has many silver dollars, probably hundreds. No idea where she got them, or if they're in fact "silver" or just Eisenhower dollars

Grandmother: Her husband (my mom's stepdad) would cull silver out of the money from a vending machine business he had. Many hundreds of silver coins in large paper envelopes. Also a small amount of currency. She also buys from the Mint currently, and has a small accumulation.

I attribute my collecting bug to my paternal great-grandfather, above all others. Interestingly, some of my relatives have begun collecting since I have.

dimples · May 1, 2009 7:08AM

My father was a strong collector and his mother collected from circulation.. Indian pennys to silver dollars

KlectorKid · May 1, 2009 7:14AM

My grandfather worked with money and would swap clad coins in for silver coins and bring them home he did the same with wheat cents, IHCs, Buffs, etc. He died when I was 9 and a year or two later I first saw his collection and became very interested in coins. I focus on the things I like (19th century proofs) but I've always like the idea of finishing his sets of heavily circulated early 1900's coins in blue Whitman folders, taped in so they won't fall out on the holes.

guitarwes · May 1, 2009 7:16AM

Unfortunately, none of my folks or their folks collected. On a side note, most all of my dad's accumulated silver (which wasn't much) from the 50's and 60's got raided by his younger brothers and spent for 5c bottle cokes and soda crackers......

droopyd · May 1, 2009 7:17AM

My dad and his oldest brother got me started at a very early age. I was filling up Whitman penny folders out of circulation beginning in kindergarten.

GFourDriver · May 1, 2009 7:17AM

No, I'm the 1st generation collector but my son collects too.

collegecoincollector · May 1, 2009 7:18AM

a bunch of my uncles collected wheaties from change, as well as mercs i think. all were either spent or given to me over the years

CalGold · May 1, 2009 7:20AM

Coin collecting is the hobby of kings. I am not aware of any kingships in my lineage.

CG

zeebob · May 1, 2009 7:23AM

Grandfather and mother both collected. Dad still collects. Yes these people are the reason I collect.

SilverEagles92 · May 1, 2009 7:27AM

<< <i>Unfortunately, none of my folks or their folks collected. On a side note, most all of my dad's accumulated silver (which wasn't much) from the 50's and 60's got raided by his younger brothers and spent for 5c bottle cokes and soda crackers......

>>

I have a story like that.

My grandpa on my dad's side (we call him Papa) had a Whitman album full of Buffalo nickels that he kept in his sock drawer. Well, when my Dad and his brother and sister were kids, they decided that they wanted ice cream. They went into Papa's sock drawer, and popped the buffalo nickels out of the book and ran over and spent them with the ice cream man. I imagine they got in all kinds of trouble for doing that...

fiveNdime · May 1, 2009 9:46AM

my dad started because my grandpa had a liquor store.
he collected all the 'odd' coins that came through.

my favorite story was how in the 50's someone paid w/a 1909 svdb lincoln. my dad grabbed it and ran home w/o even closing the cash drawer. finanly had it graded a few years ago, MS64red

so i blame my dad, and my son will blame me

JMW · May 1, 2009 9:55AM

My dad did, all out of pocket change. In the early sixties you still saw Buffalo nickels, and an occasional Standing Libiery quarter

Bayard1908 · May 1, 2009 9:56AM

My mom worked as a waitress when she was 14 years old in 1951. She pulled hundreds of buffalo nickels and steel cents out of the cash register. She also hoarded standing liberty quarters and Barber coins. Circa 1964 she also started saving all half dollars and other silver from circulation.

When I first expressed an interest in coins at about age 7, she gave me a Mercury dime and a silver Roosevelt dime. When I got to be about 12 years old, she let me comb through her vast hoard of coins and add half of them to my own collection. Most of it was junk silver; but, I was fascinated with them.

Steve27 · May 1, 2009 10:08AM

My father got me started, and after I lost interest for awhile, he got me started again. He gave me his collection about half a dozen years ago, which included 1880-CC through 1885-CC GSA black-box Morgans.

numisdave · May 1, 2009 11:08AM

My grandfather was an avid collection and in his heyday, won awards from the St. Louis Numismatic Society for his collection and skill. When he grew old his eyesight faded and unfortunately his caretakers (allegedly) helped themselves to the majority of the collection. Nonetheless my father kept what was left, though he didn't pay any attention to them. I found them fascinating and have been hooked ever since.

GoldenEyeNumismatics · May 1, 2009 11:09AM

No one in my family.

drei3ree · May 1, 2009 11:20AM

My great uncle collected. He made it known that when he died, he wanted me to have his coin collection (that filled the top drawer on his dresser). Within one week of his passing, in the summer of 1974, my great aunt took all of the coins to the bank and cashed them in...

pakasmom · May 1, 2009 11:28AM

My maternal grandfather and my mother collected. But I never saw or heard much about the old coins until my father died a couple of years ago. I inherited the dubious honor of being the executor of their estate. Since the siblings just wanted to know how much things were worth, I had to buy them out. I was in love with old coins from the first time I laid eyes on them.

ambro51 · May 1, 2009 11:53AM

My Grandmother was an avid from circulation collector with a full set of whitmans from pennies to silver dollars. I studied and admired them from the time I could walk up the stairs to her sewing room, where they were kept. I would say, most of the coins were pulled from circulation from the 40's to the 60's. No great rarities, though there was a nice VF 32D quarter....

When she passed on in 1985, he coins went into my parents safe, and in 2006 they all became mine. By then, my granddaughter, age 9, was starting to get interested in coins, and in fact was picking wide AM coins from circulation.

I gave her half of the whitmans. A sizable lump for a young collector, mercurys buff nickels, silver dollars etc etc etc.

Interesting now looking back are the dozen or so indian cents, and the half dozen Liberty nickels. Now, I realize these were all circulation finds.

garsmith · May 1, 2009 11:55AM

My grandmother collected coins- when she passed away her coins went to my uncle. He had no interest in them so when he found out I was collecting coins he gave them to me.

When we lived in England my older brother collected Roman coins, but he hasn't kept up with his collecting. I was collecting world stamps when we where over there.

mrearlygold · May 1, 2009 12:01PM

My Babci ( pronouced bopchee ) or Grandmother came to America from Poland in 1917. She had eleven children, purchased a townhouse ( row house but now I believe they call them townhouses ) in Bayonne NJ, land way out in western NJ, and gave her children a small quantity of silver dollars when they married.

MarkInDavis · May 1, 2009 1:56PM

My father got my brother and me started when I was about 12. Like most, I lost interest in my late teens as there were other, more important things to spend money on. When I was visiting my parents a couple years back, I showed my son what we had collected when I was a kid. We started collecting. Now he's nearly 15 and is finding other things to spend his money on, but I am still at it. One of these days, my brother and I will split up the collection from when we were kids. My dad will keep a few of his favorites. It will take a lot of time and effort to split up the old collection and that's why we haven't got around to it yet.

SaorAlba · May 1, 2009 10:27PM

None collected coins, but saved them, like I have an 1867 2 cent piece that my grandfather got from his brother ca. 1897 to take into town to buy candy after he lost a finger in a corn shucking machine. He kept the coin for 80+ years before he gave it to me when I was a small boy.

TwoSides2aCoin · May 1, 2009 11:36PM

My parents collected coins. They put me to bed without dinner and charged me fifty cents for breakfast.

ProofArtworkonCircs · May 2, 2009 2:38PM

My father (1873-1956) had a modest collectrtion.

Sparkle · May 3, 2009 10:48AM

My dad was into taking Buffalo nickels and pre 1965 quarters out of circulation. He was equally enthusiastic about finding "two-centers," the early recyclable soda cans, which were as good as coinage to him. In his younger years, he filled coin boards. I brought him David Lange's book, which Dave inscribed for him, and he was thrilled to recognize some of the boards.

PCcoins · May 3, 2009 10:59AM

Neither of my folks collected coins. But when I was young my grandmother bought coins from the Franklin mint for me and some uncirculated mint sets, which first got me interested in coins. Thanks Grandma!

78750Aggie · May 3, 2009 11:03AM

My Dad collected coins and directly responsible for me collecting, but not because I paid attention to his collecting...a long story. My wifes Grandfather collected coins and had two completed Morgan books...all coins, but I won't have a chance to get my hands on those books. I've seen them and reviewed each coin, but didn't have my camera at the time.

Unfortunately, my MIL will probably sell them to some dealer who will take her for the coins. She will not listen to me.

BlindedByEgo · May 3, 2009 11:14AM

My father and his father. I started as a direct result of their collecting.

rec78 · May 3, 2009 11:49AM

My dad got me into coin collecting in 1958. He and three of his brothers and a sister collected coins but only to a very limited extent. They mostly collected coins from circulation and never bought anything from dealers or went to shows. My dad bought coins from the mint once in while. He enjoyed going through rolls that he would get at banks. Joseph J. Mickley was a great,great great uncle of mine.

Eagleguy · May 3, 2009 10:02PM

My paternal grandfather collected coins, mostly cents and nickels - Whitman album type stuff. I inherited it all at 13 years old when he died and it got me started on my obsession.

JH

How many of you had/have parents, grandparents or other ancestors who collect(ed) coins?

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