How Many Here Collect Coins?

[fascisthunter]

Poll question: How Many Here Collect Coins?

Yes, a non political question for DUers. I have been a hobbyist most of my life, yet not as serious a collector until I was about 30. How many DUers here collect coins?

[roamer65]

1. My weakness is Double Eagles ($20 US gold)

[fascisthunter]

3. awesome! At this point collecting coins, I can only dream

of Double Eagles...

My favorite coin so far is an Austrian Taler/Thaler 1632.

[roamer65]

8. It's a collection I can never complete, but it's fun.

The Carson City and New Orleans ones are very rare and expensive. Many of the St Gaudens double eagles were destroyed in the 1937 US gov't melt of gold coins. Thank goodness for European banks which refused to redeem their US gold for paper money in 1933-34. Most double eagles you see at coins shows nowadays are from European banks.

[fascisthunter]

12. That's right... I read a good book about Coins

and Carson CIty came up a lot. What a beautiful coin the Double Eagle is... the more rare the more enticing.

Well, hopefully this evening I will have a 1995 Double Die Cent!

Question: do you grade and buy raw Double Eagles or slabbed?

[roamer65]

15. I absoutely steer clear of uncertified, unslabbed US gold.

99% of them in my collection are PCGS or NGC only.

Way too many good counterfeits in pre-1933 US gold so I trust the experts to look them over first.

[fascisthunter]

17. ok... That's what I was Thinking

I learned about grading, but because counterfeiting is so prevalent, I prefer NGC or PCGS. I have sunk enough money into raw coins to know it's a huge gamble. Here's the coin I mentioned above and yes, it is RAW:



This is the coin I have, but in slight better condition than what you see here.

[roamer65]

18. nice coin!

It's mostly a personal judgement on raw vs certified. I have a 1829 US half dollar that I bought raw. It wasn't expensive and the toning "tells" me its genuine, so not much need to worry on certification, IMHO.

[fascisthunter]

21. I'm, not confident in my grading... lol

someday I will be. I've been ripped off a couple times, so until I am more confident in my ability to grade or spot a counterfeit, I will be relying on slabs and grading companies, which I hope to someday do without.

If I had the funds, I would exclusively collect Large Cents... coinage from the beginnings of this country fascinate me the most. Colonial coins are intriguing too...

I'm hooked I tell ya!

[roamer65]

26. You'll get better at grading.

I "cut my teeth" on Morgan dollars and learned grading with them, before heading into double eagles. Doubles are absolute addiction once you get into them, so I understand being "hooked".

[gateley]

2. Am not, have never been a collector, but I think I would be very interesting. nt

[fascisthunter]

4. It is... there is history in coins

if you begin collecting, learn how to grade them... then start a collection of any coin. It's fun, educational and can be an investment.

[gateley]

6. That's what I was thinking about -- the history. And knowing that others

somewhere and some time used the very coin you're holding to buy a loaf of bread (or something.:)) Not in a position to begin a collection, but I wish you continued success and enjoyment with yours! :hi:

[fascisthunter]

7. Thanks... it's been lot's of fun

someday I may either pass it all down to someone of my choosing or cash in for whatever it is worth, although when the time comes, I imagine that decision will not be so casual.

[petronius]

5. I do now. I used to collect dollars, but then the Bush economy came along...

Hah! How's that for a snarky political answer to your non-political poll?

Seriously, I don't collect coins but I have a box of unusual (to me) coins that I set aside. Also, I have a bunch of 1800s coins that my grandmother had - they're pretty cool...

[fascisthunter]

9. cool.... that's pretty much how I started

and elderly lady my mother worked for gave me a few old coins, and from there, I was always wondering the history of those coins.

[CTyankee]

10. Question for you: are $2 bills still in U.S. currency? I have a couple that my mother

gave me about 10 years ago. I think she got them in Vegas. I never see them here in CT but then we don't see $1 coins either, or 50 cent pieces either for that matter...

[roamer65]

13. Yes, they are.

If they are Federal Reserve Notes with the Declaration of Independence signing on the back, they would be mainly of sentimental value for you...and worth $2.

[CTyankee]

16. Oh, I don't care what they are worth...and I'm not sure why I even keep them

except to show to my grandkids, if I were to remember to do so...

[roamer65]

19. Keep them and give them to the grandkids eventually.

$2 bills are a great memento kinda gift.

[On the Road]

11. I Expect That Numismatics is Very Interesting

especially from a historical and geographical perspective.

My father is a philatelist, specializing in German plebiscites formed after WWI -- Allenstein, Saar, Memel, Schleswig-Holstein, etc. It makes the history much more palbable, and leads to all kinds of interesting findings.

[fascisthunter]

14. now THAT is very interesting

talk about collecting history!

[On the Road]

27. Yeah, He's Been Doing This for Years

and gotten into all sorts of historical nooks and crannies: Illegal cancellations, stamps used from the previous government during transition periods, stamps canceled on overnight trains, overprints by the successor government, charitable semi-postals, etc. He even put a set of stamps under a spectroscope to identify different batches ink on the same denomination.

He learned photoshop and created a series of specialized stamp albums for other enthusiasts as a hobby business under the name Album Art Press. His collection was worth over $40,000 before he started to sell it off.

[fascisthunter]

31. wow... that's very cool

the amount of knowledge you gain from a hobby really makes collecting worth more than it's monetary value. I'll be collecting till I die...

[pansypoo53219]

20. if i ee coins at estate sales, i get them,

best deal-1719 austrian-hungarian for $2.50. 1/2 off.

[fascisthunter]

22. THAT's a Really Good Way of Getting some fine coins...

I've have read numerous accounts(some may have been fictional) of folks going to estate sales and finding very nice coins.

[fascisthunter]

23. well, I'm Glad to See Some People are Interested

right now, I need new tires for my car, so I'm off, but will be back to check in.

[Feron]

24. Occasionally..

I mainly collect the newer U.S. coins, but I do have a few older and foreign coins.

[LoZoccolo]

25. If I happen to get an interesting coin in some change, I set it aside.

I've got some neat ones, and I don't know if I got ripped off lol.

[trusty elf]

28. My passion is ancient Greek coins.

I have a small , but nice collection.

Also, numismatic literature pertaining to Greek coins.

[fascisthunter]

29. very cool... I am tempted to buy a couple Greek coins

the problem is, once I start a collection, I keep going.

[cbdo2007]

32. Yes, I don't collect "current" coins, rather I prefer old Roman coins.

I'm not a big collector by any means but have bought a dozen or so off of Ebay. They really are an amazing piece of history!

[KittyWampus]

30. I have some Victorian Love Tokens which are silver coins that've been polished down, then engraved

[saltpoint]

33. I don't collect coins. But I did like the new nickel with the buffalo on it.

Just like olden times.

[fascisthunter]

38. I Agree... The Buffalo Head nickel was very attractive

here's the newer one:

[KittyWampus]

40. I like they used "E Pluribus Unum" on it.

[saltpoint]

45. Yep. Still pretty handsome. Thanks for putting that up for us.

[Ex Lurker]

34. I collected coins as a kid....

my grandmother was a teacher and used to take admission at the HS basketball games in the fifties and early sixties. They would occasionally get a silver doller in the till, and she'd replace it with a paper dollar and give me the silver one. That's how I got started, and it turned into quite a collection. I must have close to a hundred Morgan dollars, ranging in condition from nearly illegible to Brilliant Uncirculated, along with the typical Indian Head cents, silver coins of various kinds, and one $5 gold piece. I haven't done anything with it in years and years. I ought to get it all appraised and see what it's worth.

[fascisthunter]

39. get it appraised or at least placed in a coin holder

you probably have a collection worth a lot more than you realize. SOme of those coins may be very rare.

[begin_within]

35. I don't, but a friend of mine is a lifelong collector

He has a large collection and he continues to buy and sell, even selling on ebay. He knows way more about coins than I ever will.

[applegrove]

36. I worked at a store that sold coins. I was showing them to a customer one day. I noticed

that I had a little cheese powder on my finger from eating cheetos a little earlier. I went and checked the coins. One of the ones I showed the customer came with a little booklet. There was cheese powder on that. So I had to buy it. It only cost be $200. I looked it up online and it was only worth $35 dollars. That is the start and end to my coin collecting.

[fascisthunter]

41. that's terrible..

coin collectors who care about the hobby itself will be honest. Why? Because of the experience you had, there is one less collector, which is not good for coin collecting in general.

[applegrove]

54. It was a the hotel gift shop of a swanky hotel. So I think their prices are

quite high for a number of reasons. It was my own fault for not totally wiping my hands.

[Duer 157099]

37. I started when I was a kid

Our neighbor drove a bakery truck (like an ice cream truck, except with baked goods) and every day after work he would let me sort through his change and pull out the wheat cents. That's how I got started.

But now my collection is literally too heavy. It's not just cents, I branched into quarters and some halves and other miscellany. More than anything, I got interested in errors. None are really valuable, but there are just TOO MANY of them and I'm beginning to wonder what I should do. Every time I try to get them organized I get overwhelmed and just put them all away again.

I'm afraid when I'm gone, my son will just cash them in for face value :sigh:

[fascisthunter]

43. find someone you trust to help

or if you have the time or energy, sell them as is on eBay, but research values first. The more you know the better chance you will have selling those coins. I just missed buying a 1995 double die last night.

[Duer 157099]

49. I wish I knew someone who could help

Not even close.

As for errors, I once got a roll of 1994 Kennedy halves and at least half of them had doubling on the face. Then I researched it, learned of the dirrerence between bona fide doubled die and machine doubling and figured these must be machine doubling, which is practically worthless, unless you sell them to someone who doesn't know the difference.

So be careful.

[H2O Man]

42. I have a small collection.

My brother and I collected coins (and "paper") as kids; our combined collection disappeared when he moved out of our parents' house. It re-appeared decades later, though it had become "his" collection. Odd, that.

I have a modest collection. Both of my sons have collections. My daughters aren't as interested in collecting coins, as in spending money.

(Note: We live in what was formerly a stage coach station, built in the late 1790s. Our driveway was part of a turnpike in the post-Revolutionary War era. I need to get a metal detector, as I suspect there could be some old coins, etc, on the property.)

[fascisthunter]

44. Well, at Least it's your Brother and not a Stranger

H2O, if you get a metal detector, I guarantee you will find some interesting pieces from the past, and not just coins, but button, bullet shells, clasps, belt buckles, etc. I have a metal detector(ahem... borrowed from my own brother) and hope to do a bit of searching on lands that are legal to search on.

Since the land is yours, you have no worries... have fun!

[H2O Man]

46. Besides the

house, there used to be a couple early "industries" here .... a cloth & carding mill, and a blacksmith's shop. Since moving in, we've found some pretty interesting things, while gardening, etc. One of the things I like best is the old mill stone, that my son found buried several inches down.

My interest in collecting generally is focused on pre-historic artifacts. However, from a site not far from our home, there was a large camp site used by Mohawk leader Joseph Brant during the Revolutionary War. I've got quite a few buttons, etc from that site. And I've seen a few coins that were uncovered there in a 1969 excavation.

Regarding strangers: no one, and I mean no one, is stranger than my brother.

[fascisthunter]

47. You sit on a "Gold Mine" of the past

another interesting find may be medicine bottles...! You have plenty to look over it sounds, so it should be lot's of fun. The idea of discovering a once discarded item from the past, which hasn't been in human contact until found by oneself is amazing.

Someday, I imagine humans digging up artifacts from our time, wondering what it was like to live in our time.... maybe not so much, since we seem to record most things these days. In essence, there is no such thing as ownership, just the borrowing of materials for a period of time. I'm ok with that.

[Duer 157099]

50. I've got a metal detector! Haven't used it for a couple decades, but

boy it sure is fun when you have an interesting place to search!

So let's do it!

[mdmc]

48. I collect coins

I try to receive my spending money in dollar coins. I spend the presidential coins and keep the Susan B. Anthony and Sacajawea coins..
I always look for bi-centennial quarters and wheat pennies.
I always try to get jfk coins and ask if they are available when receiving change at a store.

My grandfather had a huge coin collection. It was stolen from my family. I have been trying to rebuild the collection ever since. I don't invest, but I collect none the less..

[Edweird]

51. I have a 1 gallon Zephyr Hills water jug I throw my pocket change in.

Does that count?

[tabasco]

52. I found a Turkish 10 kurus 1972 coin in my change he other day.

Has Ataturk driving a tractor.

Cool coin.

[fascisthunter]

53. and here it is:

[Broken_Hero]

55. Not really, but I do

buy coins very often for my father who is a very avid coin collector. He prefers the "tokens" over most coinage, but he does have a vast collection of monetary coins.