Will Cut Grass for Coins

Member Name: doh

My grandfather owned a coin shop in suburban Chicago, which is where I acquired the collecting bug. I started with common date unc Morgans, moved up to an 1881-S $5 gold piece and eventually completed a set of Mercury Dimes. This piece, however, was the biggy. I bought it in 1995 and had it on lay-away forever. I believe I paid $1325 which, in the days when lawnmowing was my primary income, might as well have been a million. Of course, with the family connection, my grandpa let me keep it on lay-away much longer than the standard 90 days. As I recall the coin came into the shop raw with some other silver dollars. At first I was a bit turned off by the darkish color, but I decided I wanted it anyway. We sent it off to PCGS and it came back in an OGH, which of course was just the regular holder then I paid it off and kept it with my other coins, who probably felt very overshadowed by their "great aunt" in the safe deposit box. I've sold many of the coins I bought as a kid, but even though I've never collected Bust Dollars I've hung on to this one. From this one coin I've learned a great deal of things that have helped me as a numismatist:
1. Don't have OGHs reholdered into the new blue holders just to match your other coins.
2. Yeah, it's dark, but a little too dark is better than a little too bright! This philosophy has completely directed my collecting efforts.
3. This coin is impressive to non-collectors. People hear I collect coins and they almost always ask, "what's your oldest coin" and when that date starts with "17," it's pretty special.
4. It's been a great investment. Yeah, I know, sort of takes the romance out of it, but it's important!

Carson City Haircut

Member Name: gummibear

When I was about 14 I had to get a haircut and my mother sent me with the money. I stopped at the coin shop and bought my first CC dollar. I didn't have enough left for the haircut so my mother made me take the dollar back. After that cc dollars always were always a top wish list coin. I did eventually get most of the CCs in better condition but they always reminded me of the one that I had to take back. To top it off most of my hair has gone south anyway.

Family Heirloom is Worth More Than Gold

Member Name: airplanenut

The summary is that after my great aunt passed away in January of 2007, two gold coins were found by my grandfather and his brother in her safe deposit box. It was determined that my great-grandfather pulled them from the cash register at his grocery store during the 1933 gold recall, and they've been in the family ever since. To make things more exciting, I've also confirmed that the $2 1/2 Indian is actually a 1911-D Weak D, with the Denver issue being the key date to the series. Both coins are choice, original AUs with light skins. They will NEVER be slabbed, and they will NEVER be sold. These coins will be in the family for the long haul.

It took me a few years to finally make a custom holder, which you can see below, complete with the story. My grandfather helped immensely, providing a long family history from which to gather information for the text I would use. The story alone, though, was fascinating and provided much information I never knew about my family.

Poor -01 Large Cent Not Poor in Sentimental Value

Member Name: tjkillian

Back in 1997, my wife and I were touring the Amish countryside in Pennsylvania and stopped at a flea market. We were separately looking around and my wife got my attention on a large cent for sale for $1.00. I jumped on it like white on rice and picked it up. It was a 1795, plain edge large cent in PO-01 condition. I had it for several years when I heard Braddick looking for PO-01 coins for his lowest graded type set. I told him about the coin and he wanted to buy it, but only if I had it graded by PCGS. The lower the grade, the more he would pay. So I sent it to PCGS and it came back just like I though, in a PO-01 holder. He paid for it in misc. U.S. coins, including a heavily tooled Trade dollar. I told my wife about it after the fact and she was disheartened that I sold it. About a year or so later, Braddick was selling it on eBay so I put in a nice strong bid. But alas, I was outbid at the last moment by ColorfulCoins. He is also collecting the lowest graded coins. I contacted him about selling it to me, and he was amiable to the idea. He came over to my house, showed me his lowest graded collection and I was impressed. We traded coins and cash and I got back my 1795 large cent! I have since traded/bought/sold several more coins to him. To this day I host all of his coin pictures for his selling on ebay as a kind of thank you for the coin.

Owes $60

Member Name: ambro51

On a hot summer evening......before the days of everyone having air conditioners....I sat on my bed night after night, searching through rolls of circulated cents looking for the new Holy Grail of pennies.

1972. I was 17, not your usual 17 year old...I was the kid with the telescope, coin collection, history books, antiques.....and I just HAD TO have one of the hot new doubled dies. There were a few close calls, those wannabe doubled dies with the little shift or something, but they werent what I was hunting.

I still remember the moment. I found one. I FOUND ONE!!! Hopped off that bed, ran out to the living room, Dad was sitting in his chair reading the newspaper. I could tell he doubted it.....had to get his magnifying glass...and then the official pronounciation of fact...YUP, you sure DID!..........and he made note of the fingerprint on it.

So the most valuable coin I ever owned came to me that steamy summer evening for one cent. It went into a plastic container, and it was a treasure which was worth vast riches (to a kid anyway). And many many times, I had no money, and was in need of money. My dear Mom, always seemed to have some money but geez it was tough to get!

She was willing though, to buy the coin from me on several occasions, and go put it into the safe. Once my loan was paid off...I got the coin back.

The last loan, I recall, was for Sixty dollars. ............but, well, college, marriage, moving away.....all led to the loan not getting repaid, and the coin sitting in the safe.

Three years ago, Dad passed on and I was left with the sad task of cleaning out the house. The combination to the safe was burned into my mind...because you see, I didnt "OWN" the coin for quite awhile, but Mom always let me go and take a look at it if I wanted to. 90-10-60 (and back to 0). One day in 2007, I opened the safe. Alone in the house....I looked through the accumulation of the important things in Mom and Dads life.

...and there was my coin. A little scrap of paper said 'owes $60'.

So thats the story I have to offer. The coin is still a very important part of my collection, probably the only Lincoln cent Id never think of selling. I did send it in for grading, and it got an MS63RB....darned fingerprint!

Overton Book A-Must!

Member Name: seaeaglecoins

First, I would like to present a little background to this recent "discovery"...

I have always been fascinated by coins... primarily old ones and especially early US... ever since I was a little "pisher" ... my interest numismatically, has been more from a socio-economic viewpoint than a technical one.

An obvious doubling or die clash has always gotten the collector in me excited, yet my interest in subtle die variances has only been recent. An amazingly original old coin that has many interesting stories to tell will always excite the collector in me... die clashes and doubling, even when common, can still get me worked up... the same does not occur with me when I come across some die variety that requires major magnification and a road map to find... but sometimes the hunt can consume me... and the destination can be worth the trip... as in this case...

When I began setting up at shows around 5 years ago, I knew far less than I do today... for instance, I owned some nice original Bust Halves yet had never heard of Overton ... the first time I set up at the Parsippany show in New Jersey, I... of course... was cherry picked on at least more than one occasion... the first day there, a dealer, whom I later found out, was a Bust Half specialist, looked over my display... asked for prices on 3 or 4 of my Bust Halves... he did not quibble and bought them... I was pleased as I had made a profit... around a half hour later, he came back and said " Dude, you need to get an Overton book and learn to use it"... I asked him what he meant... he rolled his eyes and explained... LOL... he ended by saying "If I come back in the future and see you have still not attributed your Bust Halves, I will continue to cherry pick you... I would have paid much more for the coins I bought... learn or leave money on the table"... he never told me what he "found"... but I did buy the book and did learn how to use it...

Eventually I added the Peterson book and many others to my library... and now I enjoy searching thru my coins and the stories around them have gained more texture and deeper meaning...

Flash forward a few years when a vest pocket dealer began working with me... quite often I found little in his offerings... but every now and then he would pop up with a nice coin or two and at a fair price... I began to show him the types of coins I really got excited about and he made a point to search them out for me... sometimes with success...

On a few occasions he would present some Bust Halves... I noted that he never had them attributed... and tried to pass on the lesson taught to me... he said he had no interest in such things... had no intention of buying the Overton book... that varieties were not his thing... I pressed the issue a few more times and finally gave up... meanwhile, he never came up with much more than common R-1 and occasional R-2 or 3 varieties... but some nice looking material, none-the-less...

Now on to the recent Parsippany show, earlier this month... I have been especially busy at this show for a number of months now... this show was not an exception... this gentleman approached my table early on... he had not had much of interest for several months... we had chatted at recent shows but had not done much business... he told me he had one new coin that he was pretty sure I would like... and that he could sell it for a fair price... I said "Sure, I'd like to see it"... it was a nice original, somewhat crusty Bust Half in choice XF... I looked it over... asked the price... liked the price and bought it... after thanking him and some general pleasantries, I put it in my newp box and on with the show...

A few days later, I pulled out my newps and began to go through them... this is a pleasurable time for me, as this is when the collector in me gets a good workout... grading and attributing... possibly "grazing" for an interesting addition to my personal collection (which is mainly a place for "wayward" coins... nice lookers but with some issue or other)...

Anyway... I come to this Bust Half... looking at the date, I sort of groan... it is an 1827... as these can be tough to attribute sometimes, with many choices to wade through... at least the Peterson book with the quick find charts, makes the task a bit easier... still, after a half hour, getting it narrowed down to a few possibilities, I began to get a bit of a "Sheldon" headache, as I call it ... I put the books and coin away and figured I'd get back to it later...

A few days later I went back... after some more process of elimination... I had it narrowed down to two probable choices... one was an R-3 marriage and the other an R-6, according to the Overton book... I was not willing to accept it might be an R-6 at this point and had no idea what kind of premium this would carry... I got a small flutter in my gut... shook it off and put the coin away again...

Now a few days later, I decided to get this all sorted out... cleared my desk... stiff cup of coffee... total lighting... all loupes and I got down to business... first, I told my cats to stay clear and not bother me LOL... this time they actually listened ... more LOL...

This time I pulled up the Heritage archives... found an example of the R-3 and after a few minutes became convinced that "my" coin was not that Marriage... now I was getting excited...

I could not find an example of the R-6 at the Heritage site... I looked at the sparse info in Peterson and the terse description in Overton for the R-6... I thought... "This has to be it... by process of elimination, I have ruled out the other choices... but I'm still not convinced"... and besides, what would this mean in terms of value... would it double or maybe triple? (well, I am a dealer too, ya know )

Finally, I simply googled the date and Overton #...

1827 O-148 ...

...and lo and behold, I get a hit... to a collection of Die marriages sold thru B&M around 8 years ago... complete with pics and some descriptions... I quickly confirmed the "rule outs" with these pics and then gingerly clicked on the O-148... heart beat speeds up... palms a bit clammy... nervously twitching in my chair... I looked at the pics... looked at "my" coin and then read the description... now my jaw kinda fell a bit... my eyes widened... holy *%#& ... wow...

Still not ready to accept it all and celebrate,,, I quickly picked up the phone and called a good friend of mine ( I'm glad to say) ... Mike Fey ... I tried to remain calm and told him of my "possible discovery"... he, along with his son, pulled out his research papers and the appropriate books and started shooting questions at me regarding key diagnostics... after a while he said "I think you have it"... and it looks like it might be the 148a, as the letter "F" in HALF on the edge lettering is mostly obliterated... only a few examples out the 12 known have this diagnostic...

As providence would have it, the New Jersey Numismatic Society meeting (we are both members) was meeting that night... we agreed to meet there and look it over together... we did and after much scrutiny on his part... he shot me a big grin and gave me a thumbs up ... "this is it... congratulations" ...

Now for the last leg of the hunt/journey... to have it authenticated and slabbed/graded by a TPG... which one? Considering the two real options became a bit ironic... PCGS would acknowledge the "a" BUT their holder would then cover up the reason for the "a" ... the TPG from across the street would not acknowledge the "a" (which I learned in a phone call to a fellow society member, David Lange... their "head" attributor) ... BUT their holder would allow the reason for the "a" to be seen...

As you can see from the pics below, I opted for the holder from across the street... I overnited the coin for a walk through this past Tuesday... grades and pics in on Thursday afternoon... it is now on its way back to me... and I am a happy camper, to say the least... still a bit numb and dreamlike about it... yet very happy...

Final Momento

Member Name: dsessom

It was one year before I was born, and my father had just joined the Navy to fight in Viet Nam. In the Summer of 1968, my grandfather was driving home from work in his 1964 Chevy pickup, and was hit by a drunk driver on the drivers side, just behind the door. For those of you not familiar with the 1964 Chevy pickup truck, back then, the gas tank was right behind the seat. The collision ruptured the gas tank and caused an explosion. The fire was so bad that the truck was nearly unrecognizable and the only way my grandfathers remains could be identified were from dental records.

My father was home when the police called, and he immediately rushed to the scene. What he witnessed was unbearable, and he sat down on a curb nearby and broke down crying. He told me that through his tears, he saw a gleam that caught his eye, and when he picked it up, it was a quarter that had his father's blood on it. He also found a dime and a couple of nickles, all blood stained. The coins had apparently been thrown clear of the accident before his father and truck burned. (The drunk driver was uninjured, and walked away from the scene, but was later arrested and charged with manslaughter)

My father gave me the still blood stained coins that he had found at the scene of his fathers death on my 40th birthday, because that's how old his father was when he was killed, and I cherish those coins more than all my others combined because they can never be replaced, and they are the only thing I own that my grandfather owned, and his blood is still on them. I would post photos (and I will if you want), but they are kinda gruesome.

But, here is a picture of my grandpa, Sonny Sessom. He is on the right hand side. My dad, Roger is on the left, and my mother is in the middle. This was the last photograph taken of him before he was killed. I never knew him.

Short and Sweet

Member Name: Closed Loop

In 2002 my second daughter was born and was given a 2002 ASE from a friend of my wife. At the time i had no interest in collecting.

I didn't take interest until 2004 after my son was born. I was given another ASE from the same guy that gave me the first. I put the two coins together and liked the way they looked, the way the shined, Oooo the luster.

so,i did some research on coins and was just amazed how much there was to know about collecting. (hook)
and how many good people there are in numismatics. (line)
then to stumble across these boards and talk to such knowledgable people about this great hobby. (sinker)

this is the coin that started it for me-----thanks

WWII Grandfather

Member Name: fishteeth

The one thing that originally drew me into coin collecting as an 8 yr old kid was the idea that I was holding something really old. As I grew older I began to understand the history behind my coins and this has fueled my passion for collecting. I feel one reason I tend to be drawn to coins in VF-EF is that these coins were actually a part of history. These circulated coins were used in commerce by every day people, some were carried as keep sakes and others were even carried into war.

The coin posted here is, to me, the most important coin in my collection. I became the caregiver of this coin in the early 1990's when my Grandfather found out I had gotten into collecting old coins. At the time he was living in Florida and tauted me for months that he was bringing me a very important coin for my collection when he came to visit. I will always remember the day I received this coin. We spent most of a beautiful summer afternoon going through pictures, maps and stories all dealing with his time as a Seabee in the South Pacific during WWII. He talked about being cut off on Gudalcanal and surviving on wormy oatmeal, being dive bombed by Japs every night, being stuck below decks on transport ships while Kamikazee pilots were crashing into surrounding boats and how for years after he returned from the war he could not stand the sight of death (even a piece of road kill would bother him).  He talked of the many islands he landed on, the airstrips he helped build, his trips to New Zealand and Australia between Island invasions and even how after his first experience being attacked at sea he never again was able to go below decks, no matter how cold or wet it got. What my grandfather and the others who fought in WWII went through is something this spoiled 30 something can never imagine, but I am very thankful for those who gave up their youth and sometimes their lives for what I have today.

In 1998 my grandfather passed away, I was still too young to truely understand what he had been through. Luckily my great-grandmother was a meticulous record keeper. She saved every bit of v-mail, every picture he sent home and every newspaper article that had anything to do with the Sea Bees. Two years ago my father gave me 4 large boxes, within them was a treasure trove of family history. It contained everything from artwork done by my Great-Great Grandfather during the civil war, to the letter my Great-grandfather sent to his wife telling her that he was on his way home after WWI. Within this box was the treasure trove of WWII corespondence.

Here are some pictures that help tell the story of this most important Walking Liberty Half.

My grandfather picked this half dollar up in San Francisco right before he shipped out. To pass the time on the trip to the South Pacific he smoothed the obverse off and turned it into a second dog tag. He then carried the coin throughout the war. The coin has a fair ammount of corrosion, which I can only immagine came from the jungle environment and salt water. His first stop was guadalcanal. His Seebees went in right behind the marines to construct an airstrip. My grandfather spent most of his time driving truckloads of cruched coral to form the base of the airstrip. I will try and give some history with each of the pictures.

These pics show his uniform sleve and one of the many V-mails I have. My grandfather always said he wasn't a very good soldier He never really got promoted and said he liked it that way

Some pictures he sent to my great-grandmother- all of the pictures below have the Passed Censor stamp

My grandfather was the Drummer in the Seabee band, behind morgan horses, drumming was his second love

Pictures of the trucks dumping crushed coral

His tent on Guadalcanal

Standing by his truck. Told me by the end of the war they were pushing trucks, bulldozers and other heavy equipment into the ocean to make room for the new stuff that kept arriving

Bet my grandmother wasn't too happy about this picture, taken before he left California.

This pictures shows the guy in front of my grandfather being the thousandth, millionth or whatever soldier to enter this USO. The look on my grandfather face is priceless as the guy in front got a medallion and a cash prize. All my grandfather got was a picture of the event

Strong Woman

Member Name: TCoins

I grew up with two brothers and my mother was always chasing after us. After a long day of playing outside,( I was about seven ) my mother was quickly trying to finish the laundry and get us kids in the showers. In her rush, she accidently slammed the clothes dryer door on a pair of my jeans. Inside the front pocket was a 1969 Lincoln cent. Some forty years later I still have that bent penny. Worthless to others, priceless to me! I keep it in my collection.

Looking back, my mother was a strong woman. She bent that Lincoln about 25 degrees.

Sparking an Interest

Member Name: PQType

Ok, It was 2007 and I thought...How cool it would be to get a 1807 coin and let my nephews bring it to school for show and tell or just show it off to thier friends. So I started searching Ebay for something I thought they would really like and would never see unless I brought them to a coin show. I was just bitten by Bust Fever and I ened up gravitaing to that series...somewhere along the way thought..... It has to be a 200 year old coin. I placed a few bids on some raw coins but did not win. And then I saw the one posted below. It was a dark picturue and I could see just a slighest bit of color. But it looked real dark solid toned around the edges. I read the descriprtion , saw it had a 7 day return policy and it sounded great and colorfull. I figured I can always return it. The seller graded it VG10 so, in was my price range.

I wrote the seller and told him what I wanted to do and that I needed to send it to PCGS so they could grade it and that would allow my 2 nephews to bring it to school for a project or show it off to thier friends. The seller told me that if it did not grade, that he woould work out a refund. Then I got the coin. WOW!! I could not believe my eyes. It was better then described.....I sent it off to PCGs and it came back a F12. My nephews thought it was cool, but they have never asked to take it to school or show thier friends! It has become my favorite coin. I show it off every chance I get and it is earmarked when I pass to go to my youngest nephew who just loves toners. I have other coins I have bought for them and they know all they have to do is ask and they can show it off.

At least once a year we meet on my birthday and have piazza and look at coins together. I still buy them coins now and then, I have them look up and tell me 3 things/events that happened the year of the coin I give them. They have moved on past coins for now and are into baseball and basketball year around .....my youngest nephew still ask to see "the rainbow" from time to time. He keeps coming back to his coin colection when he has time..like rainy days. I think he will be pleasently surprised someday to have this coin left to him. My hope is it will always remind him of me who taught him about coin collecting and someday pass it on thos one of his kids....The one who ends up loving toners.

This is a true story, I was looking for a neat coin to share with my nephews and end up with a ever some humble toner to be passed on from Uncle to nephew to his son or daughter and so on I hope fo many many years.

Coins from Fallen Heroes

Member Name: SurfinxHI

I've got a pretty lengthy story, so I'll try to shorten it down a bit, perhaps the Cliff Notes version. Maybe if it sparks interest, I'll elaborate more.

I work for a relatively small, but fairly important government institution -- the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, Central Identification Laboratory. We are charged with finding and identifying all individuals that have placed themselves in Harm's way for the United States. In other words, we search for (through archaeological investigative techniques and excavation) missing individuals, repatriate them to the US, identify them through forensic anthropolgoy, odontology, and mtDNA analysis, and send them home to their loved ones with full military honors. Often, burial takes place in Arlington, or at the cemetry of the family's choosing. We bring closure to families that are missing their loved ones and reunite families, often over the course of decades. Our "jurisdiction" is world-wide, and spans from WWII through the current conflict, though on occassion, we have identified soldiers from WWI and even have worked on cases from the civil war. We are a humanitarian organization, and have responded to a variety of disasters, such as the Tsunami in Asia, 911, etc. If you are feeling frisky, here's our the main website http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/. The lab website is here: http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/index.php?page=cil&size=100&ind=3.

I have traveled and dug extensively in many countries around the world...germany, france, papua new guinea, wake island (US), palau, vietnam, cambodia, laos, south korea, and north korea. Most missions are between 35-45 days out of country, living in a jungle, in a tent or some other structure (we've been known to have to sleep in hammocks for weeks at a time), digging on the side of a mountain, looking for a lost aviator. Conditions are between primitive and nice; the environment is between blistering hot and humid to freezing cold and wet. The critters are never friendly -- two step cobras and foot long centipedes are everywhere it seems! We've even run across elephants and in several instances, tigers. I wonder why it never seems like I get the site on the beach overlooking a placid bay full of fish and lobster... Anyway, I hold a passport that has an "entry" stamp into south korea from Panmunjom...entering the south from the north...this story concerns my last to the DPRK or for you all out there, North Korea, before Pres. Bush shut down all ties to that country.

We, as a country, are missing approximately 8,100 individuals from the Korean War. The majority of those still missing are from locations north of the 38th parallel. One of the major battles up north was the battle for the Chosin reservoir. There are tons of good books on the subject (see Appleman), and it is a dramatic fight. A very famous quote came from that battle (a Marine General), which, if memory serves is something like this "We aren't retreating, we are fighting in the opposite direction." From 1999 to 2002, the CIL was allowed to conduct operations near Chosin and several other location in north korea. I did 2.5 of those missions. The last one was to the east side of the Chosin, near the inlet (see pic 1 where the river comes in). It was here that Col. Faith's task force was destroyed. We suffered approximately 3000 casualties over the course of 10 days or so in the winter of 1950. Guys froze to death in their sleeping bags, or froze when they were wounded. It was pretty terrible. The individuals who survived this campaign are known as the "Chosin Few".

Map of the Chosin. I was on the right side (east) near the inlet.

Wartime image of the road around the Chosin, though I think this is on the west side.

Wasn't kidding. Guys froze to death.

We set up our base camp about 1 mile south of the inlet, in an area that I figured didn't see much action, since it was slightly off the road (the road around the reservoir, a dirt road, is still the same one that was used in 1950...I kid you not). Our base camp was pretty sophisticated. We moved several hundred ton of supplies in, to include 2 stand-up fiberglass showers, 4 toilets, lumber, lighting, tents, tv's, exercise equipment, etc. Its pretty nice, except you have to build everything when you get there. You see, the North Koreans won't let us out of our "camp" unless it is time to work; we can't go for a walk, take pictures, anything!! So even to exercise, we have to bring in equipment. Oh yeah, and all of our food for 45 days...no shopping there. The camp is surrounded by razor wire with tin cans attached to it. And they have guard posts around the perimeter...to "keep us safe"...except the guards face in, not out. Whatever...(I'll post some pics when I can edit this tomorrow. the good ones are on my work computer).

So anyway, about half way through the mission, one of the guys said he lost his wedding ring either 1) in the shower, or 2) on the way to/from it. Crazy. He was mighty upset. So I whipped out the handy-dandy metal detector and set off on his route to the shower/bath complex. It was quite the hunt. I spent about 3 hours covering the ground and unfortunately, did not find his wedding ring. Instead, I found 3x40 mm shell casings, a fairly large pile of C-ration cans and lids, several spent rounds, old razor wire, and my coin...a 192?? something wheatback. This coin was in some GIs pocket as he tromped through the hills of North Korea for his country...and somehow, he lost his penny. I often wonder who's coin it was...did he survive? Is he one of the Chosin Few? It's likely that he did not. So I keep with me this coin to remind me, every now and again, about the folks who went into Harm's way for our country. He must have been one helluva guy.

At the conclusion of that mission, I had located a mass grave near the bridge across from the inlet that contained 7 guys. We are in the process of identifying them now. I also recovered a series of foxholes that have the remains of over 12 people in them...some US, some Chinese, some Korean. We are still working on that one as well. Anyway, that's my story. If you, or your friends have missing loved ones from our nations wars, please contact us. We need to find mtDNA Family Reference Samples for our missing soldiers. The website has all the good details. Its free, easy to do, and may help identify a missing individual. (and don't worry, if you are a big conspiracy theorist, we don't let any of the data out in the world!!!).

The Coin that Started it All

Member Name: Boom

I still posess THE VERY COIN given to me by my paternal Grandfather, responsible for my becoming interested in coins. He and my Grandmother had lots of really cool coins, especially so to a very youngboy - a Cub Scout! They gave me plenty of old coins that sparked my imagination & kindled my love of History. To this day I still have almost all of them however THIS VERY PIECE has the distinction of having been the very first & I don't intend to ever part with it for as long as I live, for reasons most of us can relate to. It's special for many reasons but most of all because it makes me remember my Grandfather. I've been caretaker of this coin for 50 years & everytime I look at it I go back in time to that special day. To me, it's priceless for all these reasons & more. I never even dreamed about cleaning or doing anything to it. I want to always remember everything about that day & this coin; it takes me back to a time when the world was so full of wonder, back to a simpler time filled with so many happy memories. At any rate, this is THE coin, my special coin - my first, just as my Grandfather handed it to me so many years ago.

Jimmy's Things

Member Name: jesbroken

In 1958, my favorite uncle, Schley, gave me an uncirculated 1880 O Morgan Silver Dollar. Because I shared a room with my brother(we fought all the time), he decided to keep it in a small leather coin purse(I loved the small purse because he always had a couple of cellophaned wrapped chicklets(chewing gum) that we would share) that he carried all the time. It was in a small paper envelope and from time to time I would ask him to see it and sure enough there it was, shiny and beautiful--he would explain to me the various details of the coin and I was delighted. This was my intro into numismatics. Unfortunately, in 1964, Schley died on my birtday. His wife, my aunt, and I were not on great terms. She thought little boys were basement dwellers and should not be seen nor heard in the house. I had lost that wonderful coin. They had a daughter who lived away in Ohio(I lived in Tennessee at this time). Upon her mother's death, she inherited everything. We hardly ever saw her again until she was diagnosed as being bipolar and was in and out of institutions. A good friend of hers called my mother-her cousin and informed her that a lawyer was stealing her blind and was in full control of her small fortune(close to a million dollars). My mother and father went to see her and she seemed fine as long as she was on her medecine as did her doctor agree. My mother filed for guardianship and got it away from the lawyer. Years later she passed and in the year 2000(42 years later) a small box was found in her dresser that said "Jimmy's things". My mom brought it to me and sure enough there was the small leather coin purse. I eagerly opened it and most certainly here was the small(now deteriorated) envelope with the 1880 O Morgan Silver Dollar in it. Unfortunately, the sulfur in the paper had ruined the once beautiful finish and now it was a black and tan colored coin that had no lustre at all. BUT it was the coin Schley had given me. There were several other items such as a small case knife, wedding band and surely a pack of chicklets in cellophane. I still have these items but the most important to me was the silver dollar. I have attached a couple of photos with different lighting so you can better see the coin. The first photo is how the coin actually looks inhand.

Remember Me By Them

Member Name: Steviewah

My father got me started as a kid collecting lincoln cents. I spanned out into mercury dimes and few other circulated items. I put them away and saved them for some 30 years. During a divorce my former spouse took them as hers. But as karma would have it my father, in his later years began to slip coins to me when I went to visit. One was a 1929 $2.50 gold piece that I had certified and came back PCGS MS61. He later gave me an 1807-Mo TH 8 Reale. It came back PCGS XF 40. But the story behind the last coin he gave me is outstanding. Dad loved metal detecting. One day he set out for Lebanon, Missouri to detect in a park, just for the heck of it. He did get one significant reading and dug it up. Still in its mint pouch was a 1983 Canadian $5 gold coin! Just before he passed and I had dropped by he handed it to me told me the story and I was officially back into my childhood love of coin collecting. I sent it into PCGS and it came back MS 68. Now what are the chances of finding a gold Canadian coin still in its mint pouch in a park in Missouri? If anyone wishes to verify these coins I would gladly give you there certification numbers for verification. With each coin Dad always said..."now don't ever sell these coins as I want you to remember me by them." These coins may not be worth much for resale but how he ignited my love of coins again....I'll never sell them and will probably give them to a grandchild that shows interest in them and tell them the same story. Thank you for the opportunity to share some special moments. Win or not, I just love that memory.

Yes, There is an 'O'

Member Name: mbogoman

In the summer of 1964 or 1965, a couple of my uncles and aunts from Nebraska came out to visit us in California. On the way out, they of course stopped in Vegas for a few days. One afternoon, we were all out by the pool at our house. My sisters and I were in the pool while the adults were consuming copious amounts of suds. I can't remember exactly what prompted it, but one of my uncles didn't believe that I could see under water. He flipped a silver dollar into the pool and said: "If you can tell me the date, you can have it". I gulped down a big breath and dove to the bottom. It was actually pretty easy (wish I had those eyes now!). I came back up and excitedly blurted out "1886 - O !!!" He said, "you're almost right - it's just 1886, there is no "O". I said, "yes there is, it's on the back". I showed him the "O" and told him what it signified, and well, that old piece of silver has been with me since then. It became my pocket piece about 10 years ago and is quite smooth now...

Glad You Didn't Buy Popcorn

Member Name: Elcontador

It was 1963. I was twelve years old and gave the clerk a dollar to buy a ticket to the Saturday matinee for my brother and I . I got a really old quarter in change. Something told me to keep it, so I didn't buy a bag of popcorn or get candy at the show.

The quarter was strange. In the several years before, I received several pennies in change that had an Indian on them rather than President Lincoln, but this quarter looked a lot worse for wear than those pennies did. A man at the candy store told me they hadn't made pennies with an Indian on them in a long time. But this quarter had George Washington on it, just like the new quarters did. Why did this one look so beat up?

I told Dad about the really old quarter. I guess he thought it was better that I was interested in this old quarter than riding my bike in the street or getting into fights, so he encouraged my inquisitiveness about it. He also suggested we take it to a local coin dealer (there were lots of them around in those days) to get some more information.

The dealer looked at the coin, smiled, and explained to me that even though it was really old, it was best to handle the coin on its rims. He also said that since it was so old, it was best to keep it in a 2 x 2 flip, to prevent things from banging into and scratching it (because although the coin was quite old, it didn't have any scratches). He also suggested we look at a Red Book, so I could get more information about the coin.

He told me to look below the portrait of George Washington to get the date.
"It's a 1932."
He smiled. "Why don't you flip it over. Do you see anything below the eagle?"
"Yes, I see the letter S."
"Good, now look in the Red Book and you can find out about the coin. You can see how many were made, and how much it is worth depending on its condition."

I nearly freaked out when he told me the coin was worth $20. At his suggestion, I bought the Red Book, and started looking at coins that I (and my parents) had in change.

The 1932 S Quarter is in the F12 - F15 range, and yes, I still have it, though it is now in a PVC free flip.

Family Heirloom, Really?

Member Name: thezookrew

My wife's grandfather collected coins and was president of the his local coin club. Well, in his retirement he sold most of his high dollar coins, but my wife, who was the only grandchild to show any interest, got the rest of the coins before he passed away. When we got married, we went through the three albums of coins that were left to her and one of the coins is a REALLY nice holed 1846 seated dollar. On the 2x2 it has written "not for sale - family heirloom". I asked what the significance of the coin was and she had no idea, and none of her living relatives have any idea. But because it is a cool coin and the fact that we know that her grandfather did write the note (compared to other letters he has written), we have kept that coin in a safe place and plan on passing it down to our kids

MATHIAS AND MARCELL RINCKEL

Member Name: AUandAG

February, 1870
Carson City, Nevada

“Mr. Curry, the superintendent of the Carson City Mint, was a close friend of my parents. One day on his way back to the mint he stopped at our home during the noon hour. When Mama answered the front door he shook hands with her and left a dollar in her hand saying, "Marcella here's a dollar for you. I give it to you so you will never be broke."

She thanked him for it but did not quite understand what he meant.

They were still talking when Matt Rinckel left his lunch and joined him at the door. "What's going on here? What are you two talking about?" So, Mama recounted the above conversation and handed her husband the silver dollar.

Matt Rinckel took the coin and looked at it carefully. As he turned it over in his hand he saw the initials M.M.R. (for Mathias and Marcella Rinckel) on the upper right hand curve of the dollar, and on the reverse under the eagle, CC for the mint. The date is 1870.

"This is the very first dollar to be minted in our Carson Mint, Matt" he explained. "The second one is for Governor Blasdel and the third for President Grant.

Louise Rinckel Blakeslee, daughter NEVADA STATE JOURNAL: July, 1958

Now for the rest of the story: My Great Grandfather left Iowa as a teenager with 6 other buddies in 1849 and headed for the goldfields of California. Matt, as he was called, and the others worked hard for 10 years in the Shasta County area of California. They, through their strong backs, got rich. Filthy rich! Then their claim ran out. After saying goodbye to his friends he headed to the Comstock Lode that had just been discovered in Nevada Territory in 1859. Still young, single and strong he thought he' could do the same in the Virginia District as he did in California. Not to be! When he got to Virginia City via Genoa he realized that it was not placer mining but hardrock mining. Not for him!

Back to Genoa and he met Abe Curry, then touting his Eagle Valley propery and trying to get his "Carson City" on the map. Well, Abe and Matt hit it off and became best of friends. Together with Matt's capital and Abe's land they began to build, brick by brick, stone by stone, a new city.

After several years of this commercial partnership Matt decided he wanted something else. Abe suggested, since he was an Iowa farm boy, to open up a butcher shop. That he did and named it The Eagle Market. Another fortune to be had by feeding the miners and the timber men!

Matt and Marcella had 6 children, 5 girls and a boy (my Grandfather). He and Marcella built the Rinckel Mansion at the corner of King and Curry Streets in 1874-76. The Mansion had 5 bedrooms and the first indoor toilet in Nevada! None too good for his girls!

Abe died in 1875 and Matt in 1879.

Marcella carried that dollar in her change purse from Feburary of 1870 until her death in 1933. At that time my Great Aunt Louise inherited the Mansion and the dollar. Aunt Louise did the same and just carried it in her purse. Her husband, George Blakeslee, saw that the coin was being ruined. He was a jeweler and to preserve and protect the dollar he put it in the bracelet that it resides today. Aunt Louise died in 1960 when I was a freshman in high school. I remember her wearing the dollar on her wrist and she had a habit of just rubbing it (not good, heh?). Of course it continued to wear, but now more so on the obverse and less on the reverse.

My mother inherited the dollar and the mansion in 1960. I inherited the dollar (not the mansion) in 1997 when my mother passed.

I was collecting long before I received this from Mom and in fact had forgotten all about it until us kids divided up the estate. I guess that technically speaking it is uncirculated with wear! After all, "it was to be carried so that you'll never be broke".

So, I can truly say that this was from Great Granpa and out of an Estate.

The Straight Poop

Member Name: Rollerman

I collect a variety of U. S. coins, but the Mercury Dime will always have a special place, and their sheer beauty is only part of the equation.

When I was very young, I would see my Mother rolling dimes, as this was her way of saving from her household money. I can remember well a card that held dimes that she filled in for the "March of Dimes" charity.
I was around 4 years old when I was playing with a piggy bank, when I was supposed to be napping, and swallowed a Mercury Dime. It hurt going down and I ran crying to my Mother about it. She called the Doctor and he suggested my eating several pieces of bread and that my Mother should check my "droppings" to make sure it had passed. I tell people today, that maybe Mercury Dimes are in my blood, and they've also passed through my digestive tract!

I completed a set of Mercury Dimes in 1977, less overdates' I also have a Capitol Plastics short set in MS64-65 plus several slabbed pieces in high grade today. But the digested VF 1938 Mercury and my full rims Good '16-D will always have a special place in my heart and in my collection.