Why do you collect coins? Are you a casual hobbyist or a serious collector? Once in awhile, I have to ask myself just as a reminder. My great uncle gave me a Morgan dollar when I was a kid. Sadly I lost or misplaced it years ago but that was my start. Over the years, I picked up Whitman folders and filled in the slots. I had no plan, objective and really no idea where I was going with this. But I did collect a lot of coins. In the mid-1990s I started buying coins for friends during holidays, birthdays and the like. When this buying and selling grew into a business, there was no time for the hobby. Sure, my personal collection grew but it became more of a numbers game and less of something I enjoyed. Once in awhile I would receive a want-list or special request to fill. I found having to hunt down an elusive piece could become a quest in itself. And that was fun but only for the moment. All that changed when I was asked how long it would take to assemble a circulated set of Lincoln pennies from 1959 to 2000 and only the p & d mints. The request came from a 10-year boy who had a curious interest in coins. Only 84 pieces and the first 10 or so I found in my pocket change. Should be easy, right? The are millions of pennies in circulation. Cant give them away, right? Within the first two weeks, I had acquired all but 22 pieces. When I would be out shopping or stopping at a convenience store, I would ask for a roll or two of pennies. My check-off list of wanted coins was shrinking but I wasnt pleased with the grades of these coins. Surely, a 1995-d could be found that didnt look like it had been run over by a train (only 6.5 billion minted). And the coins I found so far were not the best of grades. I became determined to find a better grade for each. After the 6 weeks, I realized this collection was far from complete. I still had 6 pieces to find and at least 11 to upgrade with better pieces. Each roll of unopened pennies was an unexpected treasure of itself. Sometimes a roll would yield nothing I could use but each and every piece would be examined under a loupe. Usually though, a piece or two would catch my eye. As a coin circulates over time, the plating fades or tones. The patina can add wonderful eye appeal to the coin. For the hobbyist, an attractive coin is worth keeping. That value cant be measured in dollars and sense. Many have been set aside for my personal collection. They just look nice. Finally after almost 3 months, the set of Lincolns was complete. The final grade was fine to almost uncirculated. Some of the older dates were actually in better grades and appearance than others. No, I didnt count how many rolls of cents I opened. Remember it takes time to sort each roll and examining each piece. Looking back, Im surprised it didnt take me longer. Along the way, I did find numerous others interesting coins. Many Canadian cents, a few steel cents mixed in with various wheat ears and several s mints. The most interesting is a 1910 in poor condition. Did I mention all the pennies with errors that I am now collecting? Came from the same roll of cents, too. You just never know what lies inside a roll of coins. It doesnt take a rocket scientist or tons of money to start coin collecting. Just a curious interest and fifty cents to begin. |
