have you been collecting coins?


I started in 1990, so this year is my 15th anniversary in coin collecting.

Hum... I started around the same time too... but I guess around 10 years for me. Although I have been more seriously active for the last 5 years or so

I think out of all those years 1996-2000 was my quiet period, 1998 particularly so.

But then i repicked up the hobby in late 1999 (i had been buying in the late 90s but it was only every 6 or 7 months). Then in 2000 i suddenly went into explosion mode.

I started 1959

I got my first coins December 2004

Same year as GD if i recall correctly!

since 1964, sorting bags of cents

My Wonderful Grandma started my collection before I was even born (Uncirc and proof mint sets dating back to the 60s). I started activly collecting and buying coins on Jan 26th 2005 becasue I purchased a "Off Set Lincoln Memorial Penny" for WAY! to much and told myself I would never let that happen again so I started teaching myself about coins... The rest is history.

-Bobby

Actively for about the last 6 months, have had coins stashed away for approx. 20 years but didn't have the interest before. That has changed and now I feel rather obsessed with collecting. Hmmmm.

I started my first actual collection in Oct 1954 for my birthday. Prior to that I helped my mother with her collection and my older brother with his (he was always delighted -- NOT!).

My first official coin was a Canadian Large Cent. I don't remember the year. Since my mother collected everything and my older brother collected US Coins and Stamps, I had to choose something else. Coins = Canada - cheap and readily available. When I did stamps, I started with Ghana at the end of 1957 - their year of independence.

On and off since I was a kid. My Dad introduced collecting to me when I was young. I kind of got away from it some after he died. Then went active again in the early 90's then went dormant again. Been seriously active again since last summer.

A couple years now.

July 1964

My mom was collecting for me ever since I was born, in 1988. But I have been collecting since I was about 9, 1997.

Several years

In 1992 I Started My Coin Collection With Some Coins I had Gotten On My First Trip Overseas

Since 1958.

I got interested in the 'new' Lincoln Memorial reverse for the cent. I was 10 and, through stamp collecting, was watching for the commemorative stamps coming out for Lincoln's 150th anniversary of birth. Some article [probably in the Dallas Morning News] mentioned the change for the cent and I got interested.

What really hooked me was when my best friend's dad [a long time nummismatist] took a look at my family's 'heirloom' coin. Ya' know, every family has at least one. It may be from Gran'pa's world tour courtesy Uncle Sam's disagreement with Adolph, Benito and Hirohito in the early 1940's, or Dad's visit to SE Asia in the '60's and '70's in the attempt to make the world safe for dominos. Or whatever...

Our family's coin was one of Gran'ma's dollars which survived a house fire in 1918. She had sold the eggs that day and the money was in her dresser. After the fire, they sifted the ashes and found the dollars and never spent them. In the early 1950's, Gran'ma and Gran'pa decided to give one to each of their children.

As it turned out, my dad got the 1889-CC.

And now you know the '...rest of the story...'

Whohah Wrote:
"Since 1958.

I got interested in the 'new' Lincoln Memorial reverse for the cent. I was 10"

I was 5 in 1959, when each one of us got a shiny new memorial cent from our kindergarten teacher. Even at age 5, it intrigued me that there could be "different" money. Dimes with the lady on it (mercs) and dimes with the man on it (roosies). Along about 1962, I got my first Morgan dollar from the bank. After a few Morgans from the bank (at the rate of one every month or two) I got my first Redbook. Been hooked ever since.

Bruce

First started when I was 7 or 8(1973) lasted a couple years, then took 20 years off and got back into it in 1998.

Dan

I was introduced to and started to get interested in coins when I was about 10. So that would be 29 years. However, I consider myself having become 'very serious' about coins around 6 years ago.

I was introduced to the wonderful world of coin collecting back in 1999 by my father-in-law. So it is all his fault that I have so many coins and no money.

I started my own collection in 1966.
Some nice folks were kind enough to give a kid a few interesting coins.
The seed they planted took root, and now, nearly 40 years later, I enjoy the hobby as much, or more, than ever.

The internet has allowed me to communicate with other collectors. Prior to our getting a computer, I had never talked to another serious coin collector.
It's definately one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.

I got my first banknote from a junk box when I was just six years old.

Started 1966, at age 6....my dad bought me my first IHC 1902, at a coin show...shortly after, at age 6-7, I figured there was something big gonna happen with the change to 'clad' coins, so I started hoarding all the silver coins I could get ( not much for a 7 year-old, but a great idea )..still have all those. Collected into jr & high school...

Lost interest in college & Medical school, But got back into it with a vengance 3-4 years ago....looked back in some old coin mags & recalled wishing I had a coin from the 1700's, but thought that is only fantasy......Got me a nice 1798 large cent couple yrs ago....ouch!...the bug just bit again & now I am hopelessly incurable!

I believe it was summer 1969. With lots of "slow" periods when almost all the coin I had went to buy diapers and formula. But I never dug into "The collection", just didn't add much.

rougly 1985 when I was given a birth-year proofset (1975). Then I got a job in a coin store in 1988 and got serious. As an undergrad not so much, then my collection was stolen and I was bitter and jaded. A few years ago I "caught" the bug again and I am back, though more so into paper, especially nationals and foreign notes of all the places I've lived and been.

Cool topic BTW, nice to hear everyones stories on the "new" forum.

Ciao, and Hook 'em Horns,
Capt-AWACS, Actions speak louder than bumperstickers

Since the Texas quarter came out last year. And Stujoe, I love that new picture!

Since I was 8 in the fall of 1985. Started by searching Lincoln cent rolls with my dad.

What do you mean by "collect"? I make it easy by saying since 1992. I started in late 1992 and in late 1993, I joined the ANA and MSNS. That's about it, just over ten years.

Michael

For coins 1999, and banknotes 2002, when the euro was firmly in place in Euroland. To bad I did not start earlier when the national currencies were in place

Collected some when I was a kid and had a paper route in Indianapolis. I remember the big "change" in 1965 and everyone was hording the silver coins. I think they thought it was just a passing thing and the government would come to its senses and go back to silver coinage. When that didn't happen people lost interest and just spent their silver as fiat money. Anyway, I lost interest when I was in high school, then joined the service, started a family, all that. Came back to it in 2000 by collecting the State quarters, got serious about it again in 2003 and started actually "learning" about the hobby instead of just throwing old coins in the cigar box.

Started studying numismatics in Nov 1966, began collecting in Feb 1972.

I have been collecting coins on and off for about 30 years. I am assuming I still have at least 3 times that to go...almost.

PAB

It's kind of funny, I never really thought about coin collecting till last year! I saw my 1st ever proof, it was a 2004 ASE. I immediately fell in love w/ coin. Now I don't care for proofs, with the exception of the older ones! I luv MS - AU coinage!

I started collecting coins for fun around the age of 8 or 9 and only got more in depth with collecting since 2002.

I started collecting passively about 25 years ago as a child, probably around the age of 7-8. (My parents did not collect anything, my brother collected stamps.) The only thing I collected acitvely was US nickels.

I started actively collecting in 1990. The overhaul of Finnish coinage designs was the catalyst.