My pastime and professional journeys have taken me to Brasher Doubloons, 1913 Liberty Head nickels, Rocky Balboa’s boxing trunks, John Wayne’s iconic eyepatch from “True Grit,” Series 1934 $100,000 Gold Certificates and the King of Siam proof set. It has been an overwhelmingly happy ride with the royalty of numismatics – both the legendary coins and the hobby’s acclaimed celebrities – combined with careers in broadcasting and then public relations
My first “brush” with coin collecting literally began with a brush. I was about seven or eight years old and used my mother’s nail polish and nail brush on a new Lincoln penny to create a bright, red cent. It was not the last time my weird sense of humor collided with my enjoyment of numismatics.
As with many collectors in the United States, I began searching for cents and Jefferson nickels to fill the slots in my blue Whitman albums. When the weekly allowance permitted, and later with funds obtained working as a young magician at children’s birthday parties, I purchased items at several of the then-many coin and stamp shops around my hometown Chicago area.
The best acquisition, though, was a face value purchase of a roll of Lincoln cents for 50 cents. A boyhood friend went on vacation to Philadelphia in 1960 and got each of us a roll of new cents from a bank in the city. Both rolls were 1960 Philadelphia Mint small date variety cents. I don’t know what he did with his coins, but in early 1964, during the “roll-mania” boom in the hobby, I sold that 50-cent roll for $400. That was a heck of a lot of money for a high school senior back then, who was making $1.10 an hour working part time at a local McDonald’s.
Denne historien er fra February - March 2021-utgaven av COINage Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra February - March 2021-utgaven av COINage Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Are Semi-Numismatic Coins?
COINS WORTH MORE THAN THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD
Charles C. Anderson, Sr.
NUMISMATIST OF THE CENTURY
COINS WITH MAGNIFICENT COLORS
GUIDE TO ORIGINAL TONING
John West Dannreuther
NUMISMATIST OF THE CENTURY
Today's News is Tomorrow's Coinage
COINS AS HISTORY IN YOUR HANDS
David Hall's Greatest Idea?
REGISTRY SET CONCEPT EXPANDS COLLECTING
Kagin, McCarthy SWEEP CONTEST
NUMISMATIC LITERARY GUILD TOP 2 BOOK PRIZES AWARDED
GOLD COINS IN DEMAND
FEVERISH BUYING AT $2,500 AN OUNCE
Stack's Bowers Appoints John Kraljevich as Director of Numismatic Americana
Stack's Bowers Galleries announced the appointment of John Kraljevich, COINage numismatist of the century, to the newly created position of director of numismatic Americana. Kraljevich, proprietor of John Kraljevich Americana since 2007, has been recognized time and again for his scholarship, expertise and leadership.
How the U.S. Dollar Began
THE SPANISH MILLED DOLLAR (8 REALES COIN) WAS THE BASIS FOR THE U.S. SILVER DOLLAR