My grandparents used to travel. A lot. Mozambique, Egypt, Argentina— you name it, they’ve been there. When they got back, they wouldn’t bring me pictures, or stories, or keychains; they would bring me coins. They would take all the foreign change from their journey and place it in my eagerly awaiting hands, hands desperate to feel the novel edges, see the unfamiliar faces and buildings and writing on each face, wonder at the denominations for which I had no frame of reference, no concept of their value. What they were worth didn’t matter to me—they were never worth much anyway—all that mattered was that they were from somewhere else. This is what sparked my interest in coins.
The foreign coins accumulated over the years, and eventually new ones stopped arriving. My grandparents had seen their fill of the world and so the coins sat in a cup in my room, being looked at less and less, gradually getting dusty. Then, in 8th grade, I started hanging out with a diligent classmate named Joe (now my best friend – he’s currently studying at Cornell). Joe had a very impressive coin collection; while mine had been limited to worthless foreign coins and bills, his had old, American coins. He had buffalo nickels and mercury dimes and standing liberty quarters. However, even more impressive than Joe’s collection was Joe’s dad’s collection. His coins weren’t just cool, they were valuable. The collection was (and still is) protected by $200,000 of insurance. The day I went over to Joe’s house to study biology, my passion for coins was instantly reignited.
Joe told me about the coin shows and “Young Numismatists (YN)” meetings he attended with his dad, and offered to take me to the next one. I enthusiastically accepted, and a few weeks later I was en route to the White Plains County Center in Westchester, NY. First we went to a YN meeting which was informative, but most importantly, gave out free stuff. Then, we went downstairs to the actual coin show; it was located in a sprawling room with dozens of tables manned by a variety of (often eccentric-looking) individuals. Those who don’t have an interest in numismatism couldn’t fathom the plethora of currency that is sold at such conventions. There are old coins, new coins, gold coins, silver coins, foreign coins, ancient coins, error coins, waffle coins, proofs, proof sets, blank planchets, gold/silver certificates, bills with interesting serial numbers, star notes, shredded bills, notegeld, and much more.
One of the most addictive aspects of coin collecting was setting goals and then achieving them. The coin collecting I engaged in pre-Joe was simply a random amassing of currency; Joe introduced me to the formation of type sets, a collection of coins of a specific design or type, such as a wheat penny from every year they were minted. The best part was that I didn’t have to spend a lot of money if I didn’t want to. Coins that were circulated more, and were therefore in worse condition, were often significantly cheaper than their pristine counterparts. Even if I didn’t buy anything, merely viewing the rare and expensive pieces of currency, learning about their history and admiring their designs, was enough for me.
Eventually, Joe and I became too busy to attend such events, and we gradually lost interest. My coin collection now resides partially in my younger sister’s room, with the rest in a storage unit. Before we stopped collecting, I imparted my interest in currency to said sister, who now loves coins (albeit on a more purely aesthetic level). Perhaps some day I’ll pick the hobby up again, but until then I am satisfied simply to reminisce about my days as a numismatist (and save the occasional star note I find in my change).