Do You still have the coin that 'started it all'?

[braddick]

Here is one of the first 20th Century low grade, problem free coins that started me on the quest, two decades ago, to hunting down these superbly cool (well, at least in my mind!) coins.

 

I was generally laughed at when I'd search dealer stock and inventory and they would ask what it was I was searching for.

 

That was back in the mid to late 1980's.

 

Here is one of my first coins I had graded with PCGS:

 

 

Fast forward to just last night when I found myself bidding, and subsequently winning this one:

 

Ultra Low Grade PCGS Ike

 

More than 20 years later, and I still don't have a single box of twenty filled!

[MikeInFL]

That old Ike is a cool one.

 

Here's the coin that started me in collecting. One of a few given to me after my Grandfather passed away when I was 6 years old:

 

[Just Bob]

When I was about 8, I was given an old English half-penny by a family friend who had brought it back from overseas after WW2. Unfortunately, it was stolen along with several other foreign coins that i had picked up over the years.

[PerryHall]

That Kennedy sure has a lot of detail and very sharp rims for an AG3 coin. Looks to be undergraded.

[Larry Dreher]

Well, It's not really a single coin that started it but a group of coins.

 

Back in the late 80's and early 90's I wanted to invest in some silver bullion. I bought eagles, kookaburras, maples and a few pandas. I threw them all into a safe deposit box and didn't think too much about them until 2003. I went to the bank, brought eveything home and started to go through it. I did a little bit of research on ebay to get a general idea of the prices and while the prices had increased simply because of the rise in silver, the pandas I had really caught my eye.

 

The 1991's in particular were selling for $80 - 90 each. (I had paid $8 for them at the time) After doing more research on the pandas and understanding their limited mintage and the potential for appreciation given the Chinese demographics, I decided that is where I wanted to concentrate. I began to sell all my other bullion coins, proof sets and other miscellaneous stuff so I could focus on completing a panda set.

 

The end result is the set I've assembled today which I'm humbled and surprised to say was awarded a top modern set award this year.

 

And to answer your question, yes, I still own those original panda coins that came in full sheets of ten. I own those and a whole lot more The silver series was easy, I have a feeling the gold series will take me a lifetime.

[Just Bob]

Congratulations for being #1, Larry! (thumbs u

[MAULEMALL]

Thats awesome Larry (thumbs u

[Just Bob]

Pat, if you have more pics or links, I'd really love to see more of those PO & AG coins of yours!

[physics-fan3.14]

Yes, I still have the coin that started it all. I know I've told this story a few times, but why not... On my first birthday, my Grandpa gave me a proof Statue of Liberty silver dollar. I grew up looking at that coin and thinking it was really cool, and it was even more special because Mom kept it high on a shelf and I would only get to look at it every so often. Through the years, he gave me a couple of Whitman folders, some Ikes, a Red book, and such. I still have all of them. I added to the Statue of Liberty set, and got both half dollars and the UNC dollar. When prices come down a good bit, I am going to get the gold to go with it as well.

[IGWT]

Yes. It's an 1883 5c that I found while weeding the garden when I was a kid.

[jgrinz]

Nope - Bought a car with em