Did You Collect as a Kid?

[RI AL]

I started in 1957 at age 7 (gee...I guess that means I've been at it for over half a century) I started when my dad sent me to walk to the nearby gas station to get change for a dollar bill so us 3 boys could have lunch money (25 cents at that point...and 5 cents for an extra milk). Among the 4 quarters I got was a super worn 1907 Barber ...doubt it would even be an AG at this point. I gave up my lunch that day and kept the quarter. But...the damage was done...I was bitten...HARD...by the coin bug.

 

Shortly thereafter, my dad's boss made a trip to the mid east and came back with a few Palestine coins for me...which I still have...and that was the start of my foreign collecting.

 

In college starting in 1969, I read an ad in Coin World about 2 schilling Austrian silver coins, several that had composers on them so that was the start of THAT interest of collecting music coins. One semi-interesting story...I had been looking forever for a Paraguay 150 Guaranies with Beethoven KM 108. Wrote lots of want list letters and stuff...maybe 3 years later, one arrived in the mail, no bill, nothing...only with the dealer's return address on the envelope. So I wrote him, and he didn't seem much to care but I did pay him for the coin. There is no photo in Krause catalog so here it is...below.

 

Our 4 years working in Peru and 2 in Yugoslavia during the TITO days started my coin and note collecting in those areas. Another semi-interesting story...we were in Belgrade when Tito died. Incredible times...everyone was crying for days...all store windows were black draped, with Tito's picture in the center...just an unreal experience...Anyway, as we were affiliated with the American Embassy, we were invited to greet President Carter when he arrived for the official funeral. We went to the airport to see the Presidential plane and the president, of course. My son, then about 1 year old, was with us and President Carter walked right up to us and held Matthew. We have that picture somewhere...very special memory.

 

OK...enough...RI AL