Do any of the major department stores have a coin department?

[truthteller]

When I was a wee lad of 20, I remember going to downtown Chicago and walking into Marshall Fields. When I went upstairs, lo and behold, a coin department. You could even buy coins on a MF credit card. I found this to be the case in downtown Seattle at one of the major Stores(which is no more) and in Macys in San Francisco many years ago. Unfortunately, never is Los Angeles. Are there any left?

 

TRUTH

[TomB]

In the 1970s you could purchase coins from the coin counter at Macy's department store in NYC. I doubt that that is the case any longer.

[clw54]

They used to around 1970, but not anymore.

[Higashiyama]

Around 1970, there was a coin department at the Gimbel's department store in Paramus, NJ.

 

TomB -- do you remember that one? They never had too much of interest, but it was a lot more fun than shopping for clothes.

[goose3]

Back when I was very little (1970's) I remember going into Woolworth with my grandfather. We used to go clear to the back left hand side of the store and I'd gaze into the coin machine.

 

It was one of those glass ones with a button that you pushed that would cycle the trays around.

 

That same machine now resides in an antique/junk shop down the road and probably still has the same coins in it.

[Higashiyama]

One other comment from little kid days.

 

Around 1965, I bought a pristine 1943-s cent from a coin display at a Woolworths somewhere in NY state.

 

The coin always seemed a little too nice to be true, but is still part of my raw collection, and sure looks legitimate.

[TomB]

Yes! I remember that Gimbel's in Paramus and the coin display.

 

A little off-topic, but, do you remember that hideous and enormous Jackson Pollack inspired mural on the outside of Alexander's on Rt 4 West right by the junction of Rt 17? That monstrosity is gone, as I understand it, when the entire cloverleaf was redesigned. I have driven it once or twice and it confused the heck out of me.

[Higashiyama]

Yes, I rememeber that mural -- which I believe once had a place in the Guiness book of world records! To show how long it has been, I didn't realize the cloverleaf had been redesigned.

[Sunnywood]

Both Macy's and Gimbel's used to have coin counters in their flagship Manhattan department stores. Macy's closed theirs first, but I remember Gimbel's still being there until at least 1975.

 

Sunnywood

 

[jeh46544]

Montgomery Wards had a coin department. They only sold foriegn coins, though. They closed about six years ago.

[Julian]

All of the coin departments in those stores were independently owned units, such as the cosmetic counters are today. They were largely owned by the Coin and Currency Institute, formerly of NYC. I do not believe that any exist today. The CCI does exist and it primarlily publishes catalogues that were started by the founders. Arthur & Ira Friedberg carry on today.

[EVillageProwler]

Around 1970, there was a coin department at the Gimbel's department store in Paramus, NJ.

 

Hey! I've been there. I think I bought my first trime there... (I grew up in Bergen Cty.)

 

EVP

 

[EVillageProwler]

A little off-topic, but, do you remember that hideous and enormous Jackson Pollack inspired mural on the outside of Alexander's on Rt 4 West right by the junction of Rt 17?

 

I vaguely remember that too, but do recall that it didn't bother me. I remember going in there and buying a model replica of the WW2 Royal Navy Air Craft Carrier Ark Royal. After I eventually lost its airplanes, I think I eventually blew it up in a stream nearby the home in a major naval confrontation with my brother's fleet units!

 

EVP