I have a pretty big coin collection. I remember rather clearly when I started collecting coins. I was in 4th grade at City School #4, Rochester, NY. I looked in my lunch money and noticed a Pennsylvania quarter. I wanted to save it just 'cause it was something different. But I didn't want to skip lunch, so I asked the cashier to save it for me and I replaced it the next day. It now holds a place of honor in the Pennsylvania hole on my State Quarters Map. (For a long time, since Pennsylvania was the first quarter I got, I had thought it had been the first one issued)(The first one issued is really Delaware)
Thus, the State Quarters got me hooked on coin collecting, which is one of the very things the Mint intended them to do.
In October 2004, I found a real silver dollar (1921-D Morgan) in a bank for face value! (The teller had asked me, in all seriousness, if I wanted it.)
In November 2004, I got two full rolls of Eisenhower dollars. That gave me a complete date set of the circulated coins! Yay! I even managed to the other coins at a premium. :)
My cousin owned an old store that had been in operation since the 1930's. While renovating the place, people have found the following items for me:
1915 Barber quarter, 1943 Washington quarter, 1925-D Wheat cent, 1944-S Wheat cent, two dozen other wheats
I got 14 40% silver Kennedy halves at the bank one day in October, the day I opened my account. (This was my first transaction as an accountholder.) I sold 11 of the coins for $14.
1906 and 1907 Indian Head pennies (Gifts from Uncle)
I once ordered $75 of silver stuff from a convenience store manager in Ohio. (He had bought them off of the tray) Inluded in that lot were:
3 1991 American Eagles. Man, those are beautiful coins.
1923-S and 1928-D Peace dollars.
1901-O Morgan dollar. This coin was at one time the oldest item in my collection.
1964 Silver Kennedy half
10 silver Washington quarters
1942-S Mercury dime
1914-D Barber dime
30 silver Roosevelt dimes
1955-S Wheat penny
I also got 7 $1 silver certificates.
I find it hard to believe that someone spent all of this stuff. Well, maybe some people were desperate for their beer or smokes? Carpe diem. I got the coins and bills for $69, and shipping/insurance was $6. He made a good profit over face, and I got them for a good deal under melt value. Everybody's happy.
Uncirculated 1999-D SBA dollar, bought on eBay.
More duplicate silver Kennedys
I store my date/mintmark sets in cardboard coin folders. (Whitman style)I store my loose coins in cardboard 2x2 holders, and I've organized some of the 'nicer' 2x2 coins into plastic baseball card pages. To be more specific, the plastic baseball card pages contain my type set and my 2000 year set (complete, including Sacs and Kennedys). Most of my 'older-series' coins (Standing Liberty quarters, Barber dimes/halves/quarters and the like) are in these folders.
Lincoln cardboard coin folders holding my date/mintmark set.
Highlights: My collection is complete from 1954 to the present except for the 2005 coins. (I used to be missing that blasted 2002-D)
Folder #1 (1909-1940): 46 coins
Folder #2 (1941-1974): 85 coins
Folder #3 (1975-present): 69 coins
Pennies in 'typeset' folders: 7 coins (including 1897 Indian Head)
Rolls of duplicate wheat pennies (3): 150 coins
Series 2000 and 2000-D rolls: 100 coins
Progess towards 4th roll: 5 coins
Other: 8 coins (including 1959 and 1978 proofs, and 1978 mint set)
Total Pennies: 470 ($4.70)
I like the new Louisiana Purchase reverse nickels. I like seeing something different among my coins- probably why I like the State Quarters so much. Two large collectors on the Wheresgeorge forum have searched through 300,000 coins each and neither of them have found a 1939-D nickel, the rarest date in the Jefferson series. Needless to say, I don't have one either. There are only fifteen dates I still need, including the 1939-D.
My Jefferson set is complete from 1952 to the present, except for a 2006-D.
Folder #1 (1938-1961): 52 coins [7 silver]
Folder #2 (1962-1995): 65 coins (This folder is full! Yay!)
Folder #3 (1996-present): 27 coins
2000-P roll and 2000-D roll: 80 coins
From typeset folder: 5 coins
Duplicate LP reverse nickels: 47 coins
Other: 12 coins (including 1978 mint set and 1978 proof)
Total Nickels: 288 ($14.40)
I have a complete date/mintmark set of the copper-nickel Roosevelt dimes. I have several silver dimes, including a few Mercurys and 1 Barber dime.
Folder #1 (1946-1964, silver): 24 coins [22 silver]
Folder #2 (1965-present, copper-nickel): 77 coins (This folder is full! Yay!)
2000-P roll: 50 coins
Started towards a 2000-D roll (I was a few away from a 2000-D roll, then I spent all the coins. Why, I don't know.) :(
Typseset folder: 5 coins [3 silver]
Mercury Dimes: 4 coins (One in VF condition. Woohoo.)
1978 Mint set, 1978 proof: 3 coins
Other: 3 coins
Total Dimes: 161 coins ($16.10)
For the State Quarters, I have 37 out of 38. (Gimme a break. Colorado only came out a couple weeks ago)
For the Denver Mint, I'm only 26 for 38.
As with two dollar bills, I like halves partially because you don't see them that often. Also, because older ones have silver in them. :)
Dollar Coins. Another denomination that isn't used often. That, of course, is one of the things that makes them more interesting. And there's just so much history atached to real Silver Dollars...
With the introduction of the small-size dollar in 1979, weight of the coins is no longer a good reason to not ban dollar bills and switch to a dollar coin. With the Sacagawea in 2000, similarity to the quarter is no longer an excuse...But that's another issue. :)
Folder #1: 33 coins (2 are 90% silver. 5 are 40% silver)
Folder #2: 29 coins
Typeset folder: 8 coins (3 are 90% silver. 1 is 40% silver)
'Spare 2000+ coins': 9 halves
Silver stockpile: 12 coins (4 are 90% silver. 8 are 40% silver)
1978 mintset: 2 coins
Gold-plated Bicentennial: 1
I have a commorative half dollar as well, the 1982-D George Washington.
Total Halves: 95 ($47.50)
Dollar Coins
Typeset folders (Silver Dollars): 4
Typeset folders (Ike/SBA/Sacagawea): 11
Sacaagwea Whitman-style folder: 11
Other Sacagaweas in 2x2s: 8
Eisenhower set: 16
American Eagle 1 oz. silver (denominated as $1): 2
Total Dollar Coins: 52 ($52)
Totals
Total Pennies: 470 ($4.70)
Total Nickels: 288 ($14.40)
Total Dimes: 161 ($16.10)
Total Quarters: 379 ($94.75)
Total Halves: 95 ($47.50)
Total Dollar Coins: 52 ($52.00)
Total All Denominations: 1,445 ($229.45)
Average: 15.87 cents per coin