audrop's Bio
I started collecting coins in earnest when I was 12. I would use proceeds from my paper route to search through rolls of coins at the local bank. In those days (1960), you could find just about anything from 1900 on. I specialized in Lincoln cents so my investment in any one coin was a penny. Now, 48 years later, I am trying to complete mint sets for my 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and my ancestors, as far back as I can find registry coins for. My favorite coins are Indian Head cents, 'Buffalo' nickels, 'Mercury' dimes, 'Walking' Liberty halves, and Morgan dollars. I have little use for the 'modern' mint products and can't help but think that the new generation of engravers leave much to be desired in artistic design. The feeling I get when I hold a coin from 1849, 1861, 1875, 1893, 1898, 1921, etc, is indescribable. To hold time and history in my hand and think about what the U.S. and the world was like and the living conditions, trials and tribulations of family members that preceeded me is awesome. It puts a whole new perspective on my life and why I'm here now and what responsibilities I have to continue the legacy of my forefathers (and foremothers). What a wonderful life to be in America with the realization that someone in my family left their birthplace and family, knowing that they would never see them again and immigrated so I might enjoy the freedoms and life-style I've grown accustomed to.
A teacher by trade, I taught one year of 6th grade, 12 years in the middle school and 17+ years at the high school level. In that time I taught about every subject imaginable, but my focus was math/science. My favorite assignment was teaching physics and I would take a group of students yearly to the nearest amusement park for the weekend with vertical accelerometers and stop watches in tow. My hobby is history and how one event leads to another and another ad infinitum. The important things that happened that opened the door to this present and as yet, an unforeseeable future. Coins are my crystal ball into the past and my passion of the present and hopefully will be worth more in the future. I am more of a collector than an investor however, and feel I am getting my monies worth in the enjoyment I experience of looking at my coins and the glimpses into the past.
Thanks for reading and happy collecting to all!