| Probably everyone at one time or another has | | | | we spent together in the years gone by, oh well, |
| collected coins. Some people save old wheat | | | | at least it's always great memories when it |
| pennies they find in change and throw them in a | | | | comes to you, dad. |
| jar. Other people collect state quarters, and some | | | | Now as I regain my mental composure, if I ever |
| others collect certain coins like nickles or dimes, | | | | had one, I want to say that I never lost the |
| and try to build a complete collection over time. A | | | | desire to collect coins. And as I got old enough to |
| lot of folks think coin collecting is the hobby of | | | | work full time, and live on my own I started and |
| king's and truthfully, it's often called that. A king | | | | built a fairly large coin collection. I didn't have much |
| may be able to build a giant collection of coins, but | | | | money as I never went to college or trade |
| I promise you, that the small collection a young | | | | school, and I have always had a job working as a |
| boy has that may only be worth a couple of | | | | laborer, so I had to fine ways that I could build up |
| dollars, is worth just as much to that boy as a | | | | my coin collection cheaply. |
| King's coins are worth to him. | | | | One day, I was looking in the back of a Coin |
| I can tell you right now, anyone can collect coins | | | | collecting magazine that I had purchased at a local |
| and you don't have to be rich. In fact I have quite | | | | news stand, and I found an ad where you could |
| a large coin collection, and I have had a very low | | | | join a coin collecting approval service. They would |
| paying job all my life. There are a lot of ways | | | | send you certain coins once a month, and you |
| someone can build a great coin collection over | | | | could select the ones you wanted to buy and |
| time, while still paying the bills. | | | | keep, and if you didn't want them all, just mail the |
| Coins are so neat looking, I remember when I | | | | others back to them, and the next month they |
| was a young boy, my grandad would go upstairs | | | | would send some other coins for you to examine. |
| and open a safe we had, inside was a metal | | | | What made this program better than the other |
| drawer containing some old Morgan and Peace | | | | approval services I had often seen was, you |
| Silver Dollars. My grandad would let me sit and | | | | could tell them what type of coins you were |
| play with the coins often. I would hold one by the | | | | interested in, and what price you were willing to |
| edge on the table top and flip it on the side with | | | | spend monthly. I selected miscellaneous U.S. coins, |
| my finger and the coin would spin wildly around on | | | | everything from old large cents from the 1800's |
| the table like a toy top. The coins were frosty | | | | to silver mercury dimes and buffalo nickels etc. |
| silver or whitish colored and were beautiful to look | | | | And I chose to only spend $20 a month, for me |
| at, they were large and heavy, not like the little | | | | this was perfect and for about a year or more I |
| coins we have today. I often wondered how | | | | stayed in the program and over time I got a nice |
| many folks actually carried these things around in | | | | bunch of coins from them, then something |
| their pockets everyday, it only took a few of | | | | happened and the company folded or went out of |
| them to weigh quite a lot. | | | | business, as I never received any more coins |
| After my grandad passed away back in 1969, my | | | | from them and I no longer saw their ad in the |
| dad sold the old silver dollars, I don't think he really | | | | magazines. |
| wanted to, but my grandad had left the family | | | | Overtime I discovered other cheap methods to |
| farm pretty deep indebt, so dad had an auction | | | | aquire some nice coins, one of the methods I still |
| and sold about everything except our house and | | | | use, is something that anyone can do to start |
| the barn, to pay off the huge bills. It wasn't too | | | | building a nice coin collection. Just start searching |
| long after that when dad got bitten by the coin | | | | and examining your pocket change, I still find |
| collecting bug. At first it wasn't coins but paper | | | | wheat pennies and silver war nickels, and many |
| money that got dad started. I remember dad | | | | pre 1960 nickels, and sometimes a silver coin in |
| saw an ad in the back of some magazine, where | | | | pocket change. One time about two years back, I |
| a guy was offering to pay $2 for every dollar bill | | | | was at a local store and got some change back, I |
| you sent him that had a certain treasurer's name | | | | noticed two of the quarters I received looked |
| on it, that name was: " Joesph W. Barr ". My dad | | | | kinda white in color, examining them closely after |
| looked in his wallet at some dollar bills he had, and | | | | I got back home, I discovered they were both |
| sure enough he had one that had the signature " | | | | pre 1964 silver Washington quarters. I figured |
| Joesph W. Barr " on it. Dad took the dollar from | | | | somebody must of needed money to buy some |
| his wallet and kept it in an envelope in his old roll | | | | cigarettes or milk or something, and must of used |
| top desk, and after checking his money for | | | | some of their old coins, I was just lucky enough |
| several days afterwards, dad found some more | | | | to had been there at the right time and place to |
| of them. Sometime later dad mailed the dollar bills | | | | get them in my change. |
| to the address in the magazine ad, and sure | | | | One place to find a lot of nice coins is to go to |
| enough he soon got a check for the dollars plus | | | | different banks and buy rolls, search through |
| an extra dollar each. Dad continued searching and | | | | them carefully, and you will be surprised of the |
| sending in them " Joesph W. Barr " dollar bills for | | | | neat finds you may come across, plus just add a |
| awhile, then after a period of time, the guy no | | | | few out of your pocket change to replace the |
| longer was accepting them. | | | | ones you want to keep from the rolls, and you |
| Dad then started buying a few Indian head cents | | | | can turn them back into a different bank for |
| and some buffalo nickels. Then as he got older | | | | some different rolls of coins to search through. |
| and money seemed to get a lot more tighter, | | | | Another place that is fairly good for finding some |
| dad quit buying coins and turned to a new hobby, | | | | rare coins is at local flea markets, be careful |
| doing sweepstakes. But by this time, I was | | | | though as many of the folks at these places are |
| hooked, I just loved the look of the old coins, the | | | | very aware of a coins value, and they often ask |
| silver ones and the old copper large cents, they | | | | for much more then what the coins are worth. |
| just seemed so neat compared to the boring | | | | Read up on the coins you are interested in buying, |
| coins of everyday use. Now as I am writing this | | | | or better yet, take along a pocket coin price |
| article, I stumbled across an interesting article | | | | guide with you when you go to buy coins, it's |
| about the " Joesph W. Barr " dollar bills from the | | | | better to be thrifty then foolish. |
| 'American Numismatic Association' it said, the | | | | Anyway, now after collecting coins for fun over |
| following: "At one time, it was speculated that the | | | | the years, I have almost every Lincoln cent that |
| notes signed by Treasurer Joseph W. Barr would | | | | was made from 1909 up to present, and I have |
| eventually hold a high numismatic value since he | | | | every Jefferson nickel from the first one that |
| was in office for only 23 days in 1968-69. | | | | was made in 1938 to present, and I have a nice |
| However, during that period, a total of 484 million | | | | sized wooden chest full of miscellaneous U.S. coins, |
| notes were produced with his signature. The high | | | | including silver dollars, mercury dimes, buffalo |
| quantity produced dictates that the notes will | | | | nickels, Large Cents and many more unique and |
| never be considered rare in our lifetime. | | | | rare coins. I figure the coins will make a nice gift |
| Interestingly, in 1995, numismatic author Alan | | | | someday, something to leave to my daughter |
| Herbert stated, "A $1 Barr note deposited in an | | | | and her children, and maybe I can spark that fire |
| interest-bearing account in 1969 would have been | | | | in them, that my dad started in me, the joy of |
| worth over $4.00, figuring 6% interest | | | | coin collecting. So start checking your pocket |
| compounded annually. A circulated Barr note kept | | | | change today, you just never know what rare |
| in a safe-deposit box for 26 years is worth $1 | | | | finds you may come across. |
| today." | | | | There are several different types of computer |
| So that explains why that guy probably quit | | | | software that are made for coin collecting. One |
| buying the " Joesph W. Barr " dollar bills, it seemed | | | | program that stand's out is ' Coin Collector |
| they might of been collectible for a little while, but | | | | Professional ', it is made for any coin collector, |
| they just never caught on. Today you can still | | | | from novices to professionals, and it cost under |
| buy them on eBay and other places, sometimes | | | | $20. ' Coin Collector Professional ' may be |
| for slightly more than $1.00. Oh well, it is | | | | downloaded and tried for free at this website |
| something that has stuck in my mind every since | | | | address: |
| I was a little boy, I will always remember dad | | | | Copyright © 2006 |
| checking his wallet for " Joesph W. Barr " dollar | | | | You may publish this article in your ezine, |
| bills. Now as I wipe the tears from my eyes, yes | | | | newsletter or on your web site as long as it is |
| I am sad to say dad has been gone a few years | | | | reprinted in its entirety and without modification |
| now, and I still miss him very much, especially | | | | except for formatting needs or grammar |
| when I sit here alone and think about the times | | | | corrections. |