Coin Shops - The Backbone Of Our Hobby | Member-Written NOW Articles

As a child of 10, I started collecting coins in 1953 by going through coins in circulation. At that time, I would occasionally find Indian Head cents, Buffalo Nickels, and Mercury dimes. Sometimes a Barber dime, quarter, or half would appear. I was unaware of coin shops but I wouldn’t have had money to buy coins. The thrill of the hunt was the fun of filling the holes in the blue Whitman albums.

I stepped away from collecting for a while but returned to the hobby in 1967, after getting married. I joined the MNS that year and changed my specialty from coins to exonumia. Coin collecting was then taking off with thousands of people attending coin shows. New coin shops were springing up in Milwaukee.

I made it a point to always visit these shops when they opened. I would introduce myself and tell the owner what I collected. I always asked for their business card so I could remember their name and it provided me their phone number in the event I needed to call them. Coin shops came and went over the years. I have continued this practice of picking up business cards from shops I visit but new coin shops are now rare. The accumulated cards have formed a new collection of local numismatic business cards.

Coin shops played an important role in helping me form my collection. Some of the shopkeepers saved exonumia for me because I regularly visited them and we became friends. Coin shops are not only a place to buy coins, or in my case tokens. Coin shops stay open six days a week to serve the collector. In addition to buying and selling coins, they handle supplies, numismatic books and most of all, free advice. Who better to ask a numismatic question to than a coin shop proprietor? Owners know the subjects of grading, authentication, pricing and historical information on many pieces. Some have taken grading courses. They joined local coin clubs and occasionally gave talks on different numismatic topics at our club meetings. You would find them with a table at our local coin shows. Youngsters are sometimes mentored by shop owners and are given a coin to introduce them to the hobby. I recall one shop I went to gave my young children, who were in tote, popcorn balls while I looked through the show cases. For me, the social interaction with the dealer was the most important thing. This is now lacking if you buy off the internet.

When I work on my collection I reminisce when I come across particular pieces. I no longer remember where I bought most of my tokens but there are a few that that come to mind. I can remember buying a presidential inaugural medal of Theodore Roosevelt from Eddie Collins of Collins Coins on 19th & Lincoln. Chuck Mayer of Chucks Coins on 63 & National sold me a Hobo nickel. I have kept it in the original cardboard 2x2 with his writing on it. One of my prettiest gold love tokens which is in my Love Token exhibit came from Bob Korosec of Bob’s Coins on 83rd & Becher St. While the coin store buildings remain, the owners have since passed.

I think we need to appreciate the efforts coin stores make to further our hobby. They promote coin collecting, investing and assist collectors in creating their collections. The coin shop is always there serving the collector.

Shown here are a few of the Milwaukee business cards I have accumulated from these long-ago shops from the past. I hope they evoke the same memories that I have of these great people who helped me form a collection.

Have an interesting numismatic topic you’d like to share with your fellow NOW members?

Send your article to evan.pretzer@protonmail.com today!!!

For more NOW Articles Written By Members, join N.O.W. today!