Poll: What’s the most meaningful coin in your collection and why?

My most meaningful coin is a coin I had always dreamed of owning but never could afford to purchase it. When I first started collecting coins, I started with pennies because I could afford them. I was able to acquire a lot of various wheat pennies at face value and add them to my collection. Once I filled up all the holes for the "easy" to find common dates, it was becoming more difficult to find and acquire the more uncommon dates and mint marks. Trying to obtain those coins was mostly by going to a bank and purchasing rolls to search through or go through my parent’s change.

At the age of thirteen, I had a job and was able to purchase some harder-to-find items. Eventually, over the years, I filled most of the holes and over the years upgraded many that were worn. I wanted everything to be VF or better, but it took a long time. Some of those coins that came elusive to me were the 1909-S VDB, 1909-S, 1914-D and 1922 no mint mark.

Eventually, I purchased the following certified items: 1909-S, 1914-D, and 1922 no mint mark. The price of the 1909-S VDB always seemed to be out of reach to finish my set. The 1909-S VDB was the ultimate coin for my set. I remember being in a Coin Club in High School, and we always talked about how nice it would be to own a 1909-S VDB. The coin was continually on my mind to finish the set. It seemed the more I wished for it, the more expensive it became, so one day, I just decided to buy it. I found the one I wanted and purchased it.

It had eluded me for many, many years, but now I am happy I purchased it. I count myself lucky to have had the funding to purchase it, as there are many numismatists out there, young and old alike, who wish they had a 1909-S VDB to complete their collection.

Name and Address withheld

That’s a very interesting question, with possibly a very uninteresting answer, as it’s not a valuable coin and not very rare or exciting.

But my most meaningful coin is a 1962 Canadian penny.

Why would this be?

It was the very first coin I found and put away. It was obtained at a local penny candy store when I was a little boy while coming home from church with my younger brother and my dad. He would give us each a dime or quarter to buy candy from those wooden bins. We could spend as much or as little as we wanted on candy and then keep the change.

Well, on that Sunday, I received that beautiful, different little one-cent piece. All I knew was it was different. I had never seen anything like it before! I kept it and still have it today. That started my lifelong journey of collecting coins.

Name and Address withheld

I really appreciate my 1916-D mercury dime. A great-looking coin with a nice history.

KE, Germantown, Ohio

I have an 1869 Indian Head Cent in my collection that I found when I was about seven years old - that would be 74 years ago - and I still remember finding it. Though I have graded it as only Good, at today's valuation, it is worth about $100.

Ken, Lewes, Del.

I found this to be an interesting question. I imagine that most coins in collections aren't necessarily meaningful at first thought, but thinking more about this question, I came up with an answer that I thought was suitable.

One of the most meaningful coins in one of my collections is a Congo Free State 1887 5 Francs copper pattern that was once owned by John Jay Pittman. The coin is currently graded by PCGS as MS65RB and is quite rare and beautiful.

This coin is meaningful in a few ways. First off, I met Mr. Pittman when I became a new member of a local coin club. Unfortunately, he died not long after. However, I did get to know his wife and daughter, Polly Pittman, as they attended many club meetings after his death.

When the Pittman sales started, I was lucky enough to attend the first auction in person but missed the second one. I was also unable to attend the third and final auction of world coins.

However, I did send in a "mail bid" and was able to secure the Congo pattern. I was still figuring out what I was most interested in collecting at this time and was leaning towards Congo. This coin pretty much solidified my specialization in this country, which at the time seemed to be overlooked and/or underappreciated. As I pursued these coins, I built a very formidable collection of Belgian Congo-related coins and even won a Best World set in NGC's Customs Sets about a decade ago. Since that time, my collection has grown in depth and quality.

I have met many fine collectors of this series, as well as have been recognized in several publications. If it wasn't for this coin, I might have collected in a different direction, and many of these experiences might have never been.

Scott A., Address withheld

I would have to say a 1910 Lincoln cent. It was the coin that got me interested in collecting. I found it in change my mother gave me for lunch money when I was about ten or eleven years old. I skipped lunch and kept the coin, and I still have it. I have other coins that relatives gave me that would all come in a very close second place. I have been collecting for over fifty years now.

Daryl Conley, New Mexico

My best coin is a 2008 Proof 70 1/4oz Proof Platinum NGC. I also like the government box issue. I have eight in total. I have the whole 12-coin set in PF-70. Read Modern Commemorative Coins by Eric Jordan. This set is the best set to collect in our lifetime. Number two would be the 1/10 oz Proof Platinum 12-coin set. Also, I have the whole set in proof 70 and government boxes.

Name and address withheld

It’s an 1887 seated dime I bought in the 1960s from a dealer’s junk box for $1. It’s still the earliest coin I ever purchased that I still own, so while it’s the cheapest I ever spent, it holds so much sentimental value.

If I had to pick a second, it’s an 1806 half in XF with fantastic original toning that I bought in an auction about 20 years ago. I paid quite a bit more than $1 for the half.

Roy, Address withheld

-Many years ago, I ran across the story of a slave penny — a large cent given to an enslaved person by an owner. As the story goes, occasionally, when a slave did some good work, the owner rewarded him or her with the gift of a copper large cent. Some people who were given the coin carved a hole in it and wore it around their necks.

There is nothing rare about a large cent with a hole drilled into it — just a bad fate for a coin. But if the hole appears to have been carved through the coin with some sort of makeshift tool, that might be a different story. A few years after hearing that story, I discovered that one of my large cents had a hole cut in it — not one drilled mechanically. Is it such a coin? I like to think so.

The sad irony of this gift to an enslaved person is that the lady on the coin wears a crown proclaiming L I B E R T Y.

Gary Beals, Lakeside, Calif.

A 1942 British Half Crown. My dad served in the 89th “Rolling W” Infantry Division in WWII, and that was the coin he brought home along with some French, Luxemburg, and German currency that he got on his March across Germany till the war ended. After the war, he picked up some Austrian, German, and French MPCs that he got on occupation duty. They are meaningful because they’re a memento of my dad’s part in turning the page of history and preserving democracy from dictators.

Name and Address withheld

It is a common date Indian Head quarter eagle that my mother gave me. It had been in her grandfather’s pocket when he died.

Bill Eckberg, Address withheld

While not necessarily expensive or rare, I will opt for my first Capped Bust Half. It is an 1812 CBH, O-104, which I grade at VF35. It appears unmolested, with a pleasing patina. It introduced me to the wonderful world of original, early American coinage and the manual labor to produce the dies and mint the coin. This is a series and topic that still fascinates me. It expanded my interest and love for numismatics. To me, it is priceless.

Timothy Scharr, Aviston, Ill.