H1: Introduction to Coin Collecting Through Piggy Banks
From metal buckets to simple piggy banks, coin collecting has been a cherished hobby for generations. In this article, we explore a personal story of coin collecting and the value of piggy banks through various examples.
H2: The Grandfather's Metal Buckets
My grandfather had two metal buckets filled with coins. While they may not have been high in value, they held significant sentimental and historical value. He passed the buckets on to my nephew, who gave them to his sister, a divorced, broke mother. Together, they discovered that the buckets contained a total of $525.00 in coins. The nephew's daughter then counted the coins and took them to the credit union to be counted and deposited. At the time, I was too old to deal with the coins, making it a win-win situation for everyone.
H2: The Hasty Journey Through Time
The story doesn't end there. My grandmother had a piggy bank that she kept throughout her life. This piggy bank wasn't in the shape of a pig, but it served the same purpose. Inside was a collection of coins that she saved from her childhood, followed by my mother and her brother. These coins were mostly from my mother's childhood, preserving a piece of history. At that time, even small coins were considered valuable, so they weren't taken lightly. Interestingly, these coins were out of circulation for so long that their numismatic value exceeded their face value, and they were in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, I never sold them, as I value them more as part of my coin collection.
H2: Lessons from My Grandmother's Coins
My grandmother also saved some gold dollars to distribute to her grandchildren. However, she made a mistake by not keeping them in a piggy bank, as they would have been worth more. My grandmother didn't know much about coin collecting, so she polished the coins before giving them to us to make them look nice. This resulted in their actual value being considerably less than they would have been if left unpolished. I often wonder if she had kept them in a piggy bank, they would still be in great condition and hold a higher value.
H2: The Perils of Coin Collecting Without Care
My oldest brother also had a unique way of collecting coins. He stored them in a five-gallon glass water bottle. Not only did he lose out on the interest from keeping the money in a savings account, but inflation also reduced the purchasing power of the coins over time. What's even more unfortunate is that all the paper money eventually crumbled to dust and cotton threads, making them completely worthless. This serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of proper storage and protection for coin collections.
H2: The Valuable Lesson
The true value of piggy banks is not in the face value of the coins they contain but in the stories they hold and the historical significance that they preserve. Whether it's a collection of coins from childhood or precious gold dollars, piggy banks are more than just containers for holding money. They are a testament to the past and a reminder of the value of preserving history.