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