Horst Happenings....: My World, My Coins; My World Coins

Sunday, March 01, 2009

My World, My Coins; My World Coins

I have recently rediscovered a stash of coins that my Grandfather Horst brought to America in the early 1920's when he and my grandmother emigrated. This assortment was passed on to my dad when my grandparents passed away in the 1950's. And then on to me when my dad died.

I remember playing with and sorting out these coins when I was very young. I am sure that these were my early days of developing my OC disorder. I would sit on the floor and sort according to size, composition (I was really sorting by color), numbers, etc. As I grew older I would sort by value, location, etc.

The bulk of the coins were from the Deutsches Reich with some Notgeld and Kleingeld issues from the post WWI era thrown in. There were also a few coins from surrounding European countries, though I never really paid much attention to them.

As time passed and I grew older the coins took a backseat to other passions and interests. After getting married I would occasionally take them out and look at them and reminisce. As my own children grew older I would share my stories of the coins with them. But then the coins would soon be put away and forgotten about for another long period.

Then I started posting and talking about my Notgeld collection. While searching the Notgeld I remembered the coins. I took them out and started poring over them once again. I was amazed at what I found. There were several silver coins mixed in with the assorted copper, bronze, aluminum, and steel coins.The following is a list of the more significant finds:

Russia 1900 50 Kopeks (Nicholas II)
Russia 1913 15 Kopeks (Nicholas II)
Sweden 1906 1 Krona
Deutsches Reich 1908 1/2 Mark
Deutsches Reich 1916 1/2 Mark
Canada 1911 25 cents
Australia 1943 6 Pence
1950 Mexico 25 Centavos

I am not sure how the to latter coins got in the mix. I suppose they were probably found in daily change and pitched in somewhere down the line. None of the coins are in super shape; after all, they were part of everyday commerce until the fateful day that they fell into storage. Only seeing the light of day when i came along and decided to sort.Now they have been moved from the "stash" to the "Collection" since they have a silver content that makes them worth setting aside.

The following 2 websites were indispensable in researching these coins. Please visit them if you ever have the need.

© 2009 Barry T Horst

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