For local coin collectors, it’s not all about the money

Adam Orbell remembers the first coin that caught his eye.

“As a kid, I found a drummer boy quarter, 1976, and I just fell in love,” he said. “I’ve been collecting since then. I’m 43 now, and I’ve been collecting since I was probably 5 or 6. I just always found them cool.”

The quarter kicked off his lifetime interest in coin collecting, or numismatics, another word for the study and collecting of coins and currency. Now, he attends coin shows, like the fall Greensburg Coin Club showcase on Sunday at the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department.

“I never really knew about these for a long time,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to not have to go to eBay, and things like that, to find coins. You can physically see them, and see the quality and diversity. There are so many different coins. You can collect any kind of niche thing, whatever you want.”

Coins and collectibles of all shapes and sizes were lined up in stacks, binders, and display cases, spread out across the event space.

The coin show was one of four held annually by the Greensburg Coin Club, and featured 13 different vendors. The next event is scheduled for February at the same location.

Tangible history

Greensburg Coin Club President George Yonek remembers the odd inciting incident to his own interest in coin collecting.

“My brother broke his leg, and so my mother told me I had to do his paper route,” Yonek said. “Collecting the money, and hearing the money, some of the money sounded different. It turned out it was silver, and that sparked my interest. The more I read, the more it opened up a world.”

Leechburg resident Ryan Bodick, 26, has attended the coin shows since he was about 6 or 7 years old. This was his first year with a table at the event, he said.

Silver coins are his favorite to collect.

“It has the numismatic value, which is the historical value, and then also the precious metal,” Bodick said. “To me, it’s kind of like an investment. I built this up ever since I was a kid, and it’s really cool for me to be able to tangibly see how it all works out.”

His most prized item is a coin from the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915.

“They only made about 30 of these things,” he said. “It’s made out of gold from Eureka, Calif., which is why it’s stamped ‘Eureka.’”

Social gathering

Coins can be purchased on eBay or online retailers. The appeal of events like the coin show, for many collectors, is getting to mingle with other numismatics enthusiasts.

“I love talking with all the other dealers,” Bodick said. “Ever since I started doing it this year, I’ve pretty much made friends with a lot of them. It’s really nice. Plus, I like to learn more. With coin collecting, there’s just so much you can learn. I know barely anything compared to what I thought I knew.”

As a younger coin collector, Bodick feels sometimes like the hobby is “a hidden little secret.”

“Not many people my age really know too much about it, but if you have knowledge with it, you can make a little bit of money,” he said. “I think it’s really interesting with the historical information.”

While coins have an investment value for some, they’re also often sentimental, like any other collection.

Yonek says he’s sometimes contacted by people who are looking at inherited collections, or who have collectible coins that were purchased directly from the mint. Those are not always worth much additional money.

“It’s more a reminder to them of what their parents did,” he said, noting that silver tends to have more value.

At the same time, unique or interesting items surface every so often.

“The really older guys collected back when things were a heck of a lot cheaper,” Yonek said. “New and interesting things come to light as people bring their collections in.”

“Even if it’s not valuable, if someone finds value in it, then it’s worth it to them,” Orbell said. “I definitely have a lot of coins that aren’t valuable that I would never get rid of, because I have a history with them.”

Greg Erosenko of Monroeville agreed. Some of his own coins feel personal — they were passed down from his father’s coin collection.

He likes attending events like the coin show to look for new items as well as to visit other collectors.

“Everybody knows me,” he said. “My favorite era is the colonial era. Then I have a lot of Roman stuff, too.”