Sixties boy here. Born in 1957, used to use pre decimal money for the bus on the way home in Nottingham in the sixties. Fourpence it was.
For reasons unknown my mother bought me various Whitman folders, and I started to save coins out of change - although my father had to help with shillings and florins etc.
Even then, there were pennies and halfpennies going back to 1860, and even a reasonable amount of 50% silver - but not one pre 1920 silver coin ever went through my hands.
Collecting must have finished around 1971 , when it all went decimal - nothing old to collect anymore.
And there it all stayed until I moved to NZ in 2000.
There used to be a few coin and stamp shops here in Christchurch. As NZ used UK coins until 1933, and NZ versions were identical to UK, there was a surprising amount of stuff.
So I expanded the range to include, 1/4d, 1/2d, 1d, silver and brass 3d, 6d, 1/-, 2/- and 2/6, back to 1860. The only requirement was that it had to be cheap.
I suspect the entire batch of 1875H pennies ended up here, I found a dozen at least - on a trip back to the UK I did some swaps with Micheal Gouby.
This is strictly date collecting, but some decent was around for a few pounds. I had a small amount of pre 1920 silver, and bought a number of coins from Frank Milward.
I also managed to get all decimal proof sets up to 1999, mostly by buying in the US, then picking them up from my Aunt's in Philadelphia.
Not sure what happened a couple of years ago, but I started trying to complete all coins back to 1860, (but only up to 2/6). Everything, apart from pre 1892 florins and eventually 4d, is in Whitman folders, just because.
Local shops still get some odds and ends, one very useful find was an 1863 shilling in a collectable condition, cost me 2 pounds.
The bulk of the rest has been from ebay, which has to go though my big sister in Essex, which means a long delay.
The collection is for me, a lot of date fillers and nothing expensive.
Recently I decided to go back to 1816 with silver, apart from the rare stuff (42 by my calculations) I have most of the rest - in theory I could have used it to go home on the bus.
31 Whitman folders - over a thousand different coins, not a great value, but fascinating.
Next will be the stamps, about 50 albums that came from my grandfather, father, and father in law - but that will be for a different forum.
Some highlights.
1863 shilling as above.
1862 shilling ebay, 25 pounds.
Circulated 1927 florin, 17 pounds
1862 florin, broach marks on back, 20 pounds
1905 halfcrown - 200 pounds ebay
1870 sixpence, fine. 25 pounds. Detecting find at Chatsworth house 1998.
Some other stuff from Cambridgeshire Coins and Michael Gouby.
Everything kept in a late 18th century desk previously owned by a something great uncle.
A great aunt used to make jigsaw puzzles - I also try and collect those - and did I mention my chess playing great uncle and various books he wrote?
Now, if anyone has filler grade things like 39, 40, 41, 43 or 48 Victorian half crowns let me know!
Sixties Boy
Christchurch
New Zealand.