A History of Silver 'Round the World - Part 2

All of us have a story about how we got involved in coin collecting and/or investing. Since Silver 'Round the World developed as a result of my interest in coins, it seems like a logical place to start both as an introduction and for kicking off the blog. So, here's part 2 of my story. See Part 1 here.

My son had made sure to find out when the next show would be and, even as we were leaving, secured a promise from me that we would be going to the next quarterly show. That gave me a little time to prepare. I had never been interested in coin collecting, but I thought I could grow to enjoy it. By the time the next show rolled around, the matter was settled in my mind. I would become a coin collector of some type. The only thing left was to identify the specifics.

At the next coin show, my son again visited all the dealers (multiple times) and spent all his money on coins that struck his fancy. I, on the other hand, casually browsed each dealers table, trying to find something that piqued my interest. Mint sets, dimes, dollars, world coins, paper money were in scope and nothing escaped my attention. Unfortunately, nothing really grabbed it either. As we left the show, my son was on cloud nine, as usual, and I was a tad less bored, but no closer to figuring out how to enjoy this hobby with my son. However, there was time to plan before the next show.

A light bulb went off before the trip to the next show. As I worked on my stamp collection I began thinking about why I enjoyed it. Collecting stamps was an early interest, but I had also grown up playing and loving the sport of soccer. It was natural to meld the two interests together, so after a time, the stamp collection had morphed into one that focused on soccer stamps. Why not collect soccer coins? The matter was settled, I would collect soccer coins!

The next show brought with it a sense of excitement. I had a plan, a goal, something to look forward to. I visited each dealer and led with the question, "Do you have any soccer coins?" The question was often met with a question of its own, "Do you have a list?" I didn't have a list or even know how to begin making a list. For many dealers, the only one they knew of was the 1994 World Cup commemorative, so I purchased one. One dealer had assorted world coins and as I searched through the tub I found a coin from Argentina minted for the 1978 world cup. My soccer coin collection was now up to 2.

As we left that show, I realized that if I were going to collect soccer coins, I would somehow need to compile a list of coins I needed. I had no idea how to go about doing that, but I resolved to find a way. As it turned out, something would happen at the next show that would alter my coin-collecting trajectory and plant the seeds for Silver 'Round the World.

To find out, check back for the next installment.