The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 28, July 9, 2006, Article 30

PAPER BOYS AND NUMISMATICS

Regarding last week's topics of numismatists who got their start
delivering newspapers, Dick Gaetano writes: "I started coin
collecting in 1948,as a paper boy delivering the Pittsburgh Press
in Dormont, PA. I found most of my collection in collecting for
the paper each week and I even introduced a woman customer to
collecting.  What a great time coin collecting has been for me
these last 58 years."

Pete Smith writes: "In my younger days I delivered the local
paper, the New Ulm Daily Journal.  I believe I started collecting
coins before I started my paper route. I recall getting a Barber
half as payment from one of my customers.

I don't recall getting any interesting foreign coins. I also
never got a Kennedy half or a SBA dollar. (This was the late 50's.)
All the dimes, quarters and halves were 90% silver. Buffalo nickels
were mixed in with the Jeffersons and a lot of war nickels.

I think in those days I had Whitman folders for cents and nickels.
I didn't collect the higher denominations because I couldn't afford
to set aside those coins at face value."

Bill Burd writes: "I started helping my dad in the early 1950s
with a large paper route he did with his van.  By 1956 I had my
own route around the Syracuse University area with over 125
customers.  It was one of the largest routes in New York.

In 1958 or 1959 I won a trip to Italy from Parade Magazine.
They picked a newsboy from each State based on recommendations
from the local newspaper company; customers; points for new
customers; etc.  We went in a 4 engine prop job and one engine
caught fire over the Atlantic. We made an emergency landing on
the Azores. The next day we continued to Italy flying over the
Matterhorn which was the first big mountain I ever saw.

I went through the money I collected each week and filled holes
in albums.  I didn't get too far with it.  Most of my earnings
went to my Mom to help with bills. In 1961 I went in the service
and didn't come back to coins until 1976 when I started selling
at the local flea markets.  Now I own Chicago Coin Co., Inc.,
and collect numismatic books and related material."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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