Des Moines Coin Club is one of the longest-tenured groups in the metro

11/6/2024

Presumably, anyone can be a coin collector. A few dozen quarters might rest in your center console. A child might have a piggy bank full of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and the odd silver dollar or two. Some of the more foul-mouthed among us might even have a swear jar full of less-than-stellar donations. 

However, for Des Moines Coin Club President Dick Sunblad and club member Charles Davis, there is much more to coin collecting.

Davis, who recently suffered two strokes, has found a welcoming community within the coin club and something to focus his time on.

“I used to be interested in car shows, but the car shows were totally stressing me out, and I think that was causing the strokes. So, basically, I told myself I had to get back into something that I really enjoyed, and I have never been happier,” Davis said.

This is Davis’ third time venturing into coin collecting.

“I’m just glad I’m back in. I’m really happy that I met some good friends,” Davis said.

Falling in and out of collecting is a sentiment that Sunblad, who started his collection in 1965, shares with Davis.

“It came and went; it went dormant. You get busy working, you don’t spend as much time on it when you’re in the middle of your career, but I’ve spent considerably more time on it later on in life,” Sunblad said. 

Davis and Sunblad collect their coins in varying ways. Davis uses online sites like High Bid and eBay, while Sunblad tends to stick to in-person stores, sellers and conventions. Both practices yield similar results. 

Davis’ biggest piece of advice for those getting into coin collecting? Start small.

“Pennies, nickels and dimes, preferably in very good condition. Then you work your way up to the big stuff,” Davis said.

His other piece of advice, surprisingly, is not to clean them.

“When you find a coin, you get a magnifying glass to see if there are any defects or any dirt. One thing that you don’t want to do is clean the coin. It will degrade the value,” Davis said.

In his collection, Davis does have some currency. Sunblad prefers to stick strictly to coins.

“I try to collect complete sets, and I don’t go back as far as a lot of people. Some people start with the late 1700s and work up through the current day. My oldest set would be my Indian Head pennies. That starts in 1856-57 and goes up to 1909.”

Sunblad says he’s unable to pinpoint when his collection started. However, a recent addition to his collection does stand out to him.

“It was given to me by a coin-collecting friend who I had been friends with for close to 50 years. Just before he passed away, he bought a coin for me,” Sunblad said. “If you look at the Morgan silver dollar, which started in 1878 and ended in 1921, they put out the 100-year Morgan silver dollar in 2021 to commemorate the 100th year of the ending of that particular coin. And this friend of mine gave me one of those coins, and it’s one that I cherish.”

A coin worth adding to a collection is unlikely to be found on the street or while shaking out a pair of jeans before they go in the washing machine, but Sunblad did come across one in an unusual fashion.

“My first year of teaching, I had a roommate who had a box of junk. I was just sitting there one evening with him, and I said, ‘You mind if I go through this?’ And he said, ‘No, go right ahead.’ And, as I went through it, I found something that looked like a dime, but it was not. It was a three-cent piece from 1867,” Sunblad said.

One thing Sunblad says he likes about coin collecting is the historical aspect, but, at the end of the day, it’s just something he enjoys doing.

“I think back to when I first started… I was looking at pennies and nickels for some reason, and I said, ‘That looks interesting.’ I can’t really capture the exact moment or anything that made me think, ‘Boy, I’m going to start collecting coins!’ It was just something I kind of gravitated to,” Sunblad said. 

Those interested in coin collecting can visit the group’s website for more details at www.desmoines-coinclub.com. The club was founded in 1936 and is approaching its 90th anniversary.