Bob Missel’s coin collection contains an item that dates back to 16 years before Abraham Lincoln was born.
One of Missel’s prized possessions is a United States half-cent coin from 1793.
“It is in terrible condition and is hardly recognizable,” the Fremont man said. “It was basically the first coin (the United States) made. That is when we started striking coins. The significance of that is that it has long been thought that people like Ben Franklin might’ve been in the building that day when they first started doing it, so there is a lot of history there.”
The 62nd Annual Fremont Coin Show will showcase vintage items. The show is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Christensen Field. Admission is free.
Missel, the event organizer, said coin collecting has always appealed to him.
“It has kind of been a hobby of mine throughout life,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed it. I got linked up with the Fremont Coin Club many years ago. I got involved and probably about 20 years ago I took over running the show. It has been fun.”
About 20 coin dealers from as far away as New York are expected to attend.
“It should be a great show,” Missel said, noting that the pandemic has rekindled interest in coin collecting.
“With COVID-19 taking place in the last year-and-a-half, I think a lot of people have dusted off their coin collections,” he said. “There seems to be a renewed interest in the hobby. We anticipate a lot of people.”
Missel said there will be a lot of interesting items that are available, including foreign currency. You don’t have to be a hardcore collector to enjoy the experience.
“I always say you don’t have to be a coin collector, but if you have time you should stop by the show and just walk the tables because it is incredible what you’ll see from ancient coins from B.C. to modern,” he said. “With the addition of collectible coins, currency and if people are interested in gold or silver bullion, they’ll have the opportunity to purchase it or sell it.”
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