Katie Thornton

It got so many of us feeling sentimental about these little hunks of copper and nickel, not just the coin nerds.

I didn't have a set of state quarters, but my neighbor did.

He had a book and everything.

And when I found a state quarter, I'd gasp, put it in my pocket, and run over to Andy's house to see if he had Wisconsin yet.

He always had Wisconsin.

He always had whatever I found.

But together, we took plenty of quarters out of circulation.

The state quarters turned us all into numismatists.

It put the collecting bug in all of us.

At least a little bit.

So when I was in Savannah, I bought a coin.

Minted just a stone's throw away from beautiful uptown Oakland, California.

I've learned in the coin world that when people say it's in mint condition, they mean it literally, like someone got this from the mint and it never made the rounds.

This one was made in 1951.

That means it's almost all silver, and it has this really nice, bright sheen.

But if you just glanced at this coin casually, there's a good chance you wouldn't think anything of it.

I wouldn't have, just a few months ago.

I think I'd like to get this never circulated one from 1951.

Okay.

Okay.