"My city was gone"

[longnine009]

If coins were cities what kind of city would you want to have? A city such as NY or Chicago would have a lot of conveniences but they would also have high taxes, prices and hustlers on every corner. In a very popular  coin series you also have a lot of conveniences such as many reference books, chat rooms and message boards and lots of people gushing over such and such a series. But you also have high prices and a high "grading tax" where everything counts for something. Even a 1mm die crack in the right spot is suddenly "exquisite" and expensive.

Now what if you wanted a career as a bumcrat? You wouldn't want to move to the big city where taxpayers are in revolt all the time. You want to be sure you'll get that penison for all those years you spent parked in parked reading the paper. You would want go to a city that was like  Charlotte NC 30 years ago. Todays  Charlotte coins were the Civil War tokens, classic coins, and  Seated coins everyone laughed at in the 70's.  Anyone who had hoarded Seated dollars in the 70's can park in the park for the rest of their days.

Then there's the frontier. Things that aren't very popular, have little price information and maybe even not much in the way of references. And whose name such as exonumia don't even rate a spell check.  But the prices are also low, and the grading tax barely exists at all. I've bought tokens that were graded as = average - below average and + above average.  Most tokens I buy don't even have a grade. I really like low taxes.

Then there is the un-railroad station coins.  When the railroads went through people ran out ahead of them buying land from the "rubes" believing it would be valuable when the rail road put a station in the town. Unfortunately in a lot of places the "rubes" didn't feel like paying shake down money to the railroads to put a station there. So the railroad just passed them by.   I liken the un-railroad coins to the Lincoln cent BIE which most people can't  remember if they ever heard of them in the first place.

Then there's the boom town, the silver mines that boomed for a year or two and went bust.  I liken the boom town to 60's and 70's Franklin mint medals.  In it's day the FM was a boom. It was even listed on the stock exchange and had several stock splits as well before it went bust.

Finally there's the most perplexing one of all: The "My City was gone"--a song about a city in Ohio by Christie Hinds from the Pretenders. Ohio like most of the Great Lakes states was an Giant in the 50's and 60's especially when it came to steel production. In the 70's the Great Lakes started declining and in some cases, still is declining.  Detroit is practically in a hospice center waiting for God.

I liken the "My city was gone" to pre-1954  commens. They were the Giants in the 1979-80 bull market--the last bull market that I'm willing to believe really was a  bull market. I believe both Ohio and commens will make a big come back but probably in a very different way from the past. I honestly don't understand why there isn't more interest in these. How many coins are there that have the elements of series  and type collecting?

Alrighty then, next week: If coins were twees what kind of twees would they be?

"I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY CITY WAS GONE
THERE WAS NO TRAIN STATION
THERE WAS NO DOWNTOWN
SOUTH HOWARD HAD DISAPPEARED
ALL MY FAVORITE PLACES
MY CITY HAD BEEN PULLED DOWN
REDUCED TO PARKING SPACES
A, O, WAY TO GO OHIO..."
Christie Hind--Prentenders

[scottishmoney]

I live in the Great Lakes, and my nearby town has lost some 15K people in the last 20 years, the population here has been on a steady decline for quite sometime.  In fact I think there are less people here than in 1900.

[longnine009]

I heard Michigan's population has declined by 30% since 1980. Maybe with the steel and concrete china consumes these days they'll be able to fire up at least a few plants?

I swear the Edmund Fitzgerald was the black harbinger of things to come for the Great Lakes. 

[dharmaeye]

Alot of out of state plates in the greater Seattle area. A lot more than normal - with three major military bases there are usually some. Suspect major move into this area.

[scottishmoney]

I know Californians get a cool reception there, for driving up home prices etc. years back.  But I left California and went to Texas, where my out of state plate was quite similar to the Texas one, so I did not have to re-register my car.  I had that car for a year and a half before I sold it and got another and finally had to register the new one in TX.

[TwoShadows]

Longnine I grew up in a very small community. We had a school, filled with history and pride, but along came the consolidation crew to end all that we had. When the school closed in the spring of 68 it took more than an educational facility. We used to have a bank (gone), two grocery stores, (gone), three garages, (gone), a grain mill, (gone) and a post office. (gone). Most of my family lived there or within a couple of miles, (Gone). The loss of the school was devastating and we did not know it until it was too late. Now I am gone also, after hanging around longer than most of my family, and each time I return to see the homes that have fallen into disrepair I am sickened by the course of events that took place. We did fight the consolidation for quite sometime and delayed the new school 15 miles away for over a year but the big money won out and a small community filled with pride died! They called it progress!

[scottishmoney]

I find that living here is actually nice for me, with a declining population there is little or no traffic - except the first day of firearms deer season on or about November 15th.  People here are not so blasted competitive and rude like they are in California.  I was born in California, and lived there about half of my now life, but having lived away so long I loathe going back to California, and I will at the end of August or so for a family matter.

[KurtS]

I'm originally from the Seattle area, now living near San Francisco.

Yeah--I'd agree that California is largely overrated, and it's gone to people's heads. Of course, the same could be said about Seattle.
Most of today's "Californians" my age are transients who came here solely to "make money"--and they care about little else.
I've grown so sick of the upmanship that I'm leaving before I have nothing to show for my life.

I was once fooled by this place, now I judge a place by the quality of people and life--versus "business opportunities" or how "progressive" it may be.
Most of my family lives in the Midwest, and they're great people--so totally unconcerned about "status".

[TwoShadows]

My daughter lasted about 3 years in the California mad house before she bailed out and returned home to Indiana. She seemed to be over whelmed with all the movie stars and greed in the beginning but came to her senses quickly. I did some Elk hunting in Washington State a few years back and the first thing the locals told me was they HATED Californians with a passion. I (We) assured them we were all from the midwest!!!
California is one state I have NO desire to ever see. Of course I have NO desire to set foot in New York City either or Washington DC for that matter. I have been to Chicago 3 times and don't understand why anyone would want to remain in those concrete jungles for a lifetime? I would rather take my chances in a swamp! One thing is for certain, when you get out of the big cities, you find folks who still care about their neighbors and will stop to help a stranger in need.

[longnine009]

TwoShadows I know exactly how you feel. I've lived in Ft. Lauderdale since 1968 and I can barely recognize the place today; it's just a concrete freak show today for yuppies. Only now they're leaving. For the first time since they've been keeping records there has been a net decline in population here.  They're sick of the place, the high taxes and seeing city lumps parked in the park all the time.  That's fine with me,  I'm sick of them.  I'm sick of looking at crane booms and yuppie cars that look like a Hamilton toaster driving down the street. Whatever happened to Dune Buggies and Road Runners?

"...I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY PRETTY COUNTRYSIDE
HAD BEEN PAVED DOWN THE MIDDLE
BY A GOVERNMENT THAT HAD NO PRIDE
THE FARMS OF OHIO
HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SHOPPING MALLS
AND MUZAK FILLED THE AIR
FROM SENECA TO CUYAHOGA FALLS
SAID, A, O, OH WAY TO GO OHIO..."

Christie

[scottishmoney]

At least where I have been in Ohio, amazingly rural.  The only city I have been through is Toledo.

[longnine009]

I think Ohio probably has the most people that move to florida, even more than New York. They usually go back after a few years. Even the ones from New York usually go back.

I was outside once, at work in down town and was smoking a cig and some guy with a Brooklyn accent was yelling and screaming about Florida.  "I'm going back to New York! zz$%*# this place!  You are all bunch of @#$%^&*& aminals!"  Pretty bad when you hear that from someone who was clearly from NYC.

[Goose]

I was born in Chicago and lived in the Chicagoland area for a long time. Then one day I said to my wife, "Let's move! Let's get out of here and move to Minnesota." Well, we escaped the Chicagoland area......been in Minn. over 30 yrs now. We moved into a 'Village' of 1000, now 14,000 but still rural. Farms within 2 miles, hunting within 3 miles, Mississippi River .7 mile, and low home prices and taxes. (gasoline today is $3.93/gal)

[CoinCrusader42]

I have two first cousins who live in the San Francisco area.  They have never known any home other than California.  They are retired.  Wonderful people, and very willing to show their Colorado relatives the sights.  Obviously, they are unlike other Californians mentioned in this thread.

I have visited California several times.  I LOVE to visit.  San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I have always found the people there to be friendly.  The Redwoods, Yosemite, Big Sur area, etc. -- just beautiful.

We will be visiting NYC in about two weeks.  I've been there once, but my wife, daughter, and the two grandkids have never been there.  Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, museums, shows, zoos, Yankee Stadium.

The thing is, we would never want to live in California or New York, but seeing the sights and then returning home is another matter.

One thing is for sure.  Western Colorado looks pretty good to us after we have visited other cities and other countries.

 

[Humpybong]

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

[scottishmoney]

Speaking of farms, we have one on the side and behind our house.  One of the disclosures on our house when we bought it, was that it was next to farmland, and the neighbours have sheep!  So   The sheep have been a big draw and a job for my kids, they get to feed them, move them around to their grazing area etc.

[longnine009]

I liken Colonial coins to farms and farmers.  How long have farmers been stigmatized as "hicks" and "hillbillies" and "rubes" etc...?  Here are people that are actually doing the most useful thing possible for society--growing food--and they are made fun of.  While thieves and hustlers that produce goobly gook financial crap cloaked in mathematical algorithms that no one can understand are hailed as creative  genius'. And when it turns out they weren't quite the genius' everyone thought they were--no problem.  Just get Big Ben and the Goldman Sachs boy in the Treasury to socialize  the losses.

How many collectors and especially investors just laughed at Colonials in the past.  Here are coins that may well have more historical value than anything else in U.S coins. Only: "Dude, it's like a VG not MS68..."  This too is changing. Colonials are getting more respect and "market grading" is being seen for what it really is--the big hustle. Farmers are going to get more respect too probably sooner than later when all these corporate farms start sucking the  world dry like the oil companies are doing now.

[longnine009]

Sure glad to hear that the majority of you are so happy living right where you are now. It is my wish that you continue doing just that and stay where you are presently located. Now don't get me wrong, your all invited to visit any time you please, but plan on staying only a short time and then go back to where you came from.
This part of the country is over flowing with people and there simply isn't enough room to accomodate any more people. No one likes living in crowded conditions, now do they?

They're right next door to you OldDan. I hear that a lot of the folks fed up with Calif, Oregon and Washington are moving to Idaho. Do they really have Star bucks and wifi hot spots in Moscow Idaho? 

"Edith Sitwell giving readings
14 Moscow Road
Osbert's giving champagne parties
Sachie's got a cold
Gertrude's hanging pictures
Alice making tea
Me, I do the only thing that still
makes sense to me
I do the Rock
I do the Rock Rock..."

I do the Rock--Tim Curry

[TwoShadows]

Hey Old Dan what is your idea of crowded? Anything over 2 living humans per square mile? Guess we need some sort of law to protect Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Colorado? Anyone who has  last name stating with any letter between B and Z cannot legally move there. Looks like the A's win again!!! Sounds like a great law to me!

[CoinCrusader42]

I was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado.  I remember the population being about 12,000 for the city and suburbs.  There are now better than 100,000 living in the "Grand Valley," which runs from Palisade to Fruita, with Grand Junction in the middle.

In the "old days" a person could walk all over town and never be worried about getting mugged.  Times have changed.

Delta, where we have lived since 1967, has also changed dramatically.  Many of the changes are positive -- a nice Rec. Center, attractive murals painted on buildings, well-maintained infrastructure, and a four lane highway (U.S. 50) leading into, and out of town.

Unfortunately, many more people (including illegals) have meant a higher crime rate, and a lot more folks we don't know, and probably never will.

The grass isn't "always greener on the other side," but often times I wish time travel existed and I could go back to the 1950's.  Life seemed a lot more sensible, safer, and enjoyable back then.  Of course, I would need to take my family with me.

If my posts suddenly stop, be advised I found a way to travel back in time.  While I'm there, I'll pick up some great coins!!

 

[ElleKitty]

I know my City is gone.

When I was little, living next door to Grandmama, we lived in the sticks.  Our house was a bricked over Log Cabin.  We had trees, and a creek and not another living soul behind us for ages.

Then the city grew up.   The house is gone.  The land where I ran and threw rocks and climbed trees and watched crawfish is now a sprawling commercial park and is one of Austin's wealthiest suburbs.  

I want my trees back.

[scottishmoney]

Betwixt Houston and Austin on the 290 are quite a few little tiny dot on the map towns, look so inviting to want to live in places like that.  My absolute beyond imagination paradise there is around Brenham and Washington on the Brazos, especially in early Spring when the Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are at full bloom.  That is what I miss about living in Houston, was you didn't have to drive to far out of town to be out in the middle of nowhere, where people actually waved as you drove by on rural roads.  And I miss the Texican food, and the Cerveza mas frio tambien.

[longnine009]

Hey Old Dan what is your idea of crowded?

The Star Buckers are in Idaho, so they're practically breathing down his neck. 

I have to admit I really do miss fishing for flounder in all the small towns on L.I where I grew up. But most of those towns probably aren't so small anymore.

[Muckeye]

Five acres of bushland, three miles out of XXXXX (POP. 5000). Two hours north-west of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. Road across the front and a creek across the back and an old rocking chair.
Just how I like it.
regards,

[TwoShadows]

The grass may look greener on the other side but ALWAYS remember it is just as hard to mow!!!