This is Carolina: Florence man shows the value of a coin ahead of Pee Dee coin show

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - The value of a coin means different things to different people.

The ins and outs of a quarter, for example, is something most people don’t know. Most people don’t know about the U.S. minted half cent, but it’s something most coin collectors could tell you about.

Pat Patton, bourse chairman of the Pee Dee Area Coin Show, is an avid coin collector. A self-proclaimed history buff, he began collecting when he was a child.

Patton said he eventually sold his coins and stopped for years, then picked the hobby back up as an adult. Coin collecting takes more than just coins to collect the collectables, he explained.

“There was one really, really rare coin I needed for my penny book. It was made in 1909 and was made in San Francisco. Even back then - in the late 60s, early 70s - that was a $300 coin," Patton said. "I cut grass and I sold peanuts, washed cars and I did all these things young kids do to make money, and I bought that coin for $300. My daddy thought I lost my cotton pickin' mind! He said, ‘Son, what are you doing?’ I kept it for a while and sold it for $350. He said, ‘Well, I guess you know what you’re doing!’”

Patton is in charge of the upcoming Pee Dee Area Coin Show. The show is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Florence Darlington Technical College’s SiMT Building, located at 1951 Pisgah Road in Florence.

Patton said to never clean a coin and that the history behind each one is truly amazing to think about.

“That’s part of the allure to the whole thing, is what was going on when this coin was made? Who had that coin in their pocket? I mean this half cent we talked about, George Washington could’ve had this in his pocket and that’s amazing to me. There’s a lot of history in this, a little bit of a treasure hunt,” Patton said with a smile.

Some of Patton’s collection includes a 1793 half cent, 1797 half dime, 1801 ten dollar gold coin and a Roman Shekel. He keeps all of his coins in a secure location at the bank.

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