Who can resist
the idea of riches awaiting discovery in a hoard of forgotten coins?
Collecting old
and rare coins is known as the “Hobby of Kings” — who else could afford
to collect coins instead of spending them. The hobby is as old as kings, too.
It began with the early Greeks and Romans, when coins were first invented.
Mark Ostromecki, a life-long numismatist, has brought a trove of
treasures to Solvang. Some of his once buried treasures include a nest of
duckbill dinosaur eggs, 70-80 million years old, and an oviraptor’s
egg. Another specimen, the skeleton of a Psittacosaurus,
is thought to be 125 million years old.
There are also
more than 100,000 coins, ammonites, trilobites, a triceratops tip, Jurassic
shrimp, amber inclusions with midges inside, and
meteorites. The small store is filled with numerous nooks and crannies, none
empty, each filled with a surprise awaiting its second discovery and its new
discoverer.
The Coin and
Stamp Connection holds no secrets. Ostromecki wants
to share his knowledge and hopes others will share in his discovery: the
discovery of the joy of coin collecting or the history of dinosaurs.
He remembers
the world of discovery that stamp and coin collecting opened for him as a child
growing up in Los Angeles, when Robinson’s department store still had a coin
and stamp collector’s section.
He still gets
an almost child-like excitement over collecting, even after all these years. He
said he began collecting as a child because of his parents, whose family emigrated from Poland and London to Los Angeles.
“My brother
Andrew and I were typical nosy kids and found a box full of foreign coins and
stamps,” Ostromecki said. “They gave Andrew the
stamps, and I got the coins.”
He said while
his parents shopped, he and Andrew discovered a whole new world, actually a
whole old world.
Ostromecki, 49,
said he literally traded in his milk money to get where he is today.
“I discovered I
could drink milk at home and use the money to buy Lincoln pennies instead,” he
said.
Later, the coin
expert moved to Macy’s, and so his parents began shopping there, to accommodate
their sons’ fascination.
He began
collecting seriously in 1971 and then opened his first store at age 18, after
the Macy’s coin collector retired and turned his collection and business over
to Ostromecki.
“For myself, it
taught me the value of making money, the value of saving money, the joy of
collecting, history, and the joy of getting to meet different people,” he said.
His parents
encouraged him to finish his education, though, so he held down three jobs,
including running the coin store. He got his degree in accounting, then chose to do what he loves.
“I chose the
hobby I enjoyed over the 9-to-5-er,” he said, smiling.
Coin collecting
is a hobby that all sorts of people can afford today — even children who
drink their milk.
“It’s a hobby
that teaches value of money; the value of saving,” Ostromecki
explained. In fact, he recommends children begin with a collector’s book for
$3.99 and start by collecting pennies. Then he would recommend that a youngster
buy a $20 – $30 book, such as the “Cherrypickers’
Guide” to learn to find value in hidden spots.
You could say
collecting also teaches kids to do their homework.
“You could find
a nickel in a collector’s box that could value in the hundreds, even six
hundreds, if you have the right knowledge,” Ostromecki
said.
In coin and
bill collecting, it definitely pays to do your research. Ostromecki
once bought a 1878-S Morgan Dollar for $25. Because it
had a long nock arrow rather than the shorter nock arrow, it was worth $3,000,
which he learned by doing his homework.
“I’m a family
friendly collector,” he said. “Many dealers don’t want to deal with children or
are too busy.” He said he also will appraise collections, but he’s careful to
note he is not a certified appraiser. He will give complimentary, 30-minute
appraisals.
“I am very
fair,” he said, telling the story of one woman who brought in her collection
she said was valued at $4,500. “I gave her $23,000 for it.”
So why choose
Solvang? Because of its thrift shops.
Ostromecki said
three years ago, he took his 79-year-old mother out for a drive and discovered
the thrift shop on the corner of Oak Street, while picking up items for one of
her collections.
“Around the
corner I saw a for rent sign. It just seemed like the right location,” he said.
With two other
coin and stamp stores, one in Santa Barbara and another in Burbank, Ostromecki has little free time. When he’s not running one
of the stores or shopping for a new collection for his mom, he said he watches “Antique
Road” show every minute he can.
“I enjoy what I
do, and I just go nuts!” Ostromecki said.
To see
dinosaurs, fossils and raptor eggs, or to get started on your own collection,
stop by the Coin and Stamp Connection at 444 First Street, (805) 693-0100. It’s
open Saturday and Sunday by appointment.
Reach Wendy Thompson at wendy@syvjournal.com.