The Happy Hollisters and the Secret of the Lucky Coins
It was fun Pete replied He was twelve years old and had blond crew cut hair and a happy smile His sister Pam ten wore her golden hair in a fluffy bob She gave the freshly turned earth a few extra pats then stood up as Ricky Holly and Sue raced into the back yard When the story of the lucky penny was told Mrs Hollister said Your daddy will probably know why it's lucky Here he comes now The children turned to see a station wagon pull into the driveway When it stopped Mr Hollister stepped out He was a tall handsome athletic looking man who walked toward them with an easy stride Mr Hollister owned The Trading Post a combination toy hardware and sporting goods shop in the center of Shoreham When Sue raced over to her father he picked her up and somersaulted her onto his shoulders Then with giggles and laughs the children trooped into the house and hastily washed their hands and faces before sitting down to lunch Mr Hollister was interested in the old coin and ex amined it carefully Why is it lucky Daddy Sue asked Because it's probably worth more than a penny Mr Hollister replied He explained that many old coins were scarce and therefore collectors were willing to pay more for them than their original value Well we can find out about this one easily enough John Mrs Hollister said There's a coin shop not far from The Trading Post 10
That's right her husband replied Mr Steinberg is a numismatist Fine chap too A what Holly asked as she twisted one of her pigtails A numismatist Mr Hollister replied That's a man who collects coins When lunch was over Pete stood up eagerly Come on let's go to the coin store now he said All five children climbed into the station wagon and Mr Hollister let them off in front of the coin shop It was a tiny store squeezed between two other larger shops A man seated behind the counter greeted them cheerfully Mr Steinberg Pete began we're Mr Hollister's children and we would like to ask a favor of you Hmm a couple of you resemble your dad the man replied smiling What can I do for you Sue stepped up and handed him the old coin This is a lucky penny the little girl announced Daddy thinks it's lucky because maybe it's worth more than a penny The man took the coin looked at it on both sides and said This is in good condition It's worth two dollars See Sue cried looking up at Ricky and Holly it is a lucky coin just like the parakeet lady said Crickets Pete declared If old coins are worth that much money perhaps it would be a good idea to start collecting them It's a fine hobby Mr Steinberg said Why don't you begin by finding Lincoln pennies It's lots of fun
170 100 vo 0000 0000 LOOD 10000 It's worth two dollars
He showed the children a blue cardboard folder Inside were rows of circular holes in which to place pen nies Under every cut out was a printed date The idea is to get a coin for each year Mr Steinberg explained How much is the folder Holly asked Twenty five cents the man replied Okay Pete said we'll buy it I'll give you this catalogue telling about old Indian head pennies Mr Steinberg went on None of those have been made since 1909 You'll find all sorts of rare coins described in here After Pete had thanked him and paid for the penny folder the man said What you should do first is go to the bank and buy a dollar's worth of pennies In that way you'll find many Lincoln heads to put into your collection The children thanked him again and left the store heading directly for The Trading Post That's a great idea Mr Steinberg had Pete said grinning except that we don't have a dollar We could earn it Pam suggested Where can we get a job Holly asked At The Trading Post Ricky said Maybe Dad will hire us Even Sue thought this would be a good idea She gave her lucky coin to Pete for safekeeping and he put it into his pocket When they entered their father's store Mr Hollister had just finished waiting on a customer This time Sue did not race up to greet him Instead she said Mr Hollister we're looking for jobs
