USA RARE - ABOUT
Father & Son…..
In the late sixties, my father, William Baeder, got involved in numismatics. It all started when he received a 1963 Series Five Dollar Federal Reserve note with a butterfly error in change, known as an “ERROR.” He learned from the local coin store that it was worth more than $5.00, sparking his interest in finding more. Over the next few decades, his passion for collecting grew, and I often found myself riding shotgun in his 1979 Chevrolet El-Camino on our Sunday rituals.
One such trip was to the New Jersey Garden State Horse Track. My father gave me $4.00 to roam around the coin show while he made deals. I would return with treasures like 2-3 1960 SM-LG date pennies, a Susan B. Anthony coin, a Very Good Indian Penny, and a handful of foreign coins for just $1.00 from a bucket. Meanwhile, my father would be deep into negotiations over paper money, always asking for “just five more minutes.”
In 1996, I took my first plane ride with him to the Florida Fun Show and was amazed by the venue’s size. Later, while working at my father’s garage pumping gas, a man named Harry Forman pulled in with a very large Cadillac Coupe De Ville. Harry often brought in fascinating currency, some so unique that the Secret Service once came by to investigate a run of twenty 1988 $50 bills with an overprint on the reverse. My father, always the collector, purchased numerous items from him, and I took the chance to buy coins from Harry, at wholesale.
In 1997, I launched Usarare.com to sell coins. After six to eight months, I decided to list one of my father’s currency notes online and on eBay. It sold quickly, back when eBay had only about 200 currency items listed. My buying and selling journey began with exhibiting at national shows while running Usarare.com online. Now in 2025, we continue to participate in all major national events. We are proud members of the A.N.A, FUN, S.P.M.C, and authorized dealers with P.M.G and P.C.G.S. Usarare.com was among the first websites to sell U.S. currency online, and we’ve been active eBay sellers since 1998. We’ve also contributed to various magazines and books, providing detailed insights on Special Serial Numbers, Errors, and Small & Large Size Currency.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Happy Hunting William Baeder
Few personal notes shown below.
