NGC Journals

When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

The 63rd Houston Money Show

Shandy took the kids to spend the day with her parents in Deer Park and that left me free to go to this show after Naked Angel put me on to it a few days ago. I debated not going and just spending the day alone at the house – quiet time alone at the house is a valuable thing. The show, while being the “Houston” Money show was also actually in Conroe and it was a 45 mile, 65 minute drive to get to it, which isn’t a trivial commute. Still, I don’t get opportunities like this a lot and I ultim
Revenant

Revenant

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CoinsbyGary

When One Thought Leads to Another

Last month I received a notice that the bank I stored my coins at was closing and I had until February 4th to vacate my safe deposit boxes. Fortunately, I was able to rent another box close by and for cheaper than the boxes I had. Having secured a new and bigger box, the next step was to transport the coins to the new location. I was very uncomfortable transporting my coins from one location to the other and in particular standing at the teller window with my coins in a shoebox waiting to c
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

4
In Memoriam of My Grandfather and Great Grandfather

Where my collection begins and theirs' ends

Technically speaking, my grandfather and great-grandfather's collection doesn't end as it lives on through mine. But for clarity, I'd like to include an entry on which chunk of the overall collection comes from whom. Dates are estimated off of when they passed, overlap occurs as I have multiples of coins graded, yet some multiples are hard to attribute to a specific relative because I was not able to retrieve such information.  Pre 1955 coinage to 1980: Great Grandfather. 1980 to 2015-
Michael Brennan

Michael Brennan

2
In Memoriam of My Grandfather and Great Grandfather

Why I choose to grade every coin

As a first entry, it's only befitting that I explain how I got into the numismatic hobby and why I choose to augment it with NGC's grading services. I grew up with my grandfather, but never knew my great-grandfather as he passed long before I was born. My great-grandfather was the first of us 3 that got into the hobby of collecting coins and used cardboard albums to display his collection. I do not know if he shared his collection to those outside of family nor do I know any of the stories behin
Michael Brennan

Michael Brennan

6
When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

The Anniversary Purchase

My wife was having a hard time deciding what to get me for our anniversary (1/15) so I suggested we could go back to that coin shop she was in about a month ago, look around together and see if we saw anything. As I told her when we were driving there, I wasn’t necessarily committed to getting anything. It would just depend on if anything stuck out at me that was reasonably close to the appropriate price range we set for the occasion but I was going to be looking for something different tha
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Revenant

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Michael Byrne

Well it's Been a while But I'm Back.

Hi everyone. It's been a while but I have been very sick. Starting in May with surgery to six hours in September to six  in December. I figure you have a right to know. First get P.C.G.S. out of here. There very liberal with there grading. Check the records. It's a disgrace. What I think is this is the first move in a take over by N.G.C. of P.C.G.S. They have had so many problems even giving our rewards to those who supposedly found The first W  quarters. A cry of please send us your submissions
MIKE BYRNE

MIKE BYRNE

4
AlanLastufka's Journal

Collection Highlight No. 2 - 1795 Middlesex-Forster's Token

This is the second in a series of posts which highlight various standout pieces from my personal collection. Today we're taking a look at my 1795 Middlesex-Forster's token, one of the first pieces purchased for my Symphony Set. You can view hi-res pictures here (or just enjoy them in the video!). Obverse: Crown and date surrounded by musical notation for "God Save The King", which is also the melody used for "America (My Country, Tis of Thee)". Reverse: "WM Forster. Violin, Tenor
Lastufka Collection

Lastufka Collection

14
When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

Woohoo! Thank you!

So, first off, thank you to NGC for the journal award! When the announcement of what would be given out this year made no mention of the journal awards, I was thinking that meant there would be no journal awards this year - and I don't think I was alone in that assumption. Participation in the journals has dropped aggressively since 2017 and, given that, it certainly could have been an understandable move. I suppose it’s possible that it was their intent to do away with it, but then we pu
Revenant

Revenant

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Coin Inspector

FUN Show fun!

I was able to go to the FUN show this past Friday (the 10th), and it was probably the best time I’ve had at the show since I’ve been going.  Living in Orlando has many advantages...and this is one of them!  This was the biggest show that I can remember, with over 1000 booths.  It was tough, but I saw it all in just over 3 hours.  I was able to pick up a 2019 Libertad 5 piece silver proof set for a great price, along with 3 other coins that I needed for my collection.  The gold panning people wer
Naked Angel

Naked Angel

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When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

My son is Houdini. I can't sell this couch now I think.

A couple of months ago I took a buffalo silver round out just to play around with. It goes missing in the living room shortly thereafter, never to be seen again, months later. The other day Ben wants to have "big big monies," so I get out a fake "copy" silver eagle and give him that to play with. I figure, "Whatever, it's not even silver." Shortly thereafter he looses it in / around the couch and I can't find it. He's all bummed about it so, whatever, I give him another one. He looses it ag
Revenant

Revenant

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Thanks for the coins

An offer this guy can't refuse

I have made some offers to owners through Heritage to try to sneak out with a coin or two I want.  I did get one that way, and I have sold one that way too.  It's a nice feature.  Usually my offers are ignored or rejected, and I have admittedly rejected most of the offers made to me.  I am more of a collector than a dealer, and the coins I would sell usually were purchased pretty long ago when I wasn't as focused. Anyways, I was browsing the recent offers because it is a good picture of the
deposito

deposito

5
My World Crown Affair

Toot, Toot -- I really don't like to blow my own horn

First off, congratulations to all the registry participants and the winners of the 2019 registry awards.  As for me, I won a Classic Set award for my Mexico City 8 reales Pillar Dollars of Charles III (1760-1771).  This is my third major award and I had never posted about them in the past, but for this one I will make an exception.  I want to highlight the wonderfully broad approach that the NGC judges have chosen in selecting sets for their awards.  I haven't yet browsed through all of the othe
jgenn

jgenn

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AlanLastufka's Journal

I'm ready for my closeup...

After the wonderful response to my previous Journal entry, the first in my Collection Highlights series, I decided to turn the idea into a video series as well. So from here on out, each Collection Highlight post will be presented as both a text Journal entry, and a short video like the one featured here. This being the first video in the series, I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think. Any feedback on information or features that should be added to future videos in this s
Lastufka Collection

Lastufka Collection

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AlanLastufka's Journal

Collection Highlight No. 1 - 1926 America Sesqui

This is the first in a new Journal series I'll be working on called "Collection Highlights". I also have a custom registry set where all of these highlights will be included for easy viewing in the future. This series features standout coins from my collection as I work to rebuild my registry sets after selling the majority of my collection to fund a move across the country and the purchase of a new home (this particular piece was one of the few that I just couldn't let go). I have pho
Lastufka Collection

Lastufka Collection

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When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

Odd purchase

Recently (I think it was Thanksgiving), I was at my mother's house for a holiday and my mother came in and showed me a "coin." It was trying to be a 1795 silver dollar but it was a bad fake. It's the kind of thing that you take one look at and you know it isn't real. Didn't feel right and you know pretty much immediately that it isn't silver and the weight is off. I got to thinking about this again today after looking at yet another post wondering if a similar looking 1795 silver dollar was real
Revenant

Revenant

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Marine Forever

My opinion is just that an opinion.

This writing is not intended to anger anyone but rather to spark conversation regarding NGCs decision to allow PCGS graded coins to be added to NGC Registry competitive sets. In my opinion sometimes corporate decisions are made by bowing to the demands made by the loudest voices and not by what is right. I believe that it is far more difficult to obtain a higher grade in any coin with NGC than PCGS. This being said PCGS graded coins will be allowed to compete in NGC registry sets and given the s
Ray, USMC

Ray, USMC

23
Thanks for the coins

Rama Five, Six, Seven Thailand coin submission to NGC

I have communicated with another classic Thai coin collector on this board about the perils of buying raw Thai coins, if you hope for problem-free grades. I have never sent them any raw Thai coins before, but took a shot on some Ebay auctions over the last few months.  If the Rama 7 (smaller one bottom right) or one of the Rama 5 coins comes back MS anything (besides the MS61 PCGS breakout you see in there), this will have all been worth it.   Among the Rama V bahts (the one
deposito

deposito

7
When I’m Wiser and I’m Older

Because I’m slowly going blind?

So one of my stocking stuffers on Christmas morning was a small pocket magnifier that has a light built-in. I saw this and asked my wife, jokingly, “So is this because I’m slowly going blind?” She said, “No! It’s for your coins!” “… and the fact that I’m slowly going blind?” In early 2016, right around the time Ben was born, I got a 5 mm corneal abrasion right in the middle of my right cornea – it almost split the cornea in half. I was lucky enough that it didn’t cost me use of the eye, but
Revenant

Revenant

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