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About this journal

I never thought about keeping a journal of why I collect coins. So this is a way to tell you WHY!!

 

Entries in this journal

New

Changing categories without notice... what next?!?

Recently I found that NGC changed one of the categories I'm in to another country. I was even told that they weren't going to change or remove that same category when I ask they just remove the category as another category had the same coins this year. Then all of the sudden, they change it. OK... that's fine.... I guess I have to work on that since two of the coins fit their new country. Then... this year.... they open a Silver $1 and a $1 Proof/MS categories for the Solomon Islands. I had
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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More coins being rated!! Plans for next year!!

So I just sent in a total of 31 coins on 2 orders (20 in one, 11 in another) to help complete and improve my collection. I spend quite a bit of time deciding what I want to send, sometimes trying to help open up new categories or slots overall. But a majority is to move a few sets up the ladder. Winning last years contest helped me rate some coins and even conserve some of them. I'm working what to send next year as this is the last of my coins..... I have other hobbies to feed (Cruise Trav
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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That vicious circle of collecting

So here I am saying I have a good set of British Virgin Islands (BVI) coins, and someone (Shoedt) finds a nicer set of coins! Ugh.... competition!! LOL Shoedt actually found a coin I was looking for (2018 Piedfort Pegasus no error) AND got lucky on a BVI coronation and silver proof sets as well!! Well Done!! LOTS of PF70 ratings he got!! Personally I have a Coronation set that needs to be rated still.... but I may set that aside.... Because another competitor has shown up.... Coin Maes
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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2021 Morgan and Peace

So I saw the US Mint is remaking the Morgan Dollar with all the mint marks (CC, O, D?!?, P, S) and the Peace Dollar for the Centennial celebration of said coins. The Morgan CC is "ugh! why cant they just use a CC rather than an inverse" (or better yet have them stamped in Carson City!!!) or the strange looking "O" that looks like an exaggerated O/S. Keep with the design people!! Then last week, NGC had included the new coins in the related categories, but now have removed them this week (at
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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OK.... happy in many ways... dumb founded in others

So I got my large submission of coins that included 3 that needed "Conservation". Overall I'm pleased at the results because most of these coins were purchased during the pandemic. It is truly hard to determine a coin based on pictures and description, fortunately many online dealers are willing to help by sending MANY pictures to you. But then you have one that slips through that makes you go......."Damn!! Why didn't I see that?!?" Case in point is my Mayflower Reverse Proof ( 2020PM BRITI
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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Collecting.... it's all based on being a fan!!

Today I found out my major coin submission is coming back (30 coins) and some ratings were surprising and some were what I expected. Many of the coins were minted at the old Franklin Mint, along with some Perth Mint, Royal Mint and some dealers claiming to be a mint. But the Franklin Mint (FM) made me think of what others were thinking in the 80's.. There not worth the metal they are minted on! For some reason, I should have ignored those comments (In some cases I did). I have a few FM
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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US Mint makes me sad and I miss real coin shops!

Having a few US coins and Proof sets when I was a child has made me want to collect more US coins. I have a nice collection of US coins that I feel proud to share with my friends that collect as well. Over the years I have Silver Proof sets from the 1992 till 2019, Silver Eagles from 1986 till 2020, odds and ends of proof sets to the point of "someday I will send these in to get rated".  BUT..... there are some missing pieces.... especially with my Silver Eagles.... because certain people h
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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My NCS batch is back and I'm pleased.

My set of coins sent to NCS first came back. I'm very pleased with the results. All the silver coins had haze, one silver showed signs of PVC damage starting and the gold coin had a rubbery substance I couldn't get off. I could see that the contaminate was in some of the devices, so I decided to let an expert do it. These coins were bought online last year at prices that would make some people jealous. Instead of me posting pics, I'll post a link since they are part of my personal collectio
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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Call me a geek....

So I had an email asking me HOW to program a search engine to find a coin, even a rare one. Let me start by saying... you can search for a coin with current search engines. My programming uses these current search engines to find what I want. HOWEVER..... because I'm lazy.... I use a Linux Server to do the job.... and it's a small system on my wireless network that does the searching for me. Without getting into details..... my little server uses a --script to inject what I want and the res
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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A slow trickle....

So my coin purchases overseas are slowly trickling in. COVID has really slowed things down. One coin I purchased was back in November and just got here. Carrier pigeon must have gotten lost LOL! Makes me appreciate the Postal Service even more. Carriers running in bad weather, bringing me gifts from other places so I can admire my prize.  But even as all those coins trickle in.... I broke my New Year's resolution.... no coin purchases. I have a few search engines programmed to let me k
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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Am I competing?!? Not really!!

So to let other collectors out there understand..... I'm not directly competing against other collectors. I'm just collecting! NGC may have a competition annually.... and that's a good thing!!! But I'm trying to fill my slots when a group opens from my collection. Good example is my British Virgin Islands coins. I have all the Pegasus $1 coins and won "Best In Category" for it last year..... but now I'm in 2nd place.... because someone got a better coin grade on a coin..... GOOD FOR YO
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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What to do with the winnings....(Part 2)

So I've decided what to send. Not the easiest decision because there are so many to nice coins to choose and so many countries. Last year as I tried to find more JFK coins from around the world, I was picking up coins from like Malta, San Marino, and others made me appreciate other coins from those same country. The detail that went into it some these coins were captivating. Being an admirer of carvings, these are miniature version that are easy to show and transport. So my decision was bas
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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Turning into an obsession!!

As I go through my raw coins, it occurred to me that at one time I was just collecting American coins. Just looking for that next coin to fill a spot. On occasion I would pick up a foreign coin and put it in a storage box to protect it. Life was simple then. I had some slabbed coins from PCGS, NGC, ICG and ANACS. So I decided to go to these websites and learn something about their services. NGC caught my attention the most (as well as their registry), so I registered and started sending coi
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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What to do with the winnings....Hmmmm

So here I am..... struggling to decide what coins go in to NGC to get rated. Winning "Best Presented Set" for my Morgan Dollars has put me in a position that I thought would be simple. Going through my raw coins and sets made me go "WOW!" at what my collection turned into. When I started organizing and picking items to get rated.... I was almost over whelmed. Currently I'm sending some coins in to be rescued (hopefully) by NCS because of poor storage by the mints (PVC). Others I'm deciding
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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How it started!

Many many moons ago...... ok..... let me try something different.... It was a dark and stormy night....... NAW.... that doesn't work...... OK..... this just out of Brooklyn..... nope..... that's not me..... My parents kind of started me into coin collecting.... yea I know LOL MY parents were the typical "Nuclear Family" raised parents. They didn't want me to be smothered and wanted to make me understand what money was all about. They did in a way that I didn't know I would be
ChrisInJesup

ChrisInJesup in New

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