0
  • entries
    193
  • comments
    0
  • views
    2,214

Entries in this journal

I Have Waited To Write This Journal

had several emotions run through me the last few days. Hi all, I really hate to write this journal. I feel I must, if only to vent a little bit and get things off my chest. Right up front, I will admit to feeling let down by NGC, and if they want to take away my journal awards for saying what I am going to say, then so be it. I can recall after my first journal award, talking to someone at NGC (I think maybe Joisey Girl but must confess I do not remember for sure) about a question or somethi

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Thanks, Goals and an Explanation

There is no dark side in our amazing hobby. This journal entry is overdue, it's been a busy year already with longer hours at work and eye surgery. The good news is my eyes are a lot better, at least the left one is. I had surgery (laser) today on my right eye, and I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow to make sure everything is ok. I am still going to be needing glasses (to read with) but that's a small price to pay for overall better eyesight. First for the thanks, thank you NGC for my 2

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

First Journal Of 2012

But have been meaning to write this entry for about a month. Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a joyous holiday season with family and friends. I have been spending my holiday days off either enjoying the season with my family and friends; also by enjoying our wonderful hobby. That's why I've been meaning to write this entry for a month. For starters, I have been trying to make more meaningful sets, either by tweaking my competitive sets, or by making more meaningful custom sets.

HK-338

obverse photo Here's the other obverse picture. I also want to comment about the size of pics we can put in our journal's. I have the feeling the size has been increased by NGC, as I don't have to compress my pictures with the email choice in Picture Manager. Would this perception be correct? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Updating

both sets and photos. I'm slowly and surely starting to update my sets and photos. I've cut out several comepetitive sets, most notably the full Buffalo Nickel set and Indian Head Cent set because I can't see myself finishing them (due to cash constraints). However, both coins will be featured either in a short set or one per year set and in some of my custom sets. My custom sets, I'm starting with New Orleans silver, will cover a wide range of silver and gold coins. However, I can safely sa

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

A Quick Entry

to show off my 1878CC Morgan I have to take a few minutes tonight to show my 1878CC Mogran Dollar. I won it in a Teletrade auction early last week and just received it yesterday. I cleared off my camera tables so I could take pics. It's only XF45 but I love it. And while I will probably upgrade to hopefully a gem, I feel I can't have too many CC coins. Attaching a pic of the obverse. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

What My Collection Will Be

and other ramblings. Since I posted my last journal entry, the days have flown by. Between work, home improvements and really doing some thinking on my collection. First off, I have 2 more competitive sets to add. I decided my name here (Iowa Silver Baron Bammer) should be one of two components of my collection. However there will be some gold (for example my Carson City type set and a little foreign gold). The second major focus will be the west, as evidenced by my (soon to be updated) Wild

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

It Always Happens...

...just when you get ahead, some problem rears it's ugly head. I think I jinxed myself. Back in May, on the 23rd I think, I wrote a journal entry saying how my financial situation had improved and I had some extra cash to spend on my coin passion. Well wouldn't you know it, something always happens to me to muck up my plans. We've been getting a lot of rain here in southeastern Iowa, and of course, my roof started to leak (although only in one place). Well, I knew this time would come, as my

Mid Year Progress Update

...still happy on my set choices. 2011 is practically half over so I'd thought I'd look back on the year so far. First, I'm happy with the sets I have right now. The only new one I might add is Mexican 8 Reales minted in Mexico City. Like my Centavo set, if I do make the 8 Reales set, I don't know how finished it will become. But I do love silver so that may make a difference. Secondly, I've almost finished my Ike dollar proof set. I needed 2 to have a full set, and I received the 1977S clad

Set Thoughts and Musings

Believe I've made a decision I can live with. Hi all, First, a belated Happy Father's Day to all the dads. 2 posts ago, I was wondering if I was wrong in not wanting to make a full set of Indian Head Cents, Buffalo Nickels and Oregon Trail Commems. Well, I've made my final answer (decision) now and this is my story and I'm sticking with it. As all of you must know, I'm a western fan, and I'm wanting to stick with mostly western mints. And if you've been watching my sets, you've seen me b

Coin Storage Boxes Pt. 3

Whitman Boxes Hi All, I believe Six Mile Rick has a good idea with the coin storage boxes. I use the Whitman boxes as they can hold both PCGS and NGC slabs. I order from JP's Corner, they're located in Monroe City, Missouri. Their service is great, and their prices are reasonable. I also order the Air Tite coin holders from them. JP's carries all three boxes that has been discussed here. Their prices for the boxes are: NGC box $8.95, PCGS box $6.95 and the Whitman box is $7.95. I've placed

I Failed To Plan -- Happy Memorial Day

With my interest in the West, am I wrong to not want to make a full set of Buffalo Nickels, Indian Head Cents and Oregon Trail Commeoratives? Hello all, In my last journal entry, you may recall I wrote my financial situation improved somewhat. Even though I haven't received all of the money yet, I'm at the point where I really want to improve my collections. As I've been pondering what sets to make and how I want to proceed with my currency, I came to a stunning revelation. This revelation

Good News

I've turned the corner finanancially, bodes well for my coins & currency. Well, things are lookking up. To make a long story short, cash flow has improved a little. So the result of this is, my coin and currency budget has grown, so I may be able to add a few more sets on the coin side. One thing I do want to do is make a type set, so it has been started. I'm still planning on doing mainly western mints, but now I have more latitude to collect a few other coin interests. What this means

Miserable Weather

But a wonderful day. Hi all, Yes, miserable weather here in SE Iowa. Really it sounds like miserable all weekend into Monday. However, I took a day of vacation today, so I could go down to the semi-annual coin show in Keokuk. And again, I had a wonderful time. After being able to sleep in on a Saturday morning (I work Tuesday thru Saturday), I did the normal morning chores, plus I had to do some usual errands (bank, post office etc.) So when I was finished, I drove down to Keokuk to the ma

Finally Found Currency

...at a reasonable price Hi all, Well, I broke the ice this weekend. I finally found a piece of currency which didn't go way over estimate. I was browsing Teletrade Monday night and found a 1928F Small $2 Legal Tender note. The note was very nice, EPQ and most important right around FMV. So it's now on it's way to collecting central here. I'm ready to add it to my set. Thanks Rick, I'll scan it so you can see it! :-) While I was browsing Teletrade, I also found a 1978S proof Ike Dollar I n

I'm Hapy

even though I haven't added any currency yet. Hi all, Yes, I'm happy. First, I need to give thanks to Kerry & Rick. Thank you both for helping me out. I'm happy with the direction my collection is going, even though I haven't purchased any new pieces of currency yet. I had hoped to bid on a couple of items in the just completed Bowers/Stacks auction, but didn't. I believe I've noted before that it seems like currency is slowly rising in price. That's good as far as I'm concerned, as th

More Currency, Less Sets

One benefit possibly will be higher grades. Hi all, Well, I know I've been waffling on this for the last year. On Wednesday night (? I think it was) I took the big plunge. Some of you who have followed my sets have probably already noticed my Franklin FBL set is gone, along with several other sets. I've decided to delete them, sell a major portion of my coins so I can afford some more currency. I've come to the conclusion that my interests I've held long term is the way to go. What I'm goi

A Little About A Lot

currency, raw indian head cent, another photo of a Stack's lot etc. I've been meaning to write this entry for about a week now I guess. I've put it off, it's a lot more fun to be looking at currency auctions at Teletrade and Denly's currency inventory rather than writing a journal. :-) Thanks to Rick's & Kerry's generousity, I'm ready to pull the trigger and place some currency bids this comming week. I hope I can win at least one lot, but we'll have to wait and see. The only downside I

Thanks, Musings, And A Teaser For Jackson

Westward Journey Circulated Registry Set Hi Everyone, First off, I must start by giving thanks to a very helpful lady at NGC. I would put in her name, but I"m afraid I would really mis-spell her name, but she knows who she is. Anyway, I had called a few weeks ago to inquire if a Westward Journey Nickel circulation and proof sets could be added to the registry. Well, today, while I was out doing my errands, my cell phone rang. It was this very helpful lady calling to let me know the circulati

My Stack's Lots Have Found Their Home

and I'm beginning to scan them I'm really happy tonight. Not because I received my lots I won in the recent 52 Collection auction at Stack's. What I'm really happy about is finding out a great local connection to one of the lots. I suppose technically this journal entry should be over on the currency side, as the main lot I wanted was used on Iowa obsolete currency. The lot in question was lot number 3860 in the 52 Collection sale. The lot consisted of a die proof vignette printed on India p

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

It's Groundhog Day

...and we've had our 6 more weeks of winter in a day and a half. But this is a coin journal entry! Hi everyone, Well, it's a very, VERY white Groundhog's day here in southeastern Iowa. And before I go any further, my sympathy to the mideast and east who are probably getting the storm now that we had late Monday and yesterday. I have finally (with a little help from a friend) cleared some snow in front of my garage and a path made to my side garage door. We received somewhere around 16-18 i

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Tuesday Was A Great Day

...but I didn't share purchases leading up to Tuesday. Hi all, I'm still on a high from my good day on Tuesday. What I didn't talk about though, in that journal entry, was purchases leading up to it. I do purchase some raw coins and one good company I've found to purchase from is Halan J. Berk in Chicago. I have bought several items (maybe even more than several) from them in the last couple of years. It came as a surprise to me though, the week between Christmas and New Year's, to get a $50

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Thoughts & Thanks

appreciate the feedback I hadn't really planned on writing another entry tonight. I have a journal started in my head for tomorrow or Friday, as I had other good (at least to me) purchases before I even started bidding in the Stack's auction. What I really want to do tonight is to thank everyone for the VERY positive feedback, both on my journal entry and my purchases. I do appreciate the replies on the forum, I just finished reading them, and even though I've been a member here now for seve

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

A Really Great Day!!!

...won not 1, not 2, but 4 lots!! Hi everyone, Wow, what a great day! Several things were added to my collection today. First, I added 63 40% Kennedy halves to my silver hoard. The day I agreed to buy these halves (at $4 each), silver was up in the mid to high $28 dollar range. Consequently, I would have been up 25 cents per coin. I had to convert some stock into cash so I could pay for them (along with covering my bids in today's Stack's auction). Well, I silver closed down in the $26 range

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Iowa Silver Baron Bammer

Musings Of My Sets

...an explanation! Well, probably everyone has noticed the wholesale (to a point) deletion of sets. I know I've touched on this in a few journal articles over the past year or so. Well, I've finally took some action. I really had to ask myself what my main interests are and how to achieve them on a limited budget. Well, the answer was to delete some sets so I could concentrate on my currency and what's really important to me. For example, while I like the clad Commemorative halves, the key w
0