any gripes or complaints just melt away

It's almost as if there is something in the air or water. There has been a negative vein running through almost all of the discussion boards and it even filtered to the journals.

I was severely tempted to jump into the rfar/Heritage discussion but decided against it( I sent a PM instead about my experience)--I hope it is not immodest, but I sincerely believe that my posts last year showed my frustration at times, and that negativity is why I did not win a best journal award. I re-read last years journaling and saw 2 things: first is that I AVERAGED over 300 reads per entry (over 100 more than the second most read poster) secondly however, my entries became increasingly negative/critical of the "system"..and consequently the average of readers dropped.

In the end nobody is forcing me to invest my time and money in this hobby. I simply love coins--for whatever chemical process that occurs in my brain when I acquire a beautiful coin--they give me pleasure.

What brought all of this out is a package I received today. I had purchased this coin about a week ago. Every once in a while a coin arrives and is simply much more beautiful than the image at auction. I have tried half a dozen times to photo this coin already and can't do the intense luster justice.( I'll have to settle for showing off the strike)

This is NOT a proof....just the most well struck Walker I have ever held and the most lustrous also..I believe I have a new favorite coin, she will sit next to me on my desk all day, if someone tosses it in my casket that would be fine with me !! This is why I collect !!!

an NGC 1942 MS67 Walker 50c