after 2+ years of trying

I really enjoyed reading the "Confessions of a Coin Addict" series which ran last week. I was grinning ear to ear with many of them because I can truly relate...I mean, a day without a new coin is like a day without sunshine.

I particulary liked the 3 stages outlined...although I feel one underlying theme was missed. The Obsession.

I love the rush from winning an auction, I love the rush of finding something new for my set, I like watching my set jump a slot or 2 in the rankings, I love opening the mailbox and seeing padded envelopes or the little orange card ( meaning I gotta sign for one)...but the biggest of all rushes for me was the one I got last night.

My search for this coin, ( a 1927A Weimer Republic-Bremerhaven) has been over a 2 year odyssey...I first spotted it in a Krause catalog and noticed it was a bit pricey. I looked on ebay and there was one in a seller's BIN/store. The price for his 5 MARK example -$2700 outta my range 99% of the time. So I waited....on only 2 occasions has one come up on ebay since..about 6 months ago the 3 MARK version was available but I stopped bidding at $800...and last night (saw it 6 and a half days ago--talk about obsession). Anyhow, I also saw 3 at the recent Heritage World Coin Auction..1 was a 3 Mark and 2 were 5 marks...not to bore you with all of the details but they got bid out of my range--WAY outta my range. This was very discouraging because I started to wonder if it would be 10+ years before I could find and afford one.

About a week ago I saw a superb 3 Mark on ebay and the bidding was only $130 !!.. I placed a low bid of $135 so that it would be on my bidding list. Going into last night it was still only $138..I watched and watched, sure that there were 3 dozen others doing the same thing ready to snipe my coin. Finally with 30 seconds left I couldn't wait ( what if the computer crashed?--what if our power blipped?) I placed the maximum amount I was willing to pay-$411.51 ( I know an odd number but that 51c has won me a few auctions)...I was AHEAd..and at only $190 with 15 seconds left...I hit refresh...$200 with 7 seconds..and finally I had won at a price of only $219 !!!

I scared my wife with my whoop and I jumped out of the computer chair and did my best EndZone dance !!!...now that was a rush...

By the way, what's the number for that help line?

Here's a picture of my prize..I know it's not the taste in coins many of you prefer, but for me this is HUGE-the equivalent of a 1995W Silver Eagle in PF70DCAM !!!