or maybe I'm just jealous of everyone who has coins that I may never have

This is a good sign. I?ve actually posted a second journal entry and the first for 2009. I think I have a love/hate relationship with coins. I love coins ? classic US designs especially (although I?m not a type collector). There is a lot of history in the coins. The designers, engravers and various other mint workers left their marks on each coin ? especially the early coppers. When a coin is uncirculated I marvel at the fact that someone made it a point from the beginning to keep this coin in like new condition. Worn coins have a story to tell as well ? they have been used in commerce, paid to workers, saved and spent by all sorts of people over many years.

That last statement reminds me of the perfect ?love/hate? coin for me ? Morgan dollars. I have a few circulated Morgan dollars, nothing special, nothing slabbed. They are nice to look at and even hold in your hands (or by your fingertips on the edges). They are big, hefty and kind of neat looking. Morgans evoke that great time period of American expansion in the late 1800s. I wonder how many collectors know the story of the Morgan dollar though. I?m not going to repeat it all here, but let?s just say they are a great looking coin (even the odd Old English lettering on the back is interesting) but most of them spent their lives in bags in the Treasury vaults. I?m not sure how widely they circulated in the East; I imagine they were used more in the West. I actually considered starting a Registry Set of Morgan CCs last year, but I could never get past the fact that I don?t LOVE this coin. I like it, but I don?t have the burning desire to collect a coin that no one really used. Large cents, on the other hand, are similar to Morgans ? they are interesting to look at, there are varieties to search for and attribute, they were minted for a long time, they?re big. But they were used by people, a lot of people, until many of them were barely able to make the VG grade.

I?ve thought about my 2009 coin budget a bit this past week and decided this would be a ?light? year for coin collecting. I hope to pick up a nice XF or AU Capped Bust Half Dime to start off my set, add a couple of Mercury dimes to my short set, and pick up a couple of Large Cents that are R-3 or better (not common but not ultra-rare either). All totaled, this could easily eat up about $800! I know, some on here probably spend that much or more on one coin, but I?ve never bought a coin that cost more than $125. This doesn?t sound like much collecting, but finding the right coins for any of these three sets can take a long time ? I haven?t bought one coin since October but I look over inventories all the time. I don?t like to buy a coin just to satisfy the urge to add to the collection. I?ve moved beyond that to being a cost- and value-conscious collector. I love my coins but I want them to be worth something some day too.

A couple final thoughts before I leave ? 1) make sure you buy coins you can love, and collect the coins you love. When I look at sets on here I can usually tell who loves their coins and who just accumulates their coins. I respect those collectors who collect Morgans, Capped Bust halves, even Kennedys, Ikes and other modern designs like the platinums when they show how much they love them. 2) Last week I pre-ordered Bower?s Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins on Amazon for $27; the price has already gone up to $34 in just a few days and it isn?t even published yet. It should be a good book; Dave Bowers is the one current numismatic writer I enjoy reading ? maybe I?ll start that Connecticut date set this year ? and there goes my budget already! Have a great week? maybe I?ll win an auction? I'll let you know...