time for something new

It took almost 3 weeks to arrive but I finally got my 1943 Mercury Dime in the mail today. It seems almost anti-climatic.

Usually I get 3 seperate thrills from a new acquisition...the first comes at the moment of winning the auction or finding the coin that fits the criteria for my set. The second (smaller) thrill comes when I enter the coin into that blank registry slot, or upgrade the slot. I enjoy watching the points and/or ranking increase. The third thrill is when I physically have the coin in hand. It is then that I get to study it, rotate it under different lighting to enjoy flowlines or toning--followed by taking my own pictures, cropping and sizing it for the registry gallery.

The final coin of a set, for me, has a mixed feeling. I still get the enjoyment of the 3 primary steps in ownership..but now there is also a strange melancholy/sadness. Kind of like when you hear a song that you loved 20 years ago that makes you smile, brings back some great memories but also makes you feel strangely sad.

Maybe this comes from the fact that I have been looking at several auctions weekly for just the right coins for the set for over a year...and now that is over. I will no longer be clicking on "Mercury Dimes" to see if any MS67's of the dates that will fill my empty slots are available...it's kinda like saying goodbye...

I know, I know, I could continue by building the "expanded short set" from 1934 to 1945, but I doubt that I would be able to buy/find/afford all of the dates in MS67 ( and that was the criteria I set for this collection). So my Mercury Short Set is done..it made the Top-25 but will inevitably slip off of the front page someday.

Now comes the tough decision and excitement of what to collect next !! I am really enjoying collecting these short sets..I'm looking at either a Standing Liberty Quarter-"one per date" set or a Buffalo Nickel Short Set 1934-1938 ( leaning towards the Buffs). If I do go with the buffs, I think I'll give myself a 2 grade range this time ( MS66 & 67's?)..this way the tougher dates and overdates will not be too expensive and the coin quality will still be very high..

In the meantime, I have been goofing around with a set called "Deep Blue Seas"..a signature set dedicated to marine creatures on coins ( I have gotten creative with the gallery..it may be fun for you to have a look--and please message me what you think-good or bad)..and of course........

There will always be High Seas. I just bought 6 new additions which need encapsulating/grading by NGC....

One of those I just found, a nice coin from Argentina with a beautiful Frigate..

OOPS: PS: I almost forgot to add, I hope that none of you who messaged me get upset...the 1943 Copper Penny was an April Fools Day prank...just a little fun, but how cool would it be to find a super-rare penny in a coin tray at a convenience store...happy hunting e1