Caesar's Proof Commem Set

My PF-70 Commem set story begins on May 30, 2009. I had looked at some of the commem coins, and really liked what I saw. My state sets were nearing completion, and I wanted to start something new. I liked the fact that I could collect three different things in one set-dollars, halves, and the biggie, GOLD!!!!! Caesar said "Let's go for it" and we did.

The first coin was the Braille dollar. It started it all moving!!! We were underway!!!!

The first half was the 1992 Columbus. Man, now here was some history!!!!

Our first gold coin was the 1988 Olympic coin. This was the first gold coin I ever bought!! Way cool!!!!

As we went along, we bought from dealers, individuals, and of course, E-Bay!! This was fun!!! Almost every coin is very different, and it is a lot of fun to look at each different design. Caesar likes the gold coins the best, as they are so shiny!!

For those who have not read any of my other journals, Caesar is my chow-chow dog-dog. He is three years old. He is my best bud, brings me great joy every day, and helps me all the time with the coins. This commem set is his. He has state quarters as well. Lucky Dog!!!!!

I have sent almost all of our coins in to NGC to be grade checked, and put into the new style holders. I really like these holders, and want the entire set to match!!!

Our biggest find so far is the Vietnam dollar, with a pop of only 9!!!!!!!

As I write this, we have a long way to go. I will keep you all posted as the saga continues!!!

10-09-09 1996 Smithsonian goldie arrives today! Man, what an awesome example of this fairly rare goldie!!!Really fantastic!!!!! Already in a new Edge-View holder, so I don't have to send it in!!! Cool!!!!! Caesar is very happy with this one!!!

10-20-09 '87, '89, '97 goldies return from NGC in new scratch-proof Edge-View holders with regular labels. They look great! Photos added to my registry.

10-26-09 My 95 Basketball half arrives today. Tough day at the job, so nice to come home to a pleasant surprise!!! Won this on the old E-Bay, and what a gem it is!!!! Added to my set, and I moved up a notch!! Cool-Mo-Dee!!!!!

10-30-09 USO dollar arrives today. I added to my registry set. Moved up a notch!! Fairly rare dollar in PF-70. Coin is nice. It is in an old style holder, so like most, I will send in to be re-holdered. Over 50 coins in my set now, many more to go!!!

11-6-09 Fired off the six coins I have acquired recently for grade check and re-holdering into new Edge-View holders. 3 goldies, 2 heifers, and a clam. I know NGC is backed up, but hope they get back soon so I can scan and add photos to my registry. Coins are already in my set, but no photos. As soon as I finish my state quarter scans, will start re-doing my commem pics with my scanner. See how many I get done before 12-10. Hoping to add a few coins to my commem set before judging begins!!!!!

11-8-09 Started re-doing the photos. Replacing with scans. The first five dollars are not bad-much improved over the photos, for sure!!!! Will keep messing around with the settings. Fun to look at each coin again!!!

11-09-09 Dollars are all done except for the USO, which is in to NGC for re-holdering. Scanning is no fun, but checking out each coin as I go sure is a blast!!! Will start scanning halves today as well. Looking for coins to add to this set before judging, but no good deals out there recently. A lot of over-priced stuff, though!!!!

Did finish the halves today. I do have two in to NGC for re-holdering. Will get them done when they return. Going to take a break before I start on the goldies. I have scans running through my mind!!! Help!! Help!!!!

11-10-09 O.K., so I lied. Starting scanning the gold coins in my set this morning. I do want to get these all done. It is amazing the difference between my scanned goldies and my photos. I did the four 84 coins first. I can't believe I actually put the photos in the registry, they are so bad. The gold coins seem to scan so much better than the silvers. Check it out for yourself, I think there is quite an improvement. Not perfect for sure, but much better!!!!!

11-11-09 Thanks to all who have served in our military!!! I deeply appreciate your service to our country!! Working on scans of gold coins today. NGC site is not letting me add photos to my set this morning. Must be bogged down. I will try again later. Big news today is I won a Civil War goldie last night on E-Bay. NGC PF-70 coin. Will have to send in for re-holder in the new Edge-View. Down to needing only 5 coins to complete the gold part of this set. I will keep searchin'!!!

11-13-09 Well, it is done. I replaced all my pics with scans. All finished except for the six coins in to NGC for re-holdering. What a process!!! I did have a good time looking at the coins again, but glad I am done!!!! Anxious for the six to return so I can get the scans of them added to my set registry. I see this morning they have arrived at NGC, so will see......

11-14-09 I did a buy it now yesterday on a Lewis and Clark dollar. One more down in the dollar arena. Many more to go, but will keep banging away at it!!! It is on the way, so I can get it in to my set before judging time!!! I also see NGC has my six commems scheduled for grading, so they should be back soon for addition of scans to my set!!! Excellent!!! The 95 Civil War gold coin arrived today. It is a very nice looking coin. I will wait to scan until I send it in for re-holdering. Only 5 more goldies to go!!!! The gold is by far my favorite coins. They are just cool. Wish I had a lot of dough to collect the other US gold coins.

11-17-09 My Lewis and Clark dollar arrived today. One of the nicest coins I have seen in a while. Just stunning!!! Thanks, Bruce!!!!! I did add it to my set, but will wait to scan until after I send in to NGC for re-holdering. Nothing else due in, as bucks are a bit tight right now. Oh well, thats the way it goes sometimes!!!!

11-18-09 I see my six coins in to NGC for re-holdering have moved over to quality control. Excellent!!! I will have them back soon!!! Then I can get them scanned and photos into my registry. Have a couple days off next week, so hope they are back in time!!!!

11-23-09 My six commems I sent in to NGC for re-holdering and such are back!!!!! They look really good!!! 3 goldies, two halves, and a buck-a-roo. I will try to get them all scanned tonight after work. Glad they all returned home in time for judging!!!!! I did get the gold coins scanned and in. They don't look bad. I will do the halves and smacker tomorrow. I am a bit pooped from work, so.........

11-24-09 Well, got the three other coins scanned and in my registry set this morning. Still having a bit of problems with silver coins. They still look toned here and there. I will keep trying different settings. One of these days I will hit on the right ones!!!! Also found a 92 Olympics gold for this set this morning. Down to only four goldies to go!!!! I should have it before the judging deadline. Well, off to the salt mine!!!!

11-25-09 A great day, indeed!! My 92 oly gold is on the way to me. Expected arrival is Saturday, 11-28-09. It is already in a new edge-view holder, so will add and scan into my registry set. The other good