Or maybe it was unconscious.

After scouring the various auctions and market places for Eisenhower Dollars to populate my graded collection, I have decided that my first submission for grading will be my Proof Ikes. I have several still in their original government packaging. I will attempt to determine which of those are the best Ikes in my collection and where necessary pick up a few more proof sets to improve my odds. I looked at the population report and realized the odds are slim to none of getting my coins to grade out at PF70. (NCG has graded only 1 PF70 Ike in over 22,000 submitted in all proof categories.) I do believe I have a very realistic chance of getting at least some of them to grade out at PF69 but a PF68 would not be disappointing to me.

I am still trying to figure out this whole process of submitting coins. Fortunately, I will not be submitting anything until the end of January or the beginning of February so I still have a bit of time to sort things out. I do need to save my money for the submission fees. I think my darling wife would a cow if I dropped this bill on her so close to Christmas. Either way, all of this will be a learning process for me. I?ll need to get some plastic non-PVC flips for submission. Then I need to figure out how to at least ballpark grade these coins so I can get the correct amount of insurance. Honestly, I just haven?t had the practice nor do I think I will ever have the ability to distinguish the difference between PF68, PF69, or PF70. Heaven knows I?ve looked at enough coins in an effort to make the call myself. I can?t tell you how many books on grading rules and photo guides I have gone through in this education process.

All of this aside, I am excited about my choice. If I fare well with this first submission of 5 or 6 proof Ikes, I will attempt to get the rest of my collection graded over time. This should prove particularly interesting when I start submitting the uncirculated coins. If any of those ever pop at MS67 or better, someone will have to pick me up off of the floor. My jaw dropped when I saw the BV for MS67 and better Ikes. But I do have to be realistic, less than 10% of NCG graded Ikes have popped at MS67 or better. Of course, here comes the big question, how optimistic should I be when assigning a FMV when submitting the coins for grading.

Oh well, enough of my mental meandering for the morning. I hope everyone has a great day!