It's not an Olympic medal, but still pretty cool...

I had forgotten that NGC would be sending a plaque for the Journal Award. Gary, my letter carrier, surprised me Saturday with the package from NGC. It's pretty nice. I just need to find a place to put it. (My wife has been taking available wall space in my computer room with her recent academic "parchments".) In any case, I'd like to thank NGC and the judges again, and I hope my future contributions to this forum will be of some interest to all of you.

In the attached photo of the plaque, I maintain my anonymity with a 2x2 envelope that came with one of the Naftzger cents I acquired last year. I figure that my journals about the Naftzger sale and the coins I got from it were a big part of why I received the award, so maybe a bit more about that is in order.

"Buy the coin, not the plastic" is what they say. While I buy only coins I like (well, one or two exceptions along the way), and try to get ones that seem to me to be good for the slab grade, the registry is in the back of my mind when considering a purchase.

I'm not so sure a similar quote applies to the extras that accompany many coins that were once part of a significant collection. I think they add value, monetary and otherwise. I appreciate the stories folks tell about the "life" a particular coin may have had, like what company it may have shared in Ben Franklin's pocket, etc. But I also appreciate the real histories of coins as documented in 2x2 envelopes, auction lot cards, and the like.

As part of my record keeping, I not only record the provenance, if specified, of each coin I buy, but also look in auction catalogs and archives for earlier appearances of my coins, and any additional information that might be there. I have found quite a few of my coins that way.

Anyway, here's the photo, with the envelope for my 1833 cent. It has Ted Naftzger's characteristic green ink indicating the coin had been part of the personal collections of B. Max Mehl and T.J. Clarke, from whom Naftzger acquired it. The provenance in the sale catalog lists five owners before Naftzger, including Mehl twice. This is one of those coins that's so nice that one would regret selling it and would want to get it back!