Cool coins that enhance my collection!

By limiting my coin collection to type collecting, themes, select series, and upgrades, I have found purchasing and selling coins to be systematic and focused. Conscience of my collecting goals, I made several purchases over the last couple of weeks. With one of my purchases I upgraded a 1913 Netherlands Queen Wilhelmina 10 Gulden gold coin from MS-63 to MS-64. Graded coins in this series are scarce, therefore even a meager step in my quest for a MS-65 or better set is a big deal. Frequently, when I populate my sets, I buy the best coins I can at the time and upgrade them as better coins become available. Having sold the MS-63 coin, the net cost of the new coin was relatively low.

When it comes to buying United States type coins in lower MS grades or circulated condition, there is a near endless supply from which to choose. Furthermore, they are generally obtainable any time I want to add them to my collection. This makes planning for type coin purchases somewhat easy. As for buying First Spouse gold coins, they come up for sale on preset dates and although costly, are a planned expenditure. However, when it comes to purchasing world coins for my theme collections, I have to be ready to buy them whenever they become available. Budgeting for these purchases can be difficult because I never know when or if they will appear for sale.

I am always on the lookout for coins that fit into my theme collections, and I continuously peruse numismatic publications and E-Bay listings for possible candidates. One of the coins I recently bought was the Krause Publications ?Coin of the year? 2008 Latvia 20 Lati gold coin commemorating motherhood. Another was a 1986 Philippines 25-peso coin commemorating Philippines President Corazon Aquinos first working visit to Washington. Both of these coins are destined for my ?Inspirational Ladies? signature set and both were unplanned purchases. Recent sales of SAE?s will pay for the Latvia coin, but I will need to have other sales to cover the other purchases.

The 1986 Philippines coin, minted at the Franklin Mint, has a mintage of 1000 and came to me in a sealed cachet documenting the first day the coin was struck on December 10, 1986. Since this coin came to me sealed, I am debating on whether or not to have it graded because I?m not sure I want to break the seal to grade the coin. Fortunately, signature sets have user-defined slots. With a little trick I learned from Jackson; I populated the slot using a body-bagged coin, then I uploaded the pictures, and soon I will write the ?Owners Description?. The obverse and reverse of this coin highlight the busts of two world leaders I have great respect for, Corazon Aquino and Ronald Reagan.

The 2008 Latvia coin currently on its way to NGC for grading is 22mm in diameter, has 10 grams of .999 fine gold, and a limited mintage of 5000. The design of this coin is based on 1922 plaster by sculptor Teodors Zalkalns and has a bust of a woman on the obverse wearing a scarf representing motherhood. The items on the reverse signify fertility and plenitude.

When the other coins I purchased arrive, I will detail them in a later journal along with other observations and musings. Until then enjoy the pictures of my latest purchases, and as always, happy collecting!

Gary