Kids will do the strangest things

At last, I have the weekend mornings to myself. I think it?s been about a month since I have been able to sit down on both Saturday and Sunday morning and enjoy some quiet time.

Well, I haven?t added much to my registry sets this month, another thin month for financial resources. I did add a 2009D LP4 to MS66 Lincoln Cent set. For the life of me I sure cannot see why people are driving the price of this one coin into the $15-$20 range. At that price, it is far out pacing the 7 other 2009 Lincoln Cents. I did manage to get mine for less than $10 so I am happy. I haven?t seen too many 2010 or 2010D MS66 cents but those I have seen are running upwards of $50. That is far too pricy for this poor teacher.

I did manage to add a little bit to my album collections. My Eisenhower Dollar set is just two coins short of completion. The set needs a 73S Silver Proof coin and 76S Silver Proof coin. And while most literature says there are 32 coins in the complete set, there are in fact 34 coins in the set if you count the three 72 variations. I have one of each. (Big Grin)

My Walking Liberty Half Dollar collection is officially started. I have maybe 12 to 15 coins populating it so far. Most of the coins are G to F and I?m good with that fact. I can afford those right now. With the silver feeding frenzy going on right now, I have no intention of paying outrageous prices for lower end coins just because they are out there. This set will likely be more challenging because the coins are old silver. I am not looking to finish it quickly but rather to enjoy the collecting part of the experience. I am absolutely convinced the joy in this hobby is the journey not the destination. (Translation: Once a set is complete at a condition level you like you no longer get to enjoy looking for anything in that collection.) I am sure there are some who would argue that you can always look for upgrades but at some point the cost becomes prohibitive and many of us are on a limited budget.

I managed to get to a local coin show too. I really hadn?t planned on getting anything but I did manage to pick up a few BU/MS examples from the early 40?s and late 30?s to upgrade my set. I really had not taken notice of just where I was with my Lincoln Cent Albums but I was pleased to realize that I have BU or better examples of everything from 1943 to 2009 and I only need 19 more coins to complete the entire set. Obviously included in those 19 holes are 1909S, 1909S VDB, 1922, 1924D, and 1931S. But alas I am hopeful that someday I will fill those holes as well.

My kids at school have really surprised the heck out of me. We talk about coins in class and how I collect them. Some have taken a real interest and started small collections. I help them every chance I can by giving them some of my extras and some other extras some of the members have generously sent for the kids. But, a lot of the kids have started bringing my coins they think are ?different? to check out for them. It is a pleasant and informative diversion from regular math class. And for some strange reason, many of them have started to bring me handfuls of their unwanted pennies and on occasion other coins. I have even gone so far as to offer a small reward for specific coins, 2009 dimes and nickels in particular. It?s like having a100 kid army looking for coins for me. Interestingly enough, I have gotten some very nice coins along the way.

My find or should I say my gift coin of the month doesn?t even come from the U.S. One you lady in one of my classes is from Thailand. She was nice enough to bring me a couple of coins from Thailand. I now proudly have a 1-Baht coin in my meager collection of foreign coins. Mostly, I collect foreign coins as a novelty but I had never seen a Baht before. Of course with a new coin in hand, I had to do some research. The markings on the coin were not in English so identifying the date took a little bit. The date on the best example the young lady gave me was 2549. That didn?t make much sense to me at first but then I realize Thailand was on a different calendar. The coin is from 2006 but the Gregorian calendar is 543 years behind the Buddhist calendar. (Add some more new knowledge to my brain database.) I also gave one of the Baht coins to another teacher who collects coins and had never seen on before. I also sent one to my kid sister who just collects foreign coins and currency.

Well, the family is stirring and there is still yard work a plenty pending so until next time ?may the change in your pocket always be a pleasant surprise.?