A boy and his toys (proverbially speaking)

I once heard that he who dies with the most toys wins. Given that condition, I doubt I will ever win. But my coins are, in a very round about way, my toys. Usually, I feel very happy to pick up one or two very nice graded coins and/or fill a couple of holes or upgrade a few coins in my albums over the course of a month. But October has been an unusual month so far for me and we are only about half way through it. I must, by necessity refrain from chasing coins that catch my fancy. I have a strict formula for what I am willing to pay for any given coin so typically my bids and offers are pretty low. (Caveat here: Every once in a while I will treat myself and not adhere to my pricing formula.) It seems that in the last two weeks, the stars have been aligned in my favor. I?ve added 2 PF70UC Silver State Quarters to my registry set and picked up another PF70UC Silver dime all for less than $0.25 per dollar of FMV. I?ve also managed to pick up six nice (BU/MS) upgrades on pre-1943 Lincoln Cents for my album set. Needless to say my October budget is shot!

While the addition of the PF70UC Silver State Quarters is not one of my primary collecting goals, it is always nice to add to that set. Strangely enough though, I am not one of those quarter people. In fact, I find very little of interest in quarters even the State and America the Beautiful Quarters. The set is primarily the off spring of my youngest son and his fascination with the state quarters. I?m not much of a dime guy either but that set is affordable so I have one on which I am working. I love my pennies, Lincoln and Indian Head, half dollars and Eisenhower Dollars. I also have a fondness for nickels as well, although it is kind of a backdoor fondness because it seems that nickels are sort of the underdog coin, oft neglected by many collects. The penny upgrades is on my top ten list of collecting goals so I am particularly happy about that acquisition.

My son, working at the convenience store, has started to develop more of an interest in collecting coins. I would have never guessed this strange twist of circumstances. Apparently, working with money and looking at all the different coins passing through his hands has stirred a latent curiosity. He has even gone so far as to ask me when the next local con show was so I could take him. He has also developed a keen interest in paper money as well. I?ve never really had an interest in paper money but I will be more than glad to walk that road of discovery with him. I doubt that I will ever collect paper money but I certainly have no problem with doing the research and showing him how to do the research to help him understand. I think I even have a few old bills and silver certificates with which I?d be willing to seed his collection should he become really serious about it. He has also been asking a lot of questions about bigger coins too, particularly dollars and half dollars. While, I don?t have a current driving interest in older dollar coins, this just might be his niche and my avenue to collecting them as well. For all my collecting, nothing brings me as much joy as sharing the time with my kids and their collecting whether or not their choices align with my preferences.

Over the last two weeks, I have also come to another realization. I want to upgrade my Proof Lincoln set to PF70UC over time. This is a long term goal, very long term, and I realize it will be a significant financial commitment. I will continue for the time being to populate the set with PF69UC or best available I can afford but within the next 4 to 5 years I will start the transition. With a little luck, I may even be able to pick up a few PF70UC?s before I start the transition in earnest. Another idea bouncing around in my head is whether or not to pursue a MS set of Kennedy Half Dollars or do I want to stick strictly to a Proof set. I am not losing sleep over that call, if it happens, it will happen in its own time. You just absolutely have to love a hobby that allows so many avenues to expand and grow. All these options give a whole new meaning to a boy and his toys and the Toy Story.

Well enough rambling for this morning. I attached a pic of the PF70UC Idaho Silver Quarter I picked up earlier this month.

Dennis