A fistful of dollars given to a young boy...

Reading some of the other entries from numismaddicts led me to share my journey...

My fascination with coin collecting began as a young boy in the early 1960's when my Grandfather gave me a handful of Peace Silver Dollars for no particular reason. He didn't have to tell me that I shouldn't go spend these on some toy at the local store; I knew that these coins were special, so I quickly put them away in one of my secret hiding spots. Over the years I would take them out and look at them and just admire them for their beauty. I have always thought that the Peace Dollar is the most attractive coin ever produced, and I particularly admire the young, vibrant, and beautiful face of Miss Liberty.

In early 1998, as the Internet grew, I became aware of just how big the coin collecting hobby was, and a light bulb went on that convinced me I had an interest in finding out more about coins in general, and Peace Dollars specifically. The Internet is a wonderful resource for just such an endeavor, and I quickly became an "expert" (or so I thought) on Peace Dollars, ready to invest in some uncirculated key coins.

Unfortunately, I made some mistakes along the way; for example, I was sure that a certain Accugrade-holdered coin would cross no more than 1 point lower, only to be shocked at a 3 point drop. The amount of money I lost in that transaction was a cheap enough price to pay for the lesson I learned.

My collection has grown over the last 8 years, and I can now see my goal of having each issue in MS65 or higher becoming a reality in the not too distant future (OK, there is the '25 S and the '28 S to deal with, big $$). Many say that the fun is in the hunt, but for me, it is in the acquisition: finally holding that fully struck, blazing white coin that I've sought for months or in some cases years.

I deal with the issue that most other collectors do as well, in that an MS64 coin I once thought was perfect is now in need of upgrade when compared to an MS66 version. Ah well, goals are meant to be extended, aren't they?

1927 D MS6