Or a day at the local coin show...

The boys, Steven and Alex, and I headed to the local coin show yesterday. It was a first for both of my sons. Steven, 24 yr old, bee lined for the dealers with paper currency. He was thrilled to get a good look at a large note Black Eagle. The large notes really have caught his fancy. Sadly, neither he nor I had enough money for him to purchase one but he is on a mission now. He?s never really made a big dollar purchase for anything like this before and he is a bit gun shy. I can?t say I really blame him. That first step is a hurdle we?ve all had to justify in our minds before we?ve taken it. I can still remember agonizing over spending big bucks the first time I did it. I still have a bit of a twinge to this day on big cash outlays. Alex, the 14 yr old, on the other hand saw his interest wane about 30 minutes after getting there. I didn?t push the issue either; it?s pretty much what I expected and I don?t want him to sour on coin collecting by shoving it down his throat. Alex is just starting his collection and he?d much rather be going through circulted rolls looking for coins to fill the holes in his folders than in looking at coins through glass cases. It was a start though and I let him pick up 5 new Eisenhower Dollars for his folder. He even managed to get two of the three variations for 1972. (Can?t tell he?s Dad?s son can you.)

Anyway, after the first half hour or so I let the boys go their merry way and I got down to my business. I was specifically looking for Lincoln Cents. I still have a few holes to fill in my album and I?ve been working my way back through the years on red MS quality upgrades. I was able to get two nice late 30?s MS upgrades and fill three holes. I didn?t have a lot of money to spend as usual so I had to hunt around a bit. My real prize from the show was a very nice 1915 S XF+ BN Lincoln to fill that hole in my album. The hardest part of the show was foregoing the Large Cents to which my eyes kept wandering. Every time I see one, particularly one with very nice eye appeal, it?s like I hear the Siren?s voice calling me into the rocks. Fortunately, not having the monetary resources and knowing I still have a lot to read about them and still have plenty to learn, I?ve managed to resist the temptation tearing at my soul. But let me tell you, it is not easy because there are some absolutely beautiful large cents to be had.

Auction prices seemed to have spiked up in the last couple of weeks, particularly on EBay. My usual low ball, bottom fishing strategy had not netted me anything since January 1st, well until this Saturday when I finally broke through and picked up four nice additions for my registry sets. I suspect the price jumps are directly related to the redemption period for E-bucks. It?s pretty simple economics a loose money supply drives inflation and E-Bucks is free money. Yea, I had some E-bucks to spend but I stuck to my strategy and did not over bid any coin in which I was interested. In a strange twist of fate, however, I have started a new raw set of coins. In this time of wild metal prices, I did manage to pick up a couple of mixed lots, about 40 coins in total, of good to fine Barber Dimes. For some reason, I got all of the lots at well below melt value. When I saw them, I figured what the heck so I low ball bid the lots and got them. The combined lots have a nice mix of dates and mint marks so it really is a nice start to a new set. I guess that answered the question of what new interests I?d find this year.

On a final note, Steven was rummaging around in some boxes in my basement this week and came across an old coin. It?s holed but still I had never seen one like it before. I did a little research and it turned out to be a 1940 Hunan Twenty Cash coin from The Republic of China. The only thing I can figure is that it was something my uncle sent home to my grandmother while from his tour of duty in the Korean War. It?s a nice addition to my somewhat arbitrary collection of foreign coins.

Well, it?s back to scouring the auction sites for me. I love the adventure of hunting for and finding coins to add to my collection.

Dennis