Coins, Whiskey, and the Weather

It?s hard to believe that it?s been a month since I?ve really spent any serious time working with my coins. I haven?t worked my registry sets of which to speak. I haven?t seriously gone looking for any deals. I even skipped the local coin show last month. Oh my interest in collecting isn?t waning; it?s just that sometimes life gets in the way. (That sounded strange.) With the start of High School Baseball Season, my 16 hour days make finding the energy to do much more than rest for the next week on weekends a challenge. Of course there are always the unexpected financial up evils like three unexpected and expensive car repairs, the repair of a dead home HVAC system, a death in my wife?s family (Kerry, you most definitely have my sympathy at the lose of your step-dad.) and then some unexpected medical bills that all quickly drain the available funds that might otherwise be diverted to collecting coins. But alas, this too shall pass.

I have not been completely taken out of the game. I am still reading what I can. Thank goodness for Coin World Magazine both online and in print although just reading about coins is a lot like trying to use beer to quench a thirst for whiskey. I have managed to add a few Lincoln Cents to both my Mint and Proof Registry Sets and I have done a little with my raw sets. I only need two more proof coins to bring my raw Kennedy Half Dollar set to 100% current. My Jefferson Nickel Album only has eight holes left to fill (two of those being recent proof nickels) and I?ve even managed to upgrade a number of my existing coins. I?ve also inadvertently nearly completed (I guess bring current is more accurate.) my raw set of Sacagawea Dollars. I also managed to add a couple of PF70 Kennedy Half Dollars to my collection but nary a PF70 State Quarter since January. Sadly, by foregoing the last local coin show I haven?t added any upgrades to my Lincoln Cent Album. One of the Lincoln Cents I?ve added to my registry set was a 2005D SMS MS69RD which is a top pop. (Woo-Hoo) It?s a small victory giving the obstacles of the last month or so but it is a welcome plus to my collecting. Fortunately my goals have kept my focus on my acquisitions because I have definitely been in a state of withdrawal and I surely do not have the resources to just to acquire coins to feed my hunger.

My oldest son just recently started showing an interest in collecting coins, muted as it may be. He has never been one for getting deeply into the details of things which we all know is a must for coin collecting instead he tends to favor the superficial appearance and glamour of his interest of the day. I am still somewhat cautious about his motivation but he does have a son and it may something through which my grandson and son can build a better bond. (Sadly, my grandson lives with his mother some distance away and we rarely have the opportunity to see him.) Anyway, as a cautious start, I got my son a set of Lincoln Cent Folders and a 21st Century Type Set Folder and help him populate them with some extra circulated coins from my stash. I will say this while I do not have much of a leaning toward toned coins, they do seem to have captivated my oldest son. My youngest son has been working on his ATB quarters but with craziness that seems to have overtaken the house in the last month, he hasn?t devoted a lot of time to them. (I still am not the least bit impressed with the ATB quarter run. In fact, I really think the Mint went off the deep end with the 5 oz. silver ATB coins.)

Finally, this morning I have been able to catch up on the journals entries I have missed of late. It seems that everyone has been burning up the keyboard. There sure are a lot of interesting opinions and some nice acquisitions. I?m hoping that this morning will stay quiet and uneventful so I can work on my photos and write-ups for my Registry Sets but it this house it?s sort of like Mark Twain said about the New England weather, ?It you don?t like (it), wait a minute.? Everything could be on its ear again in the next 30 minutes.

I will leave you with a quick photo of my top pop 2005D SMS MS69RD Lincoln Cent.

Dennis