Behind the scenes, I am always on the lookout for coins to add to my ?Inspirational Ladies? custom set.

With 70 coins in my ?Inspirational Ladies? custom set it can seem as if new additions are a slow go. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. This year alone I have added five coins to my set. Within those five coins are allegorical representations of Liberty/Freedom on a 1910 Mexican Caballito Peso and the goddess Minerva on our 2011 ?Medal of Honor? $5 commemorative. Another coin, a two Euro bi-metallic coin from San Marino features an allegorical representation of ?Spring? from an Italian Renaissance painting by Sandro Botticelli. Closing out my additions, are coins featuring two ladies whose humanitarian contributions have made this world a better place. They are Florence Nightingale featured on a Jersey five-pound coin and Mother Teresa on a French 10 Euro coin.

Where possible I try to buy coins that are already certified. However, if there is a coin that really catches my attention, I will buy it raw and hold it until I have enough coins for a submission. In fact, I have been holding the San Marino coin since last September. On Monday, I got my first submission of the year back from NGC, and I am highlighting three of those coins in this post.

My first coin is a 2006 five-pound coin commemorating Florence Nightingale from the country of Jersey. Before I bought this coin in January, I had never heard of Jersey. When I looked it up on-line in the CIA?s world factbook, I discovered it is an eight-mile long, by four-mile wide island in the English Channel. Florence Nightingale is known for her pioneering work in nursing, and in particular, caring for wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War in 1854. While treating those soldiers she brought attention to the unsanitary conditions that was killing many of them. It is said that by improving those conditions, she effectively reduced the death rate from 42% to 2%. Florence Nightingale often made her evening rounds while carrying a lamp and became known as, ?the lady with the lamp? by her patients. This is the reason that on the obverse of this coin along with her bust is a small lamp.

I am very particular about the coins I include in this collection. I?ve dismissed a few coins for inclusion into my set because they seemed too racy for me. My 2010 two-euro coin from San Marino was a close call because of who the lady on the obverse of this coin represents. The image on this coin is one of three graces or charities in Greek mythology. The three graces were known for their charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility. The image on this coin though is taken from a 1482 painting by Sandro Botticelli named ?Primavera? or ?Allegory of Spring?. In the painting Venus is the central figure flanked by the three graces dancing together and the female goddess Flora/Chloris spreading flowers. Since spring is an inspirational time of the year with regeneration and new life, it is only fitting that female allegorical figures should represent it. Because art is often inspirational and the ladies in this particular painting are portrayed tactfully, I am including this coin in my collection.

The last coin I am highlighting in this post is a 2010 French 10 euro coin commemorating Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun from Albania started a missionary society in 1950 named ?Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta?. Through this mission, she ministered to the poor, sick, and orphaned children of India. Eventually, Mother Teresa?s influence and ministry spread outside India and she received international acclaim for the work she did. This coin celebrates the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa?s birth, and the reverse features her standing next to Pope John Paul the II. This truly remarkable person of faith has touched untold millions around the world and the organization she founded continues to minister to the sick and poor to this day.

Before I close this post, I want to thank brg5658 for his inspirational photographs. The photograph I am posting is modeled after his. Until next time, may you find those special coins to add to your collections.

Gary