Who would have thought that there was a tie to my coin collecting and my wife's genealogy?

I love Christmas. It seems like I always come up with some screwy ideas for presents. As luck would have it, I was looking around the U.S. Mint web site looking to pick up the odd mint issues I haven't been able to afford during the rest of the year. (Christmas is always a good excuse to treat myself and fill in the most recent holes in my sets.) Anyway, while I'm not a big fan of the Presidential Dollars, I still look through that section and all of the others for that matter. I knew that the Mint issued a Presidential coin and First Lady Medal set but I typically just looked right by them. But this time one caught my attention. You see my sister-in-law has devoted a good deal of time to building my wife's family tree. As it turns out my darling wife whose family is a venerable old New England family has quite an interesting collection of names in her family tree. She can trace her heritage back to a signer of the Declaration of Independence. She can also boast being directly related to two presidents and by marriage somewhere in the tree to two other presidents. So there I am fishing around the Mint web site and the Millard and Abigail Fillmore set is screaming out at me. Yes, my wife is directly related to that ever so popular President Millard Fillmore. I just had to order a set to send to my sister-in-law for Christmas. How cool is it to be so involved with building a family tree and have a US Coin Mint Set to compliment the work. I'm hoping that the mint continues making these sets because I would love to also get the other President/First Lady set for my sister-in-law as well. By the way the other President to whom my wife is directly related is Calvin Coolidge.

Back to my collection, I got that email from the Collectors Society that my membership is up for renewal again. I don't know why I don't put the thing on auto-renewal but I don't. I guess it is sort of a flag for me to take a look back and take stock of what I have accomplished. I do so love collecting coins and even though I do not have a budget than can afford a full court press, I am methodical and patient about it. It has been two years since I first signed on to this group and have thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I will scrap together the money I need to re-up again this year. I still have yet to submit any coins for grading and I suspect that is still a few years out but over all I am pleased with my progress. This year I expanded my collection by adding a couple of satellite sets to my already existing master sets. I even managed to add a couple of new master sets. My collection now has over 200 graded coins in it to compliment the several raw sets I still maintain. In the points count, I will push through 35,000 this week with a new 2001S Clad PF70UC Vermont State Quarter I just picked up. My $5.00 Roosevelt Dimes for Kids idea is working out very well and I've spurred at least some modest new interest among some young collectors. And I've done all of this without mortgaging the house.

The real challenge for my collecting is still in front of me. Our car died earlier this year and we desperately need a new one. Unfortunately, after a significant outlay of funds in dental work for my son this year money is well shall we say thin. Any extra cash we have must now go to paying for the new car. I'm not complaining everyone here is healthy and happy. I know things could be much worse and unfortunately, they are for many people. I'm not anticipating selling off any part of my collection but I do have the wheels in my head spinning trying to find any extra funds to help the situation and perhaps afford me some nice new additions to my collection. I can't help but wonder what things around the house I can sell on EBay perhaps even start a little side business. It sure beats having to get a second job. Anyway, I know any number of members have pointed along the way that yes, life does sometimes get in the way.

Enough of my nostalgic waxing for today, it has been a great two year run for me here at the Collectors Society and I am looking forward to a third year! I will leave today with a picture of the MS66 1972S Lincoln Memorial Cent I snagged for a song a week or so ago.

Dennis