And as always this time of year is filled with excitement, wonder and joy.

I still remember how excited I got when I found and joined the Collectors Society. I was just starting my adventure into the world of graded coins. In the month leading up to my joining, I had just purchased a few graded coins, Proof State Quarters if memory serves, and I couldn't get over how awesome the thought of moving forward with this phase of my collecting would be. Two years later, I am still enthralled with collecting both graded and raw coins. My graded collection now numbers over 200 coins and my raw collections have expanding to some older coins. I completed my Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, State Quarter, Eisenhower Dollar, Sacagawea/Native American Dollar and my Presidential Dollar to date raw sets. I have a complete DC and Territory PR70UC set listed in my registry sets. My Lincoln Cent raw set is 10 coins away from being complete and in the process of being upgraded to BU examples for the whole set. I still have some upgrading to do in my Jefferson Nickel and Roosevelt Dimes raw sets as well.

As I am a high school teacher, my collecting year roughly matches the school year, September to August. This actually has more to do with the fact I only get paid 10 months of the year than anything else. Every August I like to set 10 goals for myself that I hope to meet in the next twelve months. Periodically, I check myself against how I am doing. I found given the vast diversity of potential collecting directions, these goals keep me pointed in the right direction. I have a tendency to wander from time to time as I find most all coins incredibly fascinating. My time off during the holiday break is one of those times I like to go back and check my progress. So these are my goals from last August and my progress against each.

#1 -- Complete my IKE Proof Registry Set. (1973S Silver PF69UC) -- I still have not found this coin at a price I feel as reasonable.

#2 -- Add at least 4 MS IKE Dollars to my registry set. -- This goal is actually completed. I have three already in my registry set and have made arrangements to acquire two more right after Christmas.

#3 -- Fill at least 4 holes in my Raw Lincoln Cents collection. One down here and 3 to go, I just recently added a VG 1913S to my set.

#4 -- Upgrade all of my Raw Lincoln Cents back to 1934 to MS/BU status. I haven't made any progress on this on yet either.

#5 -- Add at least 6 Proof Lincoln Memorials to my registry set. -- I have added 2 coins here leaving my 4 more to go.

#6 -- Add at least 6 MS66 or better Lincoln Cents to my registry set. -- I have added 2 coins here leaving my 4 more to go as well.

#7 -- Add at least 6 PF70UC Roosevelt Dimes to my registry set or in lieu of PF70UC a suitable grade for the early years. -- I've added 5 coins to my Proof Roosevelt Dime set. None of them have been PF70UC but all of them were minted in 1981 or before. The real prize to the ones I have added has been the 1968 PF68*CA. Everything else has been PF69UC.

#8 -- Add at least 10 MS Roosevelt Dimes to my $5.00 set. This set is proving to be a whole lot of fun and my goal has already been met. I started this set with the intention of proving that anyone could put together a nice registry set and not spend more than $5.00 a coin. As I pick up grades I give the lower grade dimes away to students in my classes who show some interest in collecting coins.

#9 -- Add a combination of 6 Sacagawea Dollars to my Proof and/or Circulated Sets. -- I have picked up 4 coins for this goal and I don't suspect getting the next two will be very difficult. Along the way I've actually developed a much greater appreciation for these dollars.

#10 -- Fill 15 holes in my raw Indian Head Cent Collection. -- I haven't even touched this goal. I am hoping that Santa brings me an album for this set this year, I suspect that if he does I will be a bit more in tune to adding and up grading coins.

To make my Registry sets even more interesting and fun for me, I added proof sets for key years in my life, a non-gold type set, a Full Torch Roosevelt Dime set and a few less critical master sets to my collection. I classify the proof sets and type sets as satellite sets because they are all built off of my master sets. So what does all of this mean? In two years I have built an overall collection with close to 43,000 point and over 200 coins. When I sat down to figure everything out, it turns out that I have spent roughly $0.265 on for every dollar of FMV and about $0.065 per registry point. There are plenty of coin deals to be had out there if you are patient and persistent. Coin collecting is truly a hobby that can be afforded on any budget even the budget of an underpaid high school teacher.

I will close by wishing everyone here the very Merriest of Christmas's and Happiest of New Year's. Thank you all for all of your posts and comments, insight and perspective, and your support and well wishes over the last year. This truly is one of the greatest hobbies in the world supported by some of the very best people in the world.

Merry Christmas,

Dennis