There is no dark side in our amazing hobby.

This journal entry is overdue, it's been a busy year already with longer hours at work and eye surgery. The good news is my eyes are a lot better, at least the left one is. I had surgery (laser) today on my right eye, and I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow to make sure everything is ok. I am still going to be needing glasses (to read with) but that's a small price to pay for overall better eyesight.

First for the thanks, thank you NGC for my 2011 best journal award. Honestly, I don't really think about the award as I write my journals. I do love our great hobby and I guess my only goal is to try to show it with my writing. I am flattered that someone (the judges??) like my entries.

I've thought about my goals for this year. As most of you know, I've been fiddling around with my competitive coin sets. I think I finally have them at a point where I won't be messing with them anymore. One big change (and I must admit I got this idea from looking at another members sets) is my Morgan dollar sets. I have the Carson City set, plus I made 2 one per date sets for the other western mints. One set will contain New Orleans and the one Denver coin, and the other will be San Francisco coins only. I still would like to see New Orleans, Denver and San Francisco mint coin sets, the same way it's done with the Gold. However, I'll make do with what we have until the day comes when the mints are broken down for silver like the gold is.

So, with all of this said, my goals for this year are:

1. Keep my silver ATB Quarter set current.

2. Work on my silver State Quarters set.

3. Work on the Morgan western mint sets as I find coins

that fit the sets, these coins must meet my eye-appeal

test and pricing epectations.

4. Finally, purchase more currency!!!!!!!!

This last goal is most important as I do love currency. The last 10 days or so I've been rescanning my notes, as I'm using a different software program now to keep track of them. So this brings me to the explanation part of this journal entry.

This all came about from a journal entry from another member here. In it, he congratulated me on my journal award, and was kidding me about going to the "dark side" with my currency. And before anyone misunderstands, I do know he was teasing me. We have messaged each other in the past, and I consider him a friend here. I messaged him back after his journal entry appeared and thanked him for the kind words about my award, and then gave him an explanation, and I did remark that this explanation "would make a good journal entry". So here it is.

I look at coins, currency, stocks, bonds and other financial paper as parts of a unified whole I believe our American economic system has a place for everything and there is no "dark side" to any of the parts. Really, as I've always said, it's whatever flips our switches as to what we collect. I know I can sure look at a set of gorgeous Buffalo Nickels (someone just wrote a short entry on his newest Buffal purchase) just as I can also look at a nice Morgan Dollar set, etc. But I also love nice currency sets also, the Educational notes from the late 1800's are gorgeous sights to behold. Also, there is a $10 legal tender note with a buffalo on the front (and I think Lewis and Clark on the back; and a $5 silver certificate with an American Indian on the front. These are beautiful pieces of currency and of the engraver's art.

I think I have mentioned a lot of this before, but I used to be in the printing business for almost 20 years, although I worked in a very small job shop, I feel I do have an appreciation for the skill, patience and craftsmanship of the engravers art. So I guess I'm asking for understanding when I talk about currency, I'll still be writing about coins too.

My picture this journal entry is the back of a $10 Canadian note. I feel the U.S. could do something with their currency to upgrade the beauty factor. Not that I don't like our notes, maybe it's I'm getting tired of the same designs. Let me know your opinions of our paper money.