... or Time to Pay Attention to My Favorite Series

Coin Journal for the week of 02/20/2012 through 02/26/2012This week turned out to be a boon for my Roosie collection, adding several perfect coins to the gaps. As I was going through my raw collection to see what coins I wanted to send in for grading, I came across a very special coin; a 1881 Morgan. This coin is special because it is the very first coin that my grandmother gave to me when she saw that I was becoming a serious coin collector. She presented it to me in a little jewelry box, and I was so very excited. As I let the memories and emotions wash over me, I remembered that I did not have a single graded Morgan in my collection. Time to change that! I looked around to see what Morgans were available, and lo and behold, there was a beautiful 1881O just calling out to me. Less than an hour later, it was mine. I will be 50 in a few months, but at this moment I feel like that 7 year kid with his first Morgan. Here are the treasures I added to my collection this week: 1881 O Morgan Dollar in MS63 1993 Roosevelt Dime Clad in PF70UC 2003 Roosevelt Dime Clad in PF70UC x2 1976 Silver Kennedy Half in PF68UC 2009 P SMS Sac Dollar in MS67 1888 Morgan Dollar in MS63 1945 Mercury Dime in MS66 1972 Roosevelt Dime in PF69UC The Roosevelts were plentiful this week... lots to choose from at all price ranges. I decided to pick my battles, and won the 93 Clad and two examples of the 03 Clad, one of which I will flip. I grabbed this 76 Silver Kennedy for a bargain price, perfect to fill that slot in my Halves and 20th Century type sets. I thought about holding out for a higher grade, but decided to worry about upgrades at a later date. This one is pretty, and will do just fine for now. Here was a coin I had not seen before... seeing non-proof examples of the Sac dollars are rare, so I jumped at the chance to own this one. It was a steal, and I am happy it is mine. The 1888 Morgan was going for well below the other examples, so I grabbed it! A nice coin with some slight toning on the obverse. Seems like MS63 is the level that I will be collecting Morgans, and that is not bad at all. Managed to pick up this Merc for just over $20... surprizing since they were being sold by Heritage on eBay, free shipping (but tax for me, as they are in Dallas), along with two identical coins, and they went for more. Guess it was my night, and my Mighty Mercs Set gains a new member! The 72 Roosie is the first coin I have won from a Heritage Auction. I won with a bid of $8, but will pay $14 in BP, plus tax (since they are in Dallas) as well as shipping. Still, it is a coin I have yet to see on eBay, and many of the PF70UC Roosies that I already have went for $20-$30 (before BP fees), so I feel good. This is a Top Pop coin for the set, and since NGC has stated they will never grade a 70, I feel comfortable that I paid a great price for this one. Funny that, while it is technically a higher grade coin, the PF69* CA has a higher registry value. Seems to me that no cameo coin should out value an ultra cameo. The first submission to NCS for my custom Numismatic Geneaology set have arrived and are now scheduled for evaluation and conservation. I'm excited, and am thinking about how I want to present the set in image form. Also, the next batch to be sent is being decided upon... This weeks image is my new 88 Morgan. Thanks for reading, and I will see you fellow coin warriors in the trenches!