... or new additions to a project set!

Coin Journal for the week of 07/08/2012 through 07/15/2012This has been an interesting week for me. It saw the beginning of a new collecting interest, the completion of a set and the resumption of work on another. The completion of my 2012 Proof Set was accomplished early this year. I had several of the required coins already sent in and certified from the Birth Year set earlier this year. I was very disappointed that NGC has not acknowledged the birth year set, either in the regular proof set or in a set of its own. It was a first year of issue, had a pedigree on the label and even had a mint error in the packaging. I hope they will reconsider. Be that as it may, I have another 100% perfect PF70UC set under my belt. Its completion allowed me to turn my attentions to another set I have been wanting to work on. The 1942 Mint Set, created and named in memory of my late mother, has gotten a little love this week. My goal is to make it a top-ranked set, which will be no small feat, as there are some really great sets. Checking out the competion, I decided to give mine a bit of a bump by acquiring the three cents required in the best grades possible. A quick check the Coin Explorer (what a wonderful tool!), shows me that the 42 Philly has a top grade of MS67RD, the 42 Denver has a top grade of MS67RD, and the 42 San Francisco also has a top grade of MS67RD. I dug around, and found very few opportunities to acquire any of these at a price I considered reasonable. I was able, however, to acquire the 42P from Great Collections, and the remaining two from David Lawrence. I had done the research, and all were within the price range I deemed proper. I was glad that each coin was rich in color, with great eye appeal and well-kept slabs. Each is a fine addition to my set. These three coins bumped the set up 4 places to 14th in the ranking. I am now scouting for additions and upgrades for the 4 nickels required. Each will be what I half-jokingly call 'Lehigh Standard' in grade and appearance (budget willing, of course.) For those interested, the set can be seen here... http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=137041 If you follow the Friday Trivia Challenge, you'll notice that I was runner-up two weeks ago (Received my storage box, which now houses the aforementioned 1942 Mint Set!), and was the winner last week. The prize was a certificate to have a note graded. Up to this point, my interest in currency was confined to collecting a few interesting notes here and there. They always have been raw, and stored in a currency album kept beside my coins. This prize peeked my interest in notes, and I decided to expand my horizons. I've added a couple of PMG graded notes, my first ones ever! I'm excited to learn more.I'll leave you with the obverse of the 42 Philly Cent.See you in the trenches!