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MikeKing

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Journal Entries posted by MikeKing

  1. MikeKing

    Under Construction

    By MikeKing,

    You get an idea and it changes into another as you go away from it, the need for cohesion forces the issue.
     
    Thus it is so with my type collections and my precarious bank account. Getting an idea that seems to come from within and coming to terms with the financial assets at hand to work with sometimes makes this more depressing, and on the other hand, more enthusiastic when you see that others can read your stuff. So this imparts a sense of responsibity to produce something that has meaning. And yes, it's got to be what's of meaning for yourself, with respect towards others. There is beauty, individual beauty since we are individual people, to notice and develop (part conciously and part unconciously). So when I get my feet wet enough that the photos are coming in and I have someting to write, you will see the linearity of the design that evolves, hoping to provide an increasingly substantial comprehension of American Coinage. Well, as such, right now this set, and my other sets are all under consruction. You'd be amazed at how much changes so quickly...you gotta be there.You've got to buy coins and the ones that just don't 'fit' can get moved on for more suitable specimens. Any collection takes time to develop. And as it develops there is always something new, a different angle to look at this.
  2. MikeKing

    How To

    By MikeKing,

    How do you go cleanly in working on your inner desire for perfection and completion...how strongly do you hold the goals in your mind and continuously assess the advantageousness or disadvantageousness of your goals.
    Feeling the disadvantages is a must if your going to build a great set, the magnificent collection. And grade doesn't matter, you can do this in vf or ex or au or ms blah blah blah as there are ugly and beautiful in each.
    If you don't feel the disadvantages, you'll never know better.
    The disadvantages is putting your money on the wrong coin, or having second thoughts, or not knowing which one is the wrong coin but just knowing there are two or three in there.
    Well, I figure, I've gotten myself from point a to b and I could take a break, or read some, or buy more coins and then where am I?
    patience really is the way...
    so what do you do when that second chance arrives? how strongly do you notice it, an what is your assessment of what's been already done?
    I don't think most numismatists are alway successfull, unless they've got a plan to follow with blinders on and apprehended self judgement.
    Maybe, I think, it's time to start going to major meetings. Maybe then I might learn something.
  3. MikeKing

    Trying

    By MikeKing,

    Trying to find things and then obtain things that are special, so some day, these things may be passed onto another who understands how they are special too.
    Please look at prior two posts on Construction and the other.
     
  4. MikeKing

    Growing up

    By MikeKing,

    There are points in the collecting career where you might stop for a moment to catch your breath and look at things differently, provided your inner compulsion to acquire coins doesn't blind you in the process.
    But that compulsion to acquire may remain and serve you well provided you allow yourself to maintain clarity of purpose.
    It's the tenacity to the clarity of purpose, the constant defining and re-defining your goals and how you go about them that gives you the chance to change within the context you so define. So when we mature in what it is that we see, and extend that maturity into what we acquire, you can then develop the best set that you can, no matter what the time factor is or what level of income you have.
    Patience is indeed the virtue that is required in all varieties of achievement. Change can occur through time.
  5. MikeKing
    Can you look at a coin, and even if you don't like it, understand it's technical qualities and aesthetic appeal (even though not aesthetically appealing to you)? Can you distinguish a coin like that from true ?
    It's like Boticelli's painting of the birth of Venus.
    A gorgeous painting, genius, and tons of believers.
    Can you dislike that painting and still see its beauty?
    Can you compare it's beauty to the original Greek statues of Venus? And can you understand why some people might prefer the actual Greek depiction rather than Boticelli's while also understanding the significance of Boticelli's work and its inherent beauty even though is is just not your cup of tea so to speak?
    I think you should.
    I think when you can do that, you can do the same with coins.
    You can objectively examine two coins that are the same but different grades or different strikes or different patination and fully understand the beauty of BOTH and the desirability of BOTH, knowing full well which one YOU consider more appropriate to your sense of Aesthetics and why. And to answer why, you'll need to be able to objectively describe both coins and THEN insert your personal opinion. YOUR sense of beauty.
    In fact, by doing so, by looking at the objective factors which generate within you, a feeling, and understand the criteriae that you, yourself, impose on an object which in turn elicits an aesthetic appeal, you should then be able to see in other ways, how another person could have a differing opinion. One just as valuable as the other.
    Take this further. Understand that by refining your ability to view a coin, by increasing your numismatic acumen, and being able to see objectively, other peoples opinions, you enhance your ability to descriminate between what is good and what is bad. Because then, you can seperate your sense of aesthetic beauty from your judgement, and at the same time using your sense of the aesthetic beauty of a coin to ASSIST you in your judgement. This should enable you to CHOOSE what is best for YOU, to stregthen your CONFIDENCE in choosing without berating what others choose, seeing the beauty in what others choose, yet at the same time, be able to descriminate between what is really junk and what is really good.
    Because some coins are just plain JUNK by almost anyones standard, and staying away from coins like that will make you a better collector. And you will appreciate that when the time comes to sell your coins.
     
  6. MikeKing
    This is a time where auction prices, both the reserves being set and the amount of money some coins are going for are totally out of sync with 'reality'.
    And this is a time that I believe collectors are really being tested. Where do you draw the line? How do you not get caught up in the hysteria? How do you deal with more and more coins not being within your reach?
    The answer to all of these questions is to become an even better collector. Now is the time to take your collecting skills and really determine what is worth your money and what isn't. Hopefully, in time, things will calm down and adjust themselves and then we might be able to take a big sigh in relief and enjoy our hobby.
    Just some thoughts I'm having as I watch all my bids going out the window!
  7. MikeKing
    What I find, with myself, is that if I look FOR a coin, sometimes, my standards become compromised.
    I think this is out of WANT superceding LOGIC.
    I find, sometimes, casual browsing, brings you to (or brings it to you...I don't know which) an outstanding coin. Something, maybe, that you didn't think you would ever LOOK for.
    Well there you have it!
  8. MikeKing

    Furthermore

    By MikeKing,

    I'll take advantage of being able to write down my thoughts and experiences with this instant publishing adventure. Thank you NGC.
    Taking being tested and passivity a step further...and the idea that encapsulated grading can be a fools road to eye appeal...Yes, it can be. That's not denying the impeccable beauty in high grade mint state coins, and the intrinsic difficulties of finding premium quality gems, but this is not the be-all and the end-all.Example:I was bidding on an MS62 Nova Consellatio. Totally superb. Something I've wanted for a long time. Financially, a decent chunk of money. Someone outbid me by a fraction of the next bidding increment, and had I been there, likely, I would have gone the next highest bid. Unfortunately, I was not there. Or is that fortunate?It was fortunate.First of all, you can't always have what you want.Secondly, herein lies the challenge of developing as a collector.I questioned: Do I have to have a high grade Nova?What am I collecting?What am I collecting for?What am I actually therefore looking for?Well, great copper is my answer. OK, how do you define 'great'?If I take away my pre-concieved ideas about what this Nova 'should' have been, and allow myself the privilege to see something afresh; from what I think a good planchet 'should' be, and what I expect the SURFACES to look like, and what is not just acceptable as a STRIKE but what I EXPECT from a strike of that era, and finally that knock the socks off feeling you get when you look at a coin...it's EYE APPEAL.Now it would be a lot easier for me to find a Nova of even higher grade and internally convince myself of the clout of something so 'stellar' (no pun intended) and thereby feed my self-confidence in displaying such a coin, than to display something of a 'lesser' grade, a 'lower' price; something that is more liable to 'fault' or 'fault-finding' by others.Well...no! I'm a collector. I am in a continuous process of learning. I will determine, ultimately, what is of importance to me, what has eye appeal, to me, what I believe objectively AS WELL as subjectively is 'great copper'.So here I'll display one of two coppers I purchased at auction for less than half the price of that wonderfully 'stellar' Nova, and I will do this with the self-confidence that's been distilled through time from continuously refreshing knowledge.(please excuse my using the auctioneer's photos, until I have them in hand and can photograph them myself)I can only upload one photo for this post, so I'll use the obverse of the Nova Constellatio (or Constellatio Nova) just to demonstrate what I think is acceptably 'great copper', hopefully, to make a convincing point. When something like this comes along, and you realize that you're not going to find it by looking for it, it's time for passivity to change into activity and you go ahead and obtain it.Furthermore, I really enjoy going through auction archives, looking at the copper, and feeling satisfied...very satisfied...when I see copper that sold for $325.00 that is so far superior to copper that also sold for $18,000.00. And that ain't no joke!
  9. MikeKing

    Advice

    By MikeKing,

    Advice to other collectors as well as myself.
    Study and look at coins you like that are totally out of your reach financially. Then, look at the ones within your reach. Find those that are far superior in eye appeal to what you cannot seem to afford, and then you've figured out what true value really is. It's easier than you think. Just remember...your critique can be just as valid as anyone elses.
    If you can afford anything you want, then perhaps you could gain knowledge from examining the sets of coins you think you would not normally look for. Perhaps you might find that you didn't know what to look for at all, before.
    Edited to add: study, study, study...
    Edited again to add: I was looking at a current auction on the internet, and am amazed at the prices that hairlined 'MS' Bust Halves are going for. Who's the fool? And it's really sad, because there's a buyer out there getting something not nearly worth the money they're spending, especially when you can find other specimens of 'lesser' grade that are so absolutely superior to what is getting the 'big money'. Just had to vent.
    Which is the better coin?
     
     
     
  10. MikeKing
    EDITED TO ADD MY RANT!
    If you populate the NGC and PCGS message boards, or even if you don't and you are shrewd enough and experienced enough, you might know who those dealers are...the mercenaries of the profession...The ones that prime the unsuspecting up into plastic madness, bizzarre toning, false eye appeal and false grade appeal. The false sense of modesty, snobbery and compulsive prenuriousness that makes it appear they actually know what they are talking about. Beware of them! I say. Give them NO credit because no credit is due.And don't confuse them with the good ones.The best are collectors themselves, but some of them will lie about that too.So please, no offense to the many many fine dealer/collectors or collector/dealers...those of which probably know what I mean.AU58 Bust Half madness may have some true points, but XF45 may be just as good IF NOT BETTER. Be a REAL collector! Be happy!Need I say more?PSI decided to say more because I'm angry...yes. Because WE are the collectors, and as such do NOT deserve to be demeaned and manipulated. At least a couple of times I've found dealers who hand in hand will state how they will spend 'strong' money (kind of reminds me of 'powerful' software) on PCGS AU58 Bust halves. Well, common knowledge amongst Bust Half collectors that PCGS very often grades a point or two lower than NGC, but this is not a blanket statement with real accuracy, and is meant to mislead you...even if it is not their conscious attempt.Firstly, the AU58 Bust Halves (or any coin for that matter) that deserves a premium are ones that could be in 63, and sometimes you'll find 64 holders, but for a barely detectable rub. Bust series often have 'rub' even in the 64 AND HIGHER categories (if graded by the top tier TPGs), so the premiums are well deserved for those 'special' AU58s. The fact is, not all PCGS 58s are at that level, and the same holds true for NGC 58s NOT being at that level. It's all a crock for them to get you to pay more than you should for a 'normal' 58, it's holder 'madness' and they want people to sell them your 58s so they can basically cherry pick them.Damn! What ever happened to buy the coin and not the holder???Buy the COIN and not the HOLDER!!!
  12. MikeKing
    Something I always had in the back of my mind to do, but a couple of things helped me along. This way, I can 'look' at my collection without having to go to the safe deposit box, or even get on the computer...which can be a pain in the neck sometimes.
    Also, I think it's a good thing to have packaged WITH your collection, along with reciepts of the original purchase, for possible tax/legal/estate purposes.
    First, having a photograph of all of my coins that are in the registry.
    I finally figured out how to get a larger pic with a lower density so that it would be easy on the eyes and not so large that it goes off the page.
    Giving all the photos a black background adds to the cohesiveness of appearance, as well as making sure all photographs are the same size.
    As you probably already know (but it took me awhile to figure out), if you click 'gallery', you get a gallery view of your set, and if you click 'View Coin Details', the coin pops up on one page, enlarged, and with your commentary on the left side. It also includes the coin description, grading service and grade.
    I am slowly trying to reduce my commentaries so they fit into less space, and also correct spelling and grammatical errors so that the hard copy is as close to perfect as possible, especially because the paper I'm using is so expensive.
    I'm using a Hewlett Packard psc 2210, and I suppose most printers offer similar functions. You can do a print preview of your page by right clicking the mouse over it. I find that for the size photographs I have in my registry sets, I need to reduce the size to 70% in order to get both obverse and reverse to fit on the same page. This looks great when printed out. If my commentary has to run longer than the first page will hold, I'll use regular printer paper to print out the second and third page, if there is one. Again, it would be too expensive to do otherwise.
    The paper I'm using is Hewlett Packard Premium Plus Photo Paper with a semi-gloss finish that looks fantastic. There are cheaper brands, such as Staples brand, but I wasn't sure if the quality and longevity would be the same, so I splurged for the HP paper. It's supposed to last over a hundred years, which is more than enough, for my purposes!
    There is enough of a margin to punch three holes for a three ring binder, using a three hole punch you can get at a store like staples.
    I think this is a pretty neat thing to do, and it looks GREAT.
    I also think it gives me incentive to improve on my photography, research and writing, because putting something to hard copy kind of makes me feel like it's more 'final' than something just existing in the ether-world.
    edited to add: Of course, for something of this nature, I am using the setting for 'best' print quality and also using HP's ink cartridge that is meant for photographic printing.
  13. MikeKing
    There are 24 variations of defining the word 'set' (as a noun), in Merriam Webster. The one that hits me the most is:
    "20 : a group of persons associated by common interests"
    And for some reason, this definition is what means the most to me, with respect to collecting coins as a 'set'.Some people look for uniformity of grade, color, strike or whatnot, when building a 'set'. And by doing so, it adds a certain beauty to all these coins that have 'something' in common, whether it be pre-civil war coinage, Barber dimes, PROOF Liberty nickels, or Capped Bust Halves.Some people seem to just go for the goal of OBTAINING a representative of each coin that would contribute to the set, and this too can be a remarkable goal. So when I'm choosing coins for my 'sets', sometimes I wonder what is really going on in my mind, and I become filled with more questions than answers.Take 'strike' as an example. With Capped Bust Halves, finding a great strike in a year that great strikes are essentially a rarity, is a cool thing. Using 'strike' as a quality for these kinds of coins in building a set, I'm sure, could be quite a remarkable and difficult means of assembly. Personally, I think I'd have to collect for a hundred years to achieve such a set, and I'm just too impatient, or maybe I'm just not astute enough in this arena to do so. Or maybe it's just not possible to do?What keeps irking me about this is that I always ask myself the question, without a good answer, is what makes for a good strike with a Capped Bust Half, when so affected by the method of striking (screw press vs steam press and no collar vs collar), die lapping, die wear and whatever other variants that may have existed to cause the flow of metal go in one direction or the other, at the moment of striking. Am I boring enough at this point?Well, I'll get to the point.Can you call a 'good strike' in a Bust Half with flattened stars, when flattened stars is characteristic of that variety (Overton number, or emmission sequence)? Can you call a 'good strike' in a Bust Half with dissapearing denticles, or when the Eagle's left wing is melting into the netherland of the plasticity or lack of plasticity of the silver, when such is CHARACTERISTIC of that strike, that emmision, that VARIETY?I just purchased at auction (and don't have the coin yet to photograph) an 1810 50C O-102a. I haven't seen enough of them to know for sure if the weak chin on the Capped Bust and the weak left wing of the Eagle are consistent enough with this variety to call it diagnostic (as for example the smooth part of the Eagle's left wing in the 1814 O-102a which is purportedly due to a sinking die). But such is the case with the Reiver coin and the Russ Logan 1810 102a.I guess you can say such is the case with a lot of different varieties of Capped Bust Halves by virtue of the design/engraving on the die, and the conditions with which these coins were struck.Well, the coin was so beautiful, despite this 'poor strike' (?) that I decided to put it into my collection, my 'set' of Capped Bust Halves, where strike becomes a rather difficult issue, to say the least.Any helpful comments on this would be appreciated.The photo that follows is an 1814 102a with the soft L wing diagnostic for the variety.1814revers
  14. MikeKing

    Why?

    By MikeKing,

    Probably the most important question anyone can ask themselves when they want to creat a really great collection, is the question 'Why?'
    From generalities like:
    Why am I choosing this coin?
    To specific questions like:
    Why do I like this color?
    Why am I buying it in this condition, with this grade?
    Why am I choosing it raw, holdered, or holdered by this particular grading company (even if it 'doesn't matter' to you).
    Why is it OK to have this 'mark', or why is it OK to have this 'ding'?
    Why is it OK to have a little vergigris?
    Why is it OK to have that little 'pinscratch'?
    Why is it OK to have what might appear to be a 'blemish'
    Why is it OK to buy this coin even though it's been dipped...
    Why am I choosing this particular strike?
    Why this grade?...this surface...?
    questions like that, the more the better...
    The more specific, the more questions of 'why' that are answered is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to the stregnth of your collection.
    And the stronger the collection, the better it will hold up under the scrutiny of others (which matters when you are going to sell), as well as yourself (which is what matters most to a collector) NO MATTER WHAT THE GRADE!
    Reason
    and Rationale
    both contained in the ANSWER to WHY anything,
    are the critical benefactors to anyones collection!
     
  15. MikeKing
    I decided I'd live up to my own expectations and do a quick writeup on the next TEN coins that I acquire ('acquire' sounds better than 'get' or 'buy' or 'won'). But I'll start with one of my most recent additions.
    I can only attach one photo so I'll attach the photo of the reverse for this coin, because it's so interesting.
    It's the 1809 50C Overton 102 with a XXXX edge.
    (The 1807-1836 series of 50C Bust Halves have LETTERED edges saying "Fifty Cents or Half A Dollar", and this one in particular, is different because there is an XXXX in between the words "Dollar" and "Fifty")
    What I'm going to do is to number my REASONS for buying this coin through the whole process, starting with the IDEA, finding it, examining it and finally purchasing it.
    I'm doing this to support my notion that the more questions pertaining to "WHY", that you answer, the stronger your set building will be.
    1. Why the XXXX edge: Originally, I had a IIII edge variety for this year, and I thought that would be 'the' coin for this set, however, I fell more and more in love with collecting Bust Halves and decided I'd try to obtain a representative of each of the edge varieties. This would include the plain edge, the IIII edge and the XXXX edge.
    2. Why AU50?: Initially, I thought I'd build a Bust Half set of entirely of coins graded AU58 by either grading service. My argument at that time was that MS Busties can be outrageously expensive, and AU can run the gamut of AU58 to "AU64" if you're lucky (and what I mean by that simply is that because of the lightest hint of rub, a coin that would otherwise grade MS64 for example, would grade AU58).
    That didn't last for long.
    One, because of expense. The other is just not being able to find specimens, and yet another reason is that I found there is tremendous quality to Busties with lower grade designations.
    In fact, often times, a lower grade Bustie can compete in overall eye-appeal with a higher grade Bustie. Particularly if you're willing to consent to appreciating it for what IT IS.
    I consider this a lesson in maturity, but that's another dialogue.
    Ultimately, I was willing to buy ANY grade, so long as it had the kind of eye appeal I am looking for.
    3. I FOUND A REPUTIBLE DEALER WHO HAD ONE at a good price.
    This dealer not only has a return privilege, but will consent to taking back certain coins, if you pre-arrange it, if they don't grade with a TPG. Not a bad deal.
    4. THE PRICE WAS RIGHT: The coin we're talking about was described as an XF40+ 1809 XXXX edge that happened to be an Overton 102. Before getting it, I discussed with the dealer things I DON'T like about Bust Halves and things that I do, since he didn't have a photograph and I didn't want to waste time. It sounded good, so he sent it to me.
    (I'm not going to go into what I like and don't like because what I don't like might be someone elses like, etc...)
    5. What I saw was an XF45-AU50 Bust Half with enough detail, even wear and even toning to be, in my mind, a good representative of this type. That fulfilled my general question WHY IS THIS GRADE OK?
    6. WHAT WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES THAT SOLD ME ON THIS COIN? Everything I said in #5 + the surfaces were fairly clean for the grade, and there was enough luster to kick it up a notch (to AU), but even if it graded an XF 40, I would have been perfectly happy. The strike, as I'll describe later, was , I thought, exceptional for 1809, at any grade level. The color, to me was perfect; perfectly 'organic', very original (or as original as one can hope for with Bust Halves) and well distributed over the whole surface such that it's 'look' was enjoyable and pleasing to the eye.
    Despite the wear, the details were well brought up through the toning. Indeed, it was the wear that provide the relief through the toning that, in part, allowed the details to be so evident.
    7. WHY IS THIS COIN SO INTERESTING?: The kicker was the interesting reverse of the Overton 102, which is why I'm displaying the picture of the reverse, here. (You can see the whole coin, if you wish, in the gallery view of my collection).
    There are 'V' shaped marks imprinted on the reverse, and how they got there is a bit of a mystery. You can see this on the Overton 110 as well (also XXXX edge), but the O-110 is more rare and also more difficult to find.
    Anwering all of these 'questions' and looking at them just propels me into appreciating this coin more and more. It finally graded an AU50 and overall, I thought, because of all the things just discussed, would be a solid representative for the type of coin I was looking for to place in my collection.
    Well, that's it!
     
    1809xxxrev