coinsbygary

Kerry

There's a sinking feeling in me that the "SS Good Old Days" set sail some 50+ years ago. There's anther part of me that says our perspective of the 1954 market is skewed. For instance, when you list the coins and their purchase price in 1954 we tend to think in terms of 2019 dollars. Granted, I believe there is some increase in real value but factor in inflation and the perceived increase in value is not as much as we think. Consider this, my father working a full time job earning a living wage would not have been able to afford the 1954 priced coins you list. I still hear the story of my parents spending $50 for a special pair of shoes because I had flat feet. They had to make sacrifices to afford those shoes in the early 60's. Today, I'll drop a grand for a coin without batting an eye. Overall, I'm happy with the number of great coins that can still be bought today at affordable prices. Thus, there is no such thing as "good old days". In this respect it's all relative. As for the $4 Stella that will be out of the reach of every average collector in any era.

Gary

Jackson

You are going to LOVE the 7070. I have never had so much fun collecting as I have had with this set. Today I am still adding coins with high eye appeal to this set. Though I only update up to three coins in a year, it is the hunt and the anticipation of adding new coins to the set. I have several more years left in this set before I can sit back and finally call it complete, but when I do, well you know because this post is about that joy! Plus, I will have the added fun of photographing those new coins. At any rate to say that this set brings me the most pleasure is saying a lot because I have quite a few other sets, especially on the custom side of collecting that give me pleasure also. Have fun Jackson, the joy is in the journey. Gary

BTW, I still have the MS-65 1944-D Walker you sold me. This coin is NOT subject to upgrading. Even at MS-65, your eye for Walkers is impeccable.

https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/73886/

Yeah, you're dated, I haven't seen one of these in years! 

5 hours ago, W.K.F. said:

Just read some great things about our friend  Gary. Wow what a talent!

Here I am!!!! Great to hear from you Kerry! It has been a while and a lot of things have changed. First my employer offered me a buyout of 60 weeks pay and 60 weeks vacation that at my age was just too good to pass up! In other words, I am officially retired! Now I cannot tell a lie, I briefly contemplated buying a first generation turban-head liberty half-eagle. A few milliseconds later sanity returned and I decided to pay off the house. (That one is a much easier sell to the wife anyway). Most of my type collections are complete and I'm working on a few selected upgrades plus additions to my signature sets or what are today called custom sets. While I'm not adding as much to my collection, I will be working on write-ups and possibly delving into displays. I was also accepted as a Money Talks presentation speaker for the ANA Worlds Fair of Money. I will be giving a 35 minute presentation on "The Coins and Medals of Laura Gardin Fraser" on Thursday August 15 at 12:00 PM in room 6. I have been spending big bucks on coins the last couple of years to get ready for this life change. While I am pulling away from the acquisition side of collecting, I am in no way pulling away from the hobby. So Kerry, "Welcome Back"!!!!!!!! It is good to have you around here again, and I am looking forward to more of what you are up to.

Gary 

I remember your worldwide silver bullion collection and your desire for it to win an award. Today to the best of my knowledge you have not mentioned it in the new journal format. I can definitely tell that you are much more mature in your collecting interests. First you seem more patient in building your collections. You see collecting more as a marathon than a sprint. I'm not saying you ever saw it as a sprint but I do see a move towards a longer marathon. Taking a sabbatical from collecting because you were pursuing your education also showed wisdom. It shows that you have your priorities straight. Collecting today is also kept in its proper perspective as you are raising your children. You make collecting a lot of fun for Ben. (I am confident that Sam will grow into it). I also think it provides the opportunity for you to spend quality time with Ben which makes collecting a tool for building relationships. Much of your writing today tells stories about Ben and collecting all without spending a ton of money! Collecting to you is very much a family affair. This is as it should be. Yes you are older and wiser and if you are around these boards ten years from now it will be interesting to see your growing wisdom chronicled here.

I am currently watching an item for the purpose of pricing an identical item for sale. The owner first listed the item as an auction with a high starting bid. When that didn't sell he listed it for a BIN at a much lower price. When that didn't sell he listed it again for an auction with a higher starting bid but lower than the first. It is interesting to follow this item and somewhat confusing. I hope it sells soon so that I can list my item. At this time I don't want to be competing with him for a sale because I want to determine how best to price and sell my item. So far I'm not getting any indication of how to list my item.

I've made more than my share of mistakes in the past and I'll make plenty in the future. Mistakes are of no value to the mistakee if you fail to learn from them. (I know mistakee is not a word, I made it up to make my point). Revenant, in your case a calmer mind prevailed!

I have never seen an episode of Pawn Stars but I have seen Rick's razor and identity theft commercials until I was blue in the face (I frequently mute commercials). Given my exposure to his cheesy commercials and everyone's commentary, I can see that I'm not missing anything. In this instance, ignorance is bliss! 

There may also be some kind of an agreement between Rick and NGC.

I find it quite interesting that from 1965-1967 there were no mintmarks on any circulating coins. This was based on the false assumption that collectors hoarded mintmarked coins. If there was any hoarding in 1965-1967, it was of circulating silver coins dating 1964 and earlier because of the removal of silver from our coins in 1965. While the removal of mintmarks then was intended to discourage hoarding, the addition of a mintmark now is to encourage hoarding. Regardless, I rarely come across any "America the Beautiful" quarter, let along one with a rare "W" mintmark. If I really want one, I guess I can purchase one on the secondary market after the hype settles. Gary

That is a fantastic idea that has not been lost on me. I have collected the gold Liberty's of this series, the first spouse medal and presidential dollar cards that I left in the original mint packaging, plus a complete set of the bronze medals to be mounted in a Dansco album. I bought generic Dansco pages about the same diameter as the medals and bound them together in a generic Dansco album. I think I got the best of all worlds in this package. Every once in a while I pull the album off the shelf to look at the medals as I page through the album. Since the medals have been in my album for quite some time, I have noticed that some of them are becoming attractively album toned. I bought the medals and the sets directly from the mint. The medals came in a annual package of about four or five.

Gary

Congratulations! You are certainly deserving of all this and quite probably more!

Very nice. That is an impressive coin. I can see why this coin was so important for you to get it back with a numeric grade and a nice one at that. 

Those pictures are phenomenal and a definite upgrade to an excellent set! 

11 hours ago, Revenant said:

Congrats, Gary! You're well recognized and regarded as an author on this subject now with the journal award here 5 times and other honors heavily linked to your writing and narrative abilities. It makes sense that we and NGC wouldn't be the only ones that think so.

You're right. But I never really started all this with the sole purpose of being recognized. I write because I like to write and I am always striving to improve my writing skills. The spoken word and the written word are two very different things. Learning to communicate through the written word has been a challenge. That said I have come into my own writing style that when you get right down to it is an expression of my personality. In other words, I like to tell the stories of the coins I collect. I have a love for history and history has a lot to do with collecting and story telling. That some people have found my writings to be worthy of publishing is really icing on the cake and never taken for granted or expected. Simply put, I enjoy writing and collecting and when I discover something of interest about the coins I collect I like to share it with as many people as possible. I really enjoy this and my hope is that other people enjoy it also.

My love of writing started with my admiration for a pastor at the church I attended more than 30 years ago. This pastor was himself an author and accomplished writer. I never told him this, but privately I had a lot of respect and admiration for him. So much so that I wanted to be like him. So began my love of writing. If only you were to read my first feeble attempts at writing you might have told me that it was hopeless and to give it up. The advent of grammar software for my computer helped me tremendously with the technical aspects of writing and over time I came into my own.    

The Laura Gardin Fraser set started with my admiration of her as a person and an artist. In many respects she was a pioneer working in what had been up to her time a mans world. She effectively paved a trail for other women to follow without even trying. With her it was always about her passion and love of sculpting. As I started to research her life, I found myself liking her all the more. Writing about something or in this case someone that I am passion about is no chore, it is a joy. In many respects I also learned this from my former pastor because he was very passionate about the things he wrote of.

Gary

24 minutes ago, Sheik Sheck said:

Is there real evidence that old holders command a premium? And is there any real documentation that grading standards were stricter? Also, what id a "doily" holder? Thanks.

https://coinweek.com/education/coin-grading/ngc/why-are-ngc-certified-coins-in-old-holders-in-such-demand/

https://www.pcgs.com/holders/Gen2.0

There is evidence for the NGC black holder given in a 2015 Coinweek article written by Jeff Garrett. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. To best describe it I am also pasting a link to a picture of the doily holder. This link will also show you a picture of every generation PCGS Holder. NGC does likewise on their main website. Personally, I like the PCGS OGH holder the best of the classic holders. I don't much care for rattlers. Gary

I agree with Revenant on his points and I'll add just a little to his excellent response. The old holders are becoming rare in the marketplace. As such they are becoming collectibles apart from the coin itself. For example, the old NGC black holder and the PCGS doily holders command premiums for the holder apart from the coin. I have rarely if ever come across one of these in my search for new coins. Gary

6 hours ago, Mokiechan said:

LOL, The filter on this blog site changed my word I D I O T into insufficently_thoughtful_person

Interesting, since I have always considered NGC among the most tolerant of anything-go's-posts. At any rate, its just a word and they are still tolerant of almost all opinions no matter how bizarre they may seem. As far as losing a prized coin or more properly forgetting where you last left it, they say that short term memory is the first to go. That happens to me all the time. Having scatterbrained thoughts all at once doesn't help either. I'm glad for you that all's well that ends well. Gary

P.S. Just before my wife and I left for church this morning I couldn't find my brush to comb my hair. It wasn't in the place I always keep it but I finally found it in the place I had left it. Frustrating stuff.  

This is the day the peanut gallery (your fellow journalists) had been waiting, hoping, and praying for! Sam is home! Exciting stuff! I know the Zimbabwe postal woes are only a fly in the ointment and pales in comparison. Congratulations!  

Gary

Oops, I should have looked up the term peanut gallery before posting it. It had negative connotations. However, part of the definition is true, we are rowdy!  

11 hours ago, Revenant said:

Random thought, but, I think of those prongs as indicating a "new-style" holder but those edge-view holders have been the norm for about 10 years now and there are now coins that were graded a decade ago that are in those holders, so I guess I need to stop thinking that coins in those holders were "more recently graded."  

Ahh, but it is recently graded. I can tell by the fancy, more modern hologram on the back of the holder!  

1 hour ago, Mokiechan said:

I would just like to see a complete turn of all our current coinage, a new Cent through Half Dollar with new obverse and reverse designs.  We have the incentive to change with our 250th Anniversary looming in the not too distant future, maybe change the coin designs with traditional elements.  For example, I would love to see Frank Gasparro's Liberty design on our Half Dollar. 

I have longed for Frank Gasparro's Liberty since the first time I saw it as a senior in high school! … And yes I was hoping for this small dollar design over the SBA Dollar design. Today, what a classic this design would make as long as the mint is in retro mode.  

Gary

1 hour ago, Revenant said:

I'm pretty sure the conversation took place through private messages though I don't know what started the conversation. It's been too long. Lol 

There is something else about those Netherlands sets of ours in that we were competing in the registry with the same user for the top registry set. It seems that he was buying up coins like crazy to populate both sets. You came up with the term money-bags for him that I thought was somewhat humorous. Seems like when he couldn't compete he packed his bags, picked up his marbles (coins), and went home!  Fond memories. Yet people like you and I are still there after 10 years.

The last time I checked my old posts was before the current journal format. Interestingly Revenant, I don't remember recommending the 1875 MS-67 10G to you. I do know that I would of had to have known you were looking for that coin in order for me to recommend it to you. This is something I could have only known if you had written about it or I found that you had started a registry set. For me I love helping out other collectors whether it be recommending a coin to acquire or writing a journal of my good and bad collecting experiences.Though I do not remember, I think about the same time you recommended to me a 1897 MS-66 10G that I also still own.

I looked back today at a few of my 264 total journal posts. Some were mundane, some ridiculous, and some had very poor grammar. In a few of them I was embarrassed because I either had wrong or incomplete facts about the topic I was writing. Like your current posts of lately, some of my best posts are the ones where the reader might catch a glimpse of my heart and passion. 

For instance, in my very first post dated 1/16/09 I wrote about winning the most creative award for my Inspirational Ladies custom set. My post with the most views is a 12/3/09 Virtual Christmas Card to NGC and Collectors Society. That post included a medal featuring a toymaker on the obverse with three children looking through a snowy window. The reverse features a winter street full of Christmas shoppers and the same children looking in the window. This medal was struck with dies engraved by Don Everhart when he worked for the Franklin Mint. That post has a whopping 3,348 views!

For the most part I am proud of the things I have written over the years and they serve to remind me of where I came from and where I am going.

Gary 

22 minutes ago, Mokiechan said:

 I am not so sure the American Public cares that much about the designs on our minor coinage.  These days, with debit cards, apple pay, and even apps like grubhub, folks are just not using less and less currency or coins all the time.  I think maybe a gradual change in designs, say starting with the Dime, would be basically unnoticed by the public.  After all, we have changed the Jefferson Nickel quite a bit, we have been going for 20 years plus with new quarter reverses every year, and we even chanced the reverse of the venerable Cent in 2009/2010.  So change is is entirely possible especially with new blood at the Mint and active lobbying by CCAC members (which I know for a fact is occurring). 

Good point!