coinsbygary

Yes, the first coins I am consigning are foreign coins and Heritage has a larger worldwide footprint. I will likely be consigning many of my US coins to Great Collections.

There's not much more I love to do in numismatics than spending time imaging my coins. I like your setup. Seeing your setup and pictures shows all the work you put into this. I get a lot of satisfaction from looking at pictures that pop and knowing that they are mine! Good luck with the annual registry awards!

Your pictures are looking good to match your set!

Signature sets have been my mainstay for many years. Because of my eclectic collecting interests they are the main outlet for me to display my sets. That said, you are correct, the signature set is an archaic and cumbersome format. Years ago, NGC promised to udate the signature set website after completing the last major upgrade to the competative registry. I'm still waiting. I also noticed that the PMG website is still waithing for the same upgrade when I entered the first note I submitted for grading in August. My "Beginning, History, and End of the Spanish Peseta" signature set is scattered over several competative sets that probably won't be considered for awards because most of them are less than 50% complete. This leaves me with archaic or nothing and still waiting for NGC to upgrade the signature side of the website. Except for my type sets, I wish I was more interested in collecting series like Lincoln cents or Mercury dimes or even an interesting foreign series like my Wilhelmina 10G gold set. Oh BTW, the following is a link to my first PMG note, a legal-tender star note 1953C $2 bill that I bought as a young teen at a camara shop!
https://notes.www.collectors-society.com/registry/notes/NoteDetail.aspx?PeopleNoteID=135936&PeopleSetID=34770
 

My congratulations to you on your awards and the others you named, especially Mike. I've seen his name on a number of my journal post replies! BTW, I hope your kids are are doing better now. Gary.

Several months ago I changed internet providers. Before I was allowed to settle my account with the old provider I was referred to their customer retention department. Talk about pushy, you havn't seen pushy until you've talked to someone who is employed and paid by the number of people they retain. This person used every trick in the book to keep me. First, the associate asked me who I was switching to and how much I was paying. I told her it was none of her buisiness. I also asked her why this provider spends so much to get new customers but doesn't seem to care about their current customers until they threaten to leave. Next they started to offer me new customer deals that were about half I was already paying. Instead of feeling grateful, I was angered by the fact that they were perfectly willing to take double the money as long as I wasn't complaining. Finally they gave up on me and my account was settled. As I hung up the phone, I felt like David going up against the giant Goliath! 
In the end, I was never going back because last winter another provider was burying fiber in my backyard. The thought of having a direct fiber connection with the possibility of almost unlimited speed to my house interested me. I always thought the prospect of having a fiber connection to my house would cost me an arm and a leg. But the provider's basic service gave me faster speed than I had before at about half the cost I was paying to the old provider!
On another occassion I got a call from a bullion company trying to sell me a high relief silver Australian coin. I told the person I was retired, and on a fixed income with a very limited coin purchasing budget. (No lying here, all true). This coin, while stunning, did not fit into any of my current theme based collections. From there, I went on to have a very pleasant 15-minute conversation with the sales rep about collecting in general! It was refreshing to see that there are still a few friendly sales reps out there!
 

Several months ago I changed internet providers. Before I was allowed to settle my account with the old provider I was referred to their customer retention department. Talk about pushy, you havn't seen pushy until you've talked to someone who is employed and paid by the number of people they retain. This person used every trick in the book to keep me. First, the associate asked me who I was switching to and how much I was paying. I told her it was none of her buisiness. I also asked her why this provider spends so much to get new customers but doesn't seem to care about their current customers until they threaten to leave. Next they started to offer me new customer deals that were about half I was already paying. Instead of feeling grateful, I was angered by the fact that they were perfectly willing to take double the money as long as I wasn't complaining. Finally they gave up on me and my account was settled. As I hung up the phone, I felt like David going up against the giant Goliath! 
In the end, I was never going back because last winter another provider was burying fiber in my backyard. The thought of having a direct fiber connection with the possibility of almost unlimited speed to my house interested me. I always thought the prospect of having a fiber connection to my house would cost me an arm and a leg. But the provider's basic service gave me faster speed than I had before at about half the cost I was paying to the old provider!
On another occassion I got a call from a bullion company trying to sell me a high relief silver Australian coin. I told the person I was retired, and on a fixed income with a very limited coin purchasing budget. (No lying here, all true). This coin, while stunning, did not fit into any of my current theme based collections. From there, I went on to have a very pleasant 15-minute conversation with the sales rep about collecting in general! It was refreshing to see that there are still a few friendly sales reps out there!
 

Ditto, there are no words I can add to zadok's to comfort you concerning the seriousness of Sam's condition. I just want to add my prayers to zadok's. 

Hmm, you may be on to something with the big coin, little coin theory. It makes a lot of sense considering big coins are bagged together at the point of minting. They are heavier and have a larger surfaces to bang together. Without knowing a thing about Venezuelian coins on my part, you managed two 66, and two 67, 50C coins. At the end of the day this is an exceptional submission by any strech of the imagination. Congratulations on the submission. You also have a good eye. Gary 

Your gold coin prize was wonderful but your wife's prize was way more interesting, in my opinion.  Congrats to you both!

Sorry I missed you, Gary. I'm sure I was out walking the floor when you came by. By that point I was broke. My wife mentioned that you stopped by. 

Congrad's on winning some of the prizes. I always wanted to own some die's they are so cool. I can't relate to enjoying the opportunity to yell BINGO because  sadly,,, but only have played the game some dozen time I never won.. came very close but no chicken dinner. I'm hoping to attend the ANA show next year. Great story Gary Thanks   

Kerry
Your post reminds me of the evolution in grading referred to as "gradeflation". There is sufficient evidence to prove that gradeflation has occurred with coins graded by both PCGS and NGC. For instance, I own a NGC AU-53 1853-D half-eagle with a very distinct look. As is a frequent practice of mine I like to research auction archives of the coins I own to see if my coin has appeared in an auction. Because of the distinct look, I found my coin in a XF-45 PCGS holder with a green bean. To tell the truth I think my coin appears more AU-50 than 53. However, because of the strike and toning, I bought the coin not the holder. Regardless my coin leap-frogged two grades. This has been a disturbing trend over the years because the standards of grading have loosened up. Gary 

To me this is a troubling trend. To gain the newbe's you risk losing the collecting veterans. Older collectors have been asked to adapt to the changing market place, and for the most part they have. However, my coin club maintains a webpage and a Facebook account. I wonder, in an effort to keep their costs down, when my coin club will ditch the website for Facebook? I used to have a Facebook account until somebody hacked it and used it to extort money from me. Fortunately, it turned out to be a hoax I never paid off on, but still, Facebook is done for me. These new social media platforms have a big red target on their backs for every would be hacker to take their shot at. Identity theft and the like are real for anyone who uses electronic media. I spend money to protect myself from identity theft that I would rather spend on buying coins. Yet it is the world we live in, and the price for doing business. Sadly, it is the brick and mortar shops where you develop a trusting relationship that makes this hobby much more personable and in my estimation, enjoyable. This is the direction we need to steer our newbe's, rather than simply accommodating them

@coinsandmedals I live in a town where there are several dealers within a short drive. In an imperfect world we are largely influenced by our local experiences. We adapt as we must to enjoy the hobby we love. Older people are less likely to embrace new technology because they don't understand it and therefore don't trust it. Now retired, I worked in technology my entire life. I have embraced the electronic marketplace. I have embraced the registry here at NGC and have won 5 major NGC awards for my registry sets and 7 for my journal posts. I have also bought and sold coins on E-Bay. E-bay has done more in my estimation to make the world a marketplace for collectors than any other forum. This has been good for the hobby and me in particular, because my collection literally exploded. Heritage Auctions has also done a lot to open things up to dealer and collector alike. Often I have bought coins from dealers, only to find they bought them through Heritage. I also enjoy the dealer from Old Pueblo Coin in Tucson, Arizona that does You Tube videos. I have been watching his videos every day. To date I've managed to adapt very well. 
Because I was burned, I have a huge mistrust of social media. In fact as I get older, I am cherish my privacy all the more. I don't need social media and I don't want it. I tried Instagram not long ago but had trouble trying to figure it out and quickly lost interest. Fortunately, I am largely able to access the technology I currently use and remain somewhat anonymous. Another reason for my feeling comfortable is the high level of character I see displayed by most coin collectors.
Over the last year in the era of COVID, I have worked very hard in my church to modernize how we do church. Working with a congregation that has mostly older congregants, I've had a very challenging time trying to get them used to using ZOOM to conduct our services. Others have very old computers or none at all. Thankfully, one of our older congregants doesn't mind connecting to ZOOM over their phone. All this to say that my coin club is comprised of a significant number of retirees. They are more likely to get in their cars and drive to regional coin shows. We even charter a bus to the Central States show in Schaumberg, Illinois!
We have a 100+ person membership in our club and currently have our club meetings via ZOOM. Sadly, only about half the people that attended our in-person meetings before COVID now attend our ZOOM meetings. I wish more people would avail themselves to ZOOM as it has opened the door to a lot of things we would have never done before. For instance, we watched an ANA video on grading coins over ZOOM at our last meeting via screen sharing. In fact, I may ask if I can do a presentation on photography at a future meeting.
It is the younger people that both like and use social media, and I in no way want to discourage them. I just don't want to be a part of it. I frequent the ANA's member blog where there are a number YN's that are all in. One of them is starting a weekly newsletter that they want me to critique. However, as I get more into helping them get established in the hobby, the risk of losing my privacy increases. Because they are enthusiastic about social media and all in, they tend not be as wise about privacy and identity theft issues. Hopefully, over time, I will be able to be a positive influence on them. In fact, truth be known, we all need each other to grow the hobby!
I totally get that you live in a rural area and that electronic media has opened up the world to you. Though more difficult, I also understand how to develop trust over electronic media. I have met both dealer and collector alike on the internet who I eventually met in person that I trust. My only caution over social media is that some people might get left behind. This is the main reason why I fear my club will eventually shut down the webpage in favor of Facebook. Since I am a member, I will most certainly vote against that. That said, because of my mistrust of Facebook, I am unable to access my club's Facebook page. However, for me, that is a price I am willing to pay to preserve my privacy. In fact there is a person in my church that puts tape over her computer camera because of a huge mistrust of Zuckerberg and the internet! In the end, I am not against change, but I am for people using technology at a level that they both trust and understand. I am however, concerned about sacrificing the older collectors on the alter of change because they either don't understand or want to change.
To put things in perspective, when I graduated high school there was no internet or for that matter, cell phones. (Funny how most of my life I worked for a cell phone company with technology that didn't exist when I graduated high school. No 5G, in fact no "G"). There were however, numismatic magazines. These magazines had dealer advertisements and mail-order coins for sale. Mail-order is how I developed my collection when I was in high school. Now hardly anyone uses mail order through magazines. Fifty years from now, coin collecting will continue to evolve and I won't mind! Gary 

I'm glad to see you back and I am sorry for your loss. As for your grades, they are awesome. Even more awesome is the eye appeal of all your medals. They are all in excellent condition, and yours maybe the only collection of its kind. Congratulations on the little one on the way. My first grandson was born a year ago on July 4 and it's been a pure joy to see him grow in his first year. I just can't express how much I love that little guy! BTW excellent photographs! Gary

Congratulations! Your plaques and coin represent quite an achievement especially across two separate branches of NGC. Oh, is the ASE a Type 1 or 2?

you seem to know what you're doing...i'm just learning. When I can afford it, i am going to get a shooting table and lighting and learn how to use that setup. For now, for my purposes, I like what I'm getting out of my setup.

I own one Ukrainian coin. It's a 2009 5-hryvnia International year of astronomy commemorative that I bought from a Ukrainian e-bay seller in 2012. I bought it raw and it is the highest graded foreign uncirculated coin I submitted to NGC, grading MS-69. It appears that today he has some of his items located in the United States. It probably makes for easier shipping to US addresses. Another possibility is that he pulled his listings of Russian origin. Perusing his current listings, he is making an impassioned plea to not buy from Russian sellers. I am listing his e-bay store below and posting a photograph of the coin I purchased in solidarity to the Ukrainian people. 
https://www.ebay.com/usr/novinka62
 

Spain also changed their currency to the decimal system intending to join the Latin Monetary Union after the 1868 Glorious Revolution and ouster of Queen Isabella II. The 5-Peseta was to be Spain's equivalency coin with the proper silver weight and fineness of the other European crown sized coins of the Latin Monetary Union.
 

Numismatically speaking there is no downside. There is no harm in a little red peeking through. It's only my personal taste in eye-appeal that at the time of purchase, I didn't fully consider to fill a hole in my type set. I can't count the times I made a rash purchase only to spy out a nicer looking coin a few days later. When I bought the 1835 half-cent, my search was over. I've never looked back. I chose the right coin the first time. Over time, I've learned my lesson and now I'm more likely to get the good coin the first time. Now I more fully understand your good coin, bad coin argument. A brown coin in a holder will always be brown and maybe grade higher. A red coin in a holder is not guaranteed and will over time tone inside the holder costing the purchaser a good resale price. You're also correct about the brown coin being more stable, what you see is what you get. There's something to be said for that.

Then there are the coins I originally regretted buying but over time began to grow on me like this olive toned Large-Cent. I no longer consider this 1851 MS-63 brown large cent an upgrade candidate. Incidentally, my friend who doesn't like ANY red showing through the toning on large cents does not like the reverse of this coin. Neither do I, I find the reverse of this coin has a rather dull look. That said, I am keeping this coin for the olive toning on the obverse. I also think the struck through grease on Liberty's truncated neck is interesting. As to bad or good, I only criticize my own coins and let others make their own determinations.

Early red copper coins are extremely rare. I think that many people who buy these coins, buy them because they garner the most points in their registry sets. An early copper coin can have a red surface, and a technical grade of 67, but have poor eye appeal. People sometimes overlook poor eye appeal to own a technical grade simply for registry purposes. This is not to say all early coppers graded red MS-67 have poor eye appeal but for my money I prefer the same MS-67 in brown and red/brown. I have a friend who will not own any early coppers but brown. Any Indian Head Cents other than brown or red/brown, and only accept some Lincoln Cents as red. He says, based on the reactive nature of copper, older coins in red and red/brown look unnatural. I can't argue that. I own a very attractively toned brown 1835 MS-63 half-cent that I'll put up against most higher graded red/browns and reds of the same type,
 

Numismatically speaking there is no downside. There is no harm in a little red peeking through. It's only my personal taste in eye-appeal that at the time of purchase, I didn't fully consider to fill a hole in my type set. I can't count the times I made a rash purchase only to spy out a nicer looking coin a few days later. When I bought the 1835 half-cent, my search was over. I've never looked back. I chose the right coin the first time. Over time, I've learned my lesson and now I'm more likely to get the good coin the first time. Now I more fully understand your good coin, bad coin argument. A brown coin in a holder will always be brown and maybe grade higher. A red coin in a holder is not guaranteed and will over time tone inside the holder costing the purchaser a good resale price. You're also correct about the brown coin being more stable, what you see is what you get. There's something to be said for that.

@coinsbygary In your opinion, what is the downside to the red on the reverse of the coin?  The coin has a BN designation, so presumably you get the remnants of original red without the premium.  I fully understand not wanting to buy RD (or even RB) examples due to the premium and risk associated with browning. Likewise some of those early copper coins with RD designations have been brightened or recolored.  
But, when it's already BN... what's the harm in a little natural red peeking through?  When it fades - it grades!  Or, are you simply stating that a brown coin is completely stable, and should have few visual surprises... whereas a red coin can fade/tone in a non-uniform or otherwise unattractive way?