Mohawk

7 hours ago, CBC said:

 

I prefer the look of the NGC holders also, and even before the rules changed my collection was predominately NGC.  It would be nice to still be able to add PCGS coins, particularly the hard-to-find issues, but PCGS has never allowed other graders in their registry so I guess it's understandable. I have never played the crackout game but have attempted to cross over a few, and actually had better success crossng ANACS coins (approximately 70%) than PCGS coins (approximately 50%).  

Welcome back!

 

I've had similar experiences......ANACS coins do actually do better at NGC than PCGS coins do.  You have to crack them out first now, yes, but they do better.  I've actually had several ANACS coins go up a couple of points when submitted to NGC.  I've never had that happen with PCGS.  Actually, in my experience, about 50% of PCGS graded US material will cross, but you have an equal chance of downgrading.  I've never seen a PCGS graded coin get upgraded at NGC.  ANd non-US coins?  Forget it.  PCGS graded non-US material almost always downgrades here at NGC.  I used to be very active in collecting Canadian and Ottoman coins and, let me tell you, you never want to buy those coins in PCGS plastic and cross them here.  I've thankfully never done that, but I know some people that really got killed trying to cross PCGS coins from those two countries to NGC. 

I've never seen one of those.  That's a really cool piece of NGC history there, my friend.  I'd say it does deserve a place of pride with your plaques.  Thanks for shairing that with us!

10 hours ago, deposito said:

Nobody agrees with me.  Numismatically, when the Netherlands stops minting their standing knight gold ducat, struck since at least 1586, because of what that globe-trotting sword-wielding armored colonizer supposedly symbolizes to some, that will be what I was critical of.  

I wasn't able to find a link to your coins through your journal.  But I'd rather have some gold coins from the era you are collecting in than US gold, for what it's worth!

You won't find most of my coins on NGC, especially my Romans.  I'm in the process of moving away from Registry collecting and my Roman coins are all raw.  While I stand by everything I said above, I think the ducat you posted is a traditional piece, one that has been minted continuously for centuries and which continues to be minted in the sense of tradition and remembering the past.  Remembering the past is important and I see no problem with the Dutch gold ducat series as they have been issued in the same design for so long, though some might.  It depends on the person and I can respect people on both sides of the issue, depending on the reasoning for the respective stances of the people involved.  History is a tough field....it often isn't cut and dried and different people interpret things in different ways.  There's also the issue of viewing the people of the past through their own eyes while remembering at the back of your mind that things that were appropriate and acceptable in different periods of history may not be appropriate and acceptable today.  This is how I always try to view historical people and places and it's the spirit I collect my coins, especially my Romans, in.  My favorite empress to collect from, Faustina the Younger, was a scheming and very violent person with a very pronounced mean streak (though she was also capable of acts of great kindness and compassion.....it depended on the situation) by modern standards but for her time, she was just another violent and scheming Roman royal who could show amazing kindness to one person or group and be absolutely cutthroat and bloodthirsty to another....basically, she was pretty normal.  For her time, she was a decent, if somewhat scandalous, empress but if she lived today and acted the same way she did then, she'd be locked up for life, easily!  Some sources I've read on Faustina the Younger indicate that she likely poisoned her own son-in-law to death, to cite an example of her behavior.  And, unlike the accusations of repeated infidelity to her husband (Faustina made some very powerful enemies, including some senators and other rich, powerful people.  That's a big part of what makes her so hard to research), the poisoning incident seems to have some truth to it!  But she's still worth collecting and worth remembering when viewed through the lenses of history and of her time.  And, she's undoubtedly interesting!

Hi Kerry,

I don't believe we ever talked when you were here before, but it's always good when good collectors find their way back.  So, hello and welcome back!  I can relate to a lot of what you said in your entry.  I've been doing some soul searching myself over the past few months myself and I've had some major realizations about myself which have made me a much happier person and collector, much of which pertain to the fact that I've realized that I'm a minimalist.  Like you, I have some main loves which I plan on focusing in on and indulging.  For me they are Silver Roman Empress coins with a focus on Faustina the Younger and her daughter Lucilla, coins depicting birds and coins depicting babies.  Everything else I did was basically clutter that I don't need, so it's being sold off.  I've also decided to pursue my pursuits off of the Registry as I've decided that grading coins for collecting myself wasn't fun for me anymore....like you, I needed to get back to being a collector, in its simplest terms.  So I'm using stock books and 2X2's and I'm having a blast doing it!  There's no wrong way to collect, provided you enjoy what you're doing and you don't damage your coins!  And I think a smaller collection that is well selected is a great thing......smaller goals let you focus more and buy really awesome coins when you do make purchases.

In closing, it's nice to cyber-meet you and I look forward to further entries and discussions with you!

Cheers!

~Tom

Hey William,

Those are great albums that you found.  I use something very similar for my Roman coins and I absolutely love it!  I think you guys will love your albums, too  And, I really agree with Mokie here:

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That smile while Ben is looking down at his new Penny Passport has future avid coin collector written all over it.

.  It really does   Now, let's hope that Roswell, NM elongated cent doesn't spawn some sibling rivalry in a few years..........

~Tom

1 hour ago, deposito said:

I think the tough part is ages 13 through 21.

1980 is a perfect number.  39 isn't, but, that's life. I just crossed into that territory myself a month ago.   

It is nice to be able to see and share collections on here, and to hear from someone else who also looks at the coins as a vehicle to pass something on through the generations.  Not just the coins, but also ideas, people, and the stories associated with them. 

We are the lucky few to be collecting in these times.  It is disappointing to see my peers and the country around me growing increasingly hostile to its own history, and increasingly dedicated to disposable consumption.  But, on the other hand, the internet really has opened up auctions around the planet to us, and easy payment means, with simple translation tools. 

I totally abandoned any interest in coins between about age 12 and 25, but, I remember in the late 80s and 90s picking out Indian Head Cents from Coin World or other price lists my dad got, and then sending the $$, then waiting for the coin in the mail that I have never even seen a picture of.  Just "XF" or something.  I still have that Whitman book and the pennies look pretty good 30 years later.  Anyways, if my kid wants to finish filling that book, and if Indian Head pennies have not been forbidden as insensitive, he will have the best selection any collector ever had (since the 1880s).

Well, Deposito, without getting political or anything, I do think you and I deeply disagree on some important points, or at least interpret them differently, based on this here

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It is disappointing to see my peers and the country around me growing increasingly hostile to its own history

I have a Bachelor's and a Master's in Historical Studies, and I think that reassessing the views of historical societies, people and events is an important part of the field of history.  It's a vital part of the process of scholarship.  It doesn't mean one is hostile to their country's history to say that things from the past that were once viewed in a positive light are now negative based on our present day values.  All societies have dark chapters to their histories and they all have done things that would be considered unacceptable in today's world.  There's nothing wrong with saying that these things are unacceptable.  In fact, it's very important that people do so.  It's how societies and scholarship progress.  Imagine if people didn't stand up and say things like slavery, segregation and the Holocaust were negative and unacceptable.  That's a very bad thought right there and since my aim is to be a practitioner in one of my fields with that statement, scholarly and non-political, I will leave that thought here.

It's good to see a fellow collector that is my age, though, even if we collect very different things and have some very different views on things.  I gather that you are a collector of US coins.  I don't pursue US coins at all, for a lot of reasons.  My main pursuit is Roman coins of Empress Faustina the Younger, though I'm thinking more and more every day of adding coins from her daughter Lucilla in there as well.  I like Roman coins because, like you said about what you collect, I enjoy the history of that time and place and Faustina was an interesting person who issued some stunningly beautiful coins......though she definitely had her dark side as well, as did the Roman Empire as a whole.  But Faustina has a story, one that is often difficult to interpret for many reasons, and she and her story have captivated me.  Based on what you wrote, I gather you feel that way about US history.  I do think it's important, vitally important, that there are people out there preserving artifacts from all times and places in history.  It's how the whole of history is preserved, at least to the extent that such a thing is truly possible.

Hey William,

I can relate to what you are conveying here greatly!  When I started on NGC in 2010, I had just turned 30 and I joined to put up a US type set, of all things.  I was finishing up my Bachelor's and was in a completely different place in my life.  Now, I'm 38, going to be 39 in August.  I almost have a doctorate of my own completed, I have a nice little venture selling coins which fully funds my collecting.  My hairline hasn't changed at all, but there's some grey in there now.  We all age in different ways........I've manifested the congenital hypertension which seems to nail everyone in my mom's family once we reach a certain age.  I'm also not as thin as I was back then and I likely never will be again.  I'm not hugely obese or anything, but I'm definitely chunky now.  That's another thing that happens to the men in my mom's family as we move through the years....we don't really get "fat" per se, but we do chunk a little bit on once we start heading for 40.  Thankfully, it levels out quickly, so we don't keep gaining weight.  But we're definitely stuck with what we do gain.  The grey hair I'm okay with, but the high blood pressure and the weight gain does sting a little for me.  I can now see how, in a couple more decades' time, I'll resemble my maternal grandfather as I remember him from when I was a child......and that's a weird thought!  But there's nothing I can do about it.  Time marches on and all we can do is march with it as gracefully as we can.

The US coins are all gone, as are pretty much all of the pursuits I was chasing back then and I, too, am chasing different things.  But I also feel that I'm chasing better things because they consistently make me happy.  Most of my old pursuits aren't even an afterthought.....they're just gone.  I've looked at my old journals on here myself, and I don't even know who that guy was anymore.  But I've changed a lot over the past couple of years, for the better, I feel.  So I'm actually glad that those writings are so alien to me.....it is a great way to see how much I've grown and evolved in the years since they were written. I've considered deleting them, but I don't know if that's the correct course of action.  They're kind of like fossils of my older self, and they may be worth keeping for that reason.  I don't know....I haven't made a final decision yet.  Based on what I've seen from your collecting pursuits over the past year or so, it looks like you've reached a happy place in your collecting life as well.  The passion for what you do is readily evident in all of your current pursuits, and that's a great thing to see.  Though we've never met in person, we've talked a lot on here and I consider you a friend.  It's always good when you see a friend get to a happy place with things.  The fact that your current projects helped keep you grounded when you guys were going through everything that went along with Sam's birth and getting him healthy speaks volumes to the power of what you're collecting now, what it means to you and your happiness with the pursuit.  I like the new name of your journal as well....I think it really fits.  And, I think you may be correct in your assessment that your journals will one day give your sons some insight into their dad, how he thinks, what he's passionate about and what an excellent writer he is.  I hope that I can do something similar if Candice and I have a little Faustina or Julian of our own someday.

Great entry, my friend!

~Tom

3 hours ago, Revenant said:

Ah, but one of the best parts of the show is when they think they're smarter than they are and get bit hard - fake or not, that's funny.

Agreed 100% my friend.  That's probably the best part of that show, actually.

5 hours ago, Mokiechan said:

That is why I like the Fake-Ness of American Pickers much more than Pawn Stars, the cast of characters is actually likeable.  Pawn Stars Stars are mostly all obnoxious.

I agree with you there, Mokie.  At least the guys on American Pickers seem like they're nice guys instead of a bunch of arrogant, obnoxious jerks.

5 hours ago, gherrmann44 said:

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! 

So true, Gary.  So very true.

7 minutes ago, Revenant said:

They definitely have their ups and downs with regards to tolerability. With Chumlee I just have to assume that most of what he does is an act because I just can't believe he really is that dense.

I tend to find Corey more unlikable than Rick though.

I think with Chumlee, you're right, but given his track record with law enforcement off-screen, he's clearly a jack*ss in real life in a completely different way.  His onscreen stuff is still obnoxious to me, though, act or not.  As far as Rick and Corey, I dislike Rick more than Corey but that's kind of like saying I'd rather have a turkey vulture defecate on me when I'm out in the field birdwatching than to have it get scared and vomit on me....you really don't want either option.

Well.....I myself have never liked Pawn Stars at all.  Once you've actually worked in a place similar to that (in my case, a brick and mortar coin shop that also bought bullion and jewelry), the fake-ness (yes, I invented a word) of that show stands out like a sore thumb.  And I really dislike the four main "characters" of the show, especially Rick himself and Chumlee.....I can't stand them!! However, it is kind of cool to hear NGC mentioned in pop culture, even if it is in a venue I intensely dislike.  However.....NGC grading those stupid, hideous "Old Man" things.....that's not so cool, in my opinion.  It's right up there with ANACS certifying Dan Carr "Fantasy Overstrikes" in my mind.  Just my opinion on all of this.  As always, feel free to disagree with me everyone . 

5 hours ago, Revenant said:

It's a little funny to me at this point that I have two big projects that are somewhat earmarked for my sons at some point in the future. Ben, since he is named "William" for me, will likely get my Wilhelm III 10G set one day if he wants it. Sam will likely get my Zimbabwe notes set if he wants it when the time comes. Both major projects for me with a lot of love and effort vested in them, but extremely different.

That's pretty cool and I'm sure your boys will want the sets someday.  Ben is already showing some interest in the hobby and if you expose Sam to it when he's older like you have Ben, you have a good chance of Sam picking it up to some degree also.  The real trick will be getting them to maintain their interest in the hobby once they hit high school age!  I'm not sure where my coins are headed later on down the line, but if Candice and I adopt a child, I'll certainly give them exposure to the hobby as well.  If we have a daughter, she'll definitely get my Faustina the Younger collection some day as she will be named after Faustina in some way.....kind of like your 10G's with Ben.  Though, now that I think about it, it's kind of a moot point for us.  We only want to have one child, so little Faustina or Julian (if we adopt a son, that will be his name.  We've already discussed names) will get anything they're interested in that we have.

1 hour ago, Revenant said:

Well... I think that'll pretty well count me out. Lol 

It may actually count me in some.....my old hometown is actually a resort town and it's only 30 minutes away from where I live now and summer is coming.  Who knows?  I guess I'll have to keep checking my change (which I do anyway).  Sadly, the potential profit on a flip is dwindling all the time.....*sigh*

2 hours ago, Revenant said:

If I could have gotten good money for one I probably would have turned flipper on it so I could use it to help my Zimbabwe notes set. As it stands - I wouldn't mind having one just for the novelty of it to show my boys in a few years, but I'm not interested enough to go buy one or to actively hunt one down.

 

I agree that they would be pretty cool to show to your boys in a few years, especially Sam since they would be from his birth year.  If I had kids, I may feel more like you do on the issue, especially if I had a 2019 baby like you do

Hey William,

First off, the important stuff......I'm so glad that Sam's test went well and I hope that the follow up appointment goes well also.  As far as W quarters go, I was interested when I could flip one for the price of a nice denarius, but I knew that would be a short window and it has closed.  But I was never really active in seeking them......I just checked my pocket change to see if any showed up, which is something I do anyway.  You never know what may turn up, and I have found some interesting things in circulation.  If one shows up in my change, great, but I'm not concerned about it at all if I do not find one.  As I've said on here before about these, I hope most of them are found by people who actually want them for their collections.  That is not me......I'm just a potential flipper as far as W quarters are concerned.  Now, if it were like last year where some of the quarters depicted birds, that would be a different story.  Thankfully, none of them do so I don't have to get nuts about them  

Good luck in your hunting!

~Tom

5 minutes ago, Numismatic, A.A.S. said:

Good deal...I think I'm gonna look into her...maybe acquire a lower grade specimen and study it, then I'll respect the better coin more when I upgrade having learned something I hope, Ancients is not my strong point.  I already have 7 coins I'm serious about, just haven't prioritized it yet....

That sounds like a great plan!  Ancients are pretty cool and I'll tell you something pretty great about Faustina the Younger's denarii......the coin in the photo only cost around $70, including shipping to the US from France, so they're affordable in higher grades, too.  Though my collection is only four coins right now, the most expensive one (they're all in similar condition) was $105.

1 minute ago, Numismatic, A.A.S. said:

Interesting, I've seen some pretty nice ones before but I couldn't remember her name. It looks like a larger or heavier piece but I could be wrong.

Yep.  It's Faustina the Younger......from my experience, she's responsible for a lot of Roman eye candy .  The coin itself is a silver denarius, roughly the size of a US or Canadian dime but the high relief and the other aspects of the dies and striking make it look like it could be a larger coin.  In addition to being absolutely gorgeous, most of Faustina's coins seem to have been very well made.

4 minutes ago, Numismatic, A.A.S. said:

Good characteristics and detail strike on that Ancient. Planchet shows some lamination but from strike or something...I like your coin.

Thanks!  She's one of my newest additions and one of my favorites.....I love Faustina the Younger's coins.  They're some of the most beautiful Roman coins and they're really accessible.  She's one of the most common empresses to find coins from.....which is likely because she was no shrinking violet.  She definitely shared the power with her husband Marcus Aurelius.  But that doesn't mean that finding quality pieces isn't a challenge.  My new Faustina the Younger project is a real labor of love and I'm striving for quality, so thank you so much for the compliment! It means a lot!

6 hours ago, Revenant said:

Thanks for everyone for all the kind words all around! I don't think I'll ever be famous for collecting but I guess I talk a good enough game. I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable with the word "deserve" in this context but I remain grateful to NGC for giving the award(s).

I think you probably put too much thought into these things for your own happiness, Tom. Everything becomes an old project eventually. An award is an award. Display and enjoy them as such. And I was actually doing some cleaning / straightening that day. The top of the hutch stays orderly enough but not the desk surface.

You should see my technical perspectives and white papers. I think I could put you to sleep.

And you both should see the papers I had to write for my Legal Issues in Higher Education course.......they'll definitely put both of you, and likely most of the whole community on the boards, to sleep! 

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I think you probably put too much thought into these things for your own happiness, Tom.  

You may be right about some of that, William.  Maybe I'm trying to compartmentalize things too much in my quest for simplicity and in bidding adieu to my old, pre-Zen, pre-Minimalist self.  There's a lot to this but you're right.  I should just display it.....it does have a place.  I was that person once and it was a part of my journey.  Maybe I'll work on making a place for it near my 2017 award after all.  I've often been told I'm too cerebral for my own good sometimes, which ironically to this conversation, I'm trying to work on

On 4/26/2019 at 10:59 AM, Numismatic, A.A.S. said:

Can not there sets be just as nice as those  competing.

 

yes, many chose not to compete and have nicer coins...

So we buy coins because we like them or they help you win something.?

I would imagine you would have to somewhat like coins to be involved. It depends on personalities, some won't sacrifice quality and others don't care..

Right now you can win prizes for submission to the grading network...and the prestigious awards...

There are definitely very nice sets being built outside of the Registry.  One area where I think that this is definitely widespread is among ancients.  I myself have decided to stop Registry collecting but that certainly doesn't mean that I'm buying coins of lesser quality because of it.  I'm still buying the best I can find and afford.....here's just one of example of some very nice coins that I've purchased recently that aren't going anywhere near a grading service.

Hey William,

Though I've already told you, congrats again on all of your wins!  They've all been well deserved, and it'll be nice to have all three of your plaques together in your office.  That'll be a nice display.  I don't know what I'm going to do with my "gravestone" for my former collecting self yet......now that I have it in hand, it kind of doesn't seem right to put it with my 2017 win for something I still pursue as I feel so differently about the two projects.  I guess I'll figure it out!  BTW....I'm jealous of the neatness of your work area!  Mine is a complete disaster which is a total eyesore in our otherwise cute little kitchen.  I'm working on it, but with the dissertation and the attempted expansion of my coin selling, it'll likely get worse before it gets better.  Thankfully, Candice is patient with me and my disaster.

Kudos again my friend, you deserve it.

~Tom

I think that there are as many reasons to do something as there are different people in the world. For some people, Registry Sets are something competitive, for others they're a way to display and share their coins, still others do so because Registry collecting adds something other than one of those things to their pursuit of the hobby.  I can say for myself that when it was something I was more actively pursuing, it was never really about competition with others.  It was all about proving to myself that I could win a major award here, which I did twice.  Since then, Registry collecting has lost its luster for me because I've achieved the goal that I set out to accomplish with it and my current collecting pursuits are being pursued outside of the Registry.  But I think how to pursue Registry collecting, or whether to even pursue it at all, is dependent on many variables that each individual has to weigh out for themselves, just as participation in this hobby or any hobby.

Well.....I don't celebrate Easter myself (I know, big shock ) but I really think that Shandy hit on a great idea by giving Ben some sort of coins in his Easter basket.  And it is encouraging that he was so excited about it!  You seem to really be working on instilling a love of coins in your son, and it does seem to be taking with him......it's a good sign when money comes before candy with someone as young as Ben!  As far as an album goes, I myself got into collecting for the first time at age 8 and I started with a Whitman folder for Canadian Small Cents (I still have the coins, though the folder has been replaced a couple of times).  I think Crawtomatic's suggestion of 6 could be right on the money for Ben's first album.  What to start him with is a whole other question, but he'll probably let you know what a good first album set for him will be in his own way....I'd say that discovery will come further down the road but it's pretty exciting to think about! 

~Tom