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Mokiechan

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Journal Entries posted by Mokiechan

  1. Mokiechan
    Or how do they stack up in the marketplace?
    Since rejoining the ANA back in 2007, I have taken advantage of the direct submission privileges on several occasions. NGC has returned several of my pre-modern commemorative halves with Details (AU or UNC) for "Improperly Cleaned". You can check my registry to see which ones.
    My question is how do these Details coins trade in the marketplace? I noticed that a lot of sellers on Ebay try to minimize the impact by glossing over the Details designation and focusing on the UNC, for instance, with pricing at the low end of the UNC scale on BIN sales. I purchased a Details graded 1918 Mercury Dime as a filler and paid, what I consider, about 50% of normal price for the attributed grade. Very few seller seem to auction Details graded coins on Ebay, BIN is definitely the preferred method.
    I am thinking Details coins, at the AU/UNC level are going to sell at something like 1/2 to 3/4 of a non-Details coin with the better coins, like a 09-S VDB, selling for closer to the AU50/MS60 price than a more common date.
    Thoughts anyone??
  2. Mokiechan
    and taught me a lesson about loyalty.
    For many years, starting in 1969 when my Dad ordered me my first proof set, I have been a loyal customer of the U.S. Mint accumulating proof sets, mint sets, Bicentennial 3 Coin sets, and just about every other numismatic product they made available. Much of this was motivated by the desire for completeness but some of this was also motivated by a sense that my purchases from the Mint would be, somehow, appreciated and eventually rewarded with great coinage.
    I remember being so thrilled in 1981 when the first word started breaking in the Numismatic Press about the 1982 Commemorative Washington Half Dollar. I had collected some of the first generation Commemoratives so the very idea that the Mint would resume production of Commemorative Halves was a dream come true.
    The Washington Half was not a bad design but it certainly didn't have the classic feel of the earlier Commemorative Coins, but hope springs eternal and I thought the new renaissance had begun. I eagerly bought the LA Olympics issues, the Statue of Liberty Issues, etc. etc. until I had purchased at least one Commemorative from every year up until last year. Now, I must admit, I wised up somewhere about 1998 and started buying from dealers for much lower prices than the Mint issue price.
    But my loyalty to the Mint was finally shattered by the sheer unrelenting ordinariness of their designs. Here's an example, take a look at the detail and artistry of the 1925 Stone Mountain, 1936 Gettysburg, and 1937 Antietem Halves, and compare them to the artistry and detail exhibited in the 1995 Civil War Half, Dollar, and Five Dollar Gold. I think you'll agree with me that the 1995 designs are cookie cutter boring in comparison. Here are some more examples, 1918 Lincoln/Illinois compared to 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial or 1926 Oregon Trail compared to 2004 Lewis and Clark, in each case the former is much better than the latter. Until the Mint infuses true artistry back into their designs, they have lost me as a customer.
    Funny how the Government almost always disappoints. Happy Collecting everyone.
    Malcolm

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  3. Mokiechan

    My Five Favorite Coins

    By Mokiechan,

    and My Five Least Favorite Coins
    Regular issues only.
    For some reason, I was unable to sleep last night and I started thinking about coin designs again. Although the list changed quite frequently, I did finally make my list. So here goes.
    Most Favorite Coin Series:
    1. Mercury Dimes
    2. Peace Dollars
    3. Lincoln Cents (Pre 1959)
    4. Walking Liberty Halfs
    5. Sacagawea Dollars (Native American Theme Reverses)
    Okay, 5 is a bit of a fudge as they change every year but I love the Obverse of the Sacagawea and I am fully onboard with the Reverse concept.
    Least Favorite:
    1. Susan B. Anthony Dollars
    2. Roosevelt Dimes
    3. Washington Quarters (pre 1999)
    4. Eisenhower Dollars
    5. Silver 3-Cents.
    I betcha you all have your own list in your mind. In my case, the list does have some parallel to my registry sets although Franklin Halves almost made my Bottom 5 list and I do collect them.
    For me, collecting is sometimes a pure joy and sometimes just another example of my obsessive need to complete things (the Franklin set).

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  4. Mokiechan

    Thank You NGC!!

    By Mokiechan,

    What a pleasant surprise.
    Well today had been kind of a disappointing day. I had originally planned on taking my Mustang to the muffler shop for dual-exhaust installation but our toilet broke, and I mean literally, and I needed to stay around waiting for the plumber to come by. Luckily the muffler shop is open on Monday so I will just go then.
    I did get accomplish one very good thing today in my constant goal of having a completely organized collection. I took my top 50 coins, value-wise, and plucked them from the main herd to be taken to the bank for more secure safekeeping. Normally this would be kind of difficult but with NGC Collection Manager and some persistence, I was able to tease those beauties out.
    However, this is not the reason for my post today. The Mailman just stopped by and delivered a very nice plaque from NGC for my 2010 literary award. Although I think there are many better writers out there, I do truly appreciate the award, and now plaque, and will place it on the wall in my study.
    Hmmmm, maybe my collection of Chopmarked Trade Coins will win next years Unusual (or whatever its called) set award. Dare to Dream.
    Peace,
    Malcolm

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  5. Mokiechan

    The Long Journey

    By Mokiechan,

    Is nearing its end.
    Sometime in 2007 I decided to take my huge mishmash of a coin collection and turn it into something fully organized, quite a bit smaller, and quite a bit more manageable for myself and my beautiful little heiress.
    This was no easy task as my collection consisted of everything under the sun from the wonderful issues of the Republic of Marshall Islands, through various Franklin Mint issues (Thankfully bought on the secondary market for a fraction of their issue price), to a set of British Farthings in Whitman Folder, to tons of Canadian mint eets, and untold numbers of raw U.S. Coins.
    This collection was spread all over the place from my Mom's home, to the Bank, to secret places in my home. Very Very disorganized and so unfocused that I would literally run into things I never remembered purchasing as I went through various K-Mart strong boxes.
    The long journey is almost over and that old mess of a coin collection is 95% gone to be replaced by all those NGC and PCGS coins you see in my registry sets (plus few score more of un-registried slabs).
    I have retained my sets of Proof Statehood Quarters and most of my beloved Chopmarked Trade Coins (from all over the world) but the rest is mostly gone. I still have one roll of mixed half dollars and a partial roll of dimes to cash in. Those proceeds will be turned into slabbed coins.
    I am delighted!!!!

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  6. Mokiechan
    or how I continue to analyze things long after they no longer need to be analyzed.
    Okay, going back a few weeks, you may recall I had bid on a 1918 AU58 Mercury Dime that cataloged for about 60.00. Now I understand listed prices should only be used as a rough approximation but the price was listed across numerous current pricing guides, including NGCs, during the period of the Ebay auction.
    Well, the coin eventually closed at a whopping 160.00 or so which far exceeded that 60.00. I couldn't figure out, at the time, why that occurred. It suddenly came upon me last night.
    PCGS with its new category of circulated sets may be the reason a bidding frenzy ensued for a ho-hum coin. Since AU58 is the top of the circulated chart (unless you get a plus), that would explain why so many otherwise sane people (Heck, I even bid 100.00) would drive that coin so high.
    I may be wrong but I think I'm on to something.
    Go Steelers!!!!
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  7. Mokiechan

    ANACS, YOU FAILED ME.

    By Mokiechan,

    Or how I hoped to turn lemons into lemonade and came away with just a sour taste in my mouth.
    Well, to make a long story short, I purchased a 1943-D MS63 Walking Liberty Half back in October or November which I thought was NGC graded. It turns out, I did not pay enough attention to the EbaY AD (I think I have Numismatic ADD) and got an ANACS MS63 1943-D instead. Okay, thats the lemon. So, I decided to unslab the sucker, send it to NGC and get it reslabbed as an NGC 1943-D Walking Liberty. It finally came back today after its 11 week turnaround. Came back as UNC DETAILS. AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I hate Details!!! But, it is my fault in the first place and I have to learn to always pay attention when I buy anything on line. So no lemonade, just a mouthful of seeds to spit out.
    I do have an enduring belief that there is often a very fine line between MS63 and UNC Details. The coin looks great to me, I would have never known some cheesehead dipped it (or did they?).
    Go Steelers!!!
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  8. Mokiechan
    Or how I lucked out on Ebay before someone else snapped up the slightly overpriced dime.
    Well I was cruising through Ebay today for kicks and for future possible purchase, when my latest sale to FNG is consumated. Anyway, as I was typing in various searches, I tried 1918 Mercury PCGS and up popped a nice AU 53 1918-S for the BIN price of $55.00. According to the NGC price guide, this is worth about $10.00 less. But with my experience with Ebay auctions for 1918 Mercury Dimes, I knew I better snatch this up for my dime collection immediately. Yay, gone is my AU details 1918 to be replaced by my AU53.
    I am very pleased!!! Now just got to finish my Walker short set and my work is done, except for the occasional upgrade.
    Happy Collecting Everybody,
    Malcolm

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  9. Mokiechan
    Is this the rarest dime of all???
    One of my favorite coins is the Mercury (Winged Liberty Head) dime and I am currently working on a one-a-year registry set of Mercury Dimes. It is complete except for the 1918 dime which is currently a placeholder Details graded coin. I have been using Teletrade and EBAY for many months now to find a Mercury to add that is within my budget, say less than 150.00.
    A 1918-S in AU58 appeared on Ebay a few days ago and I kind of noticed it was attracting a great deal of attention (bids) early so I thought I would blow through its 60.00 book value and just bid 100.00. Well with a little over a day to go, I have already been outbid. Amazing, how can a coin be so thoroughly undervalued by EVERY price list when EVERY time one in AU to MS63 comes on the market, the bidding blows the book value out of the water.
    I currently have my EBAY account set to flag any new PCGS, NGC, or even ANACS (for resubmission) coin that is made available. Keeping my fingers crossed but I will probably have to find a very reputable dealer with a raw 1918 I can submit. I tried that once before and the coin coin came back ungradeable due to ink residue(?).
    Wish me luck.
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  10. Mokiechan
    Or how I added the S VDB for the second time.
    Way back in the 1980's, the coin shop I frequented used to sponsor a weekly bid board that contained all manner of treasures and junk. One week, I finally spotted the one treasure, a 1909-S VDB, that I had been seeking to fill my Whitman Bookshelf Albums one remaining hole (not counting that 55DD or that 22 NO D). I placed a bid and found myself that Saturday Morning, when the board closed as the proud owner of that elusive coin, VF condition, paid somewhere in the low 200,s.
    Flash forward to the early 90's and my whole collecting focus changed from Coins to Comic Books. In a fit of madness, I actually traded my beautiful little prize for a bunch of comic books and a couple of autographed pictures of baseball players.
    At the time, the deal seemed like a fair trade but, as you all probably know, the bottom fell out of the comic book market a few ears hence while my S VDB continued to grow in value, in someone elses collection. My whole foray into Comics will forever haunt me, I think of the thousands I spent on Comics and related material and I realize those Thousands would have multiplied, not collapsed, if I had stuck with coins.
    Flash forward to last month. I have been gradually converting all my raw coins into slabbed NGC, for the most part, coins in order to bring some order to my chaotic collection and to also build something my Daughter can keep or sell with much greater efficiency. I took a Dansco Type Collection Album to my favorite coin shop and traded that album in for an XF S VDB and a couple of MS 65 Walkers. The type album had a couple of nice pieces but mostly marginal material like a holed Seated Liberty Dollar and a slightly bent Shield w/Rays nickel. Even the 1846-O Seated Dollar had previously been declared cleaned and ungradeable by NGC, before details came along. So all in all, I am happy to have an S VDB back in my life and another big horde of raw coins reenters the market.
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  11. Mokiechan

    A Nice Bump

    By Mokiechan,

    On a day I have come down with a cold.
    Folks,
    I had grown a little frustrated with the amount of Details graded coins I have received back from NGC so I decided to give myself a little break and just submit a grouping of modern coins directly from mint packaging.
    I just got the shipment back and two of them came back as MS70. MS70 number 1 is the 2004 Lewis/Clark commemorative. MS70 number 2 is the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial. The other 4 coins I submitted also were very satisfactory with one MS65, two MS69, and one PF69.
    I think I'll do it one more time and send in another batch of newbies. After that, I will plunge again into uncharted territory and submit older, long-time holdings, for grade.
    Love Ya NGC.
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  12. Mokiechan
    Sportyperson is on to something.
    I think most of us can agree that the grand and glorious hobby of Numimatics needs young people to become interested in the hobby. When I was growing up (Pre Cable TV, Pre Video Games, ETC.) every 5 and 10 cent store sold coin collecting supplies and every major department store had a coin and stamp section. Those days are long over and to attract the young kids, we need to come up with something that will stimulate interest and foster healthy competition.
    Here is my thought, NGC allow children, as young as 5, to open an account under their Parent/Guardian's account and to complete basic sets (Lincolns, Jeffersons, Washington, etc.) of RAW coins without concern for their grade. For instance, my daughter would get points for having a 1950-D nickel based on the relative rarity of the coin, in the entire series, and would be awarded a slightly higher point level just for having that coin in her collection. If she finished the set, she would get a special banner in her account and a little recognition in a special junior section of NGC (5-14 years). The parent or guardian would "certify" each time a junior added a coin.
    Anyone think Sportyperson's concept is worth exploring? I do, and I am going to send my idea to NGC Customer Service. If you agree with the general concept, please also send your thoughts to customer service. We can make this happen!!!!!
  13. Mokiechan

    Slowing Down A Bit

    By Mokiechan,

    But not stopping.
    This past Sunday my Wife and I purchased, for me, a 2007 Mustang. I have had a passion for Mustangs since my earliest years and owned a 1966 for a time in the 80's. Until 2005, I considered the last good Mustang to have bee produced in 1972. Long story short, when the 2005 redesign hit the streets, I promised myself I would have a Mustang by the time I was 50 (2008), but with other spending priorities arising, I sort of let the dream go and almost thought it wouldn't happen. Then, about 2 weeks ago, my wonderful wife started pushing me to go ahead and fulfill that dream.
    After a relatively brief search, I found a beautiful windveil blue Mustang at a used car lot in Oceanside CA. I've already bought some extras for her, I plan on purchasing a few more so my collecting efforts will mainly involve finishing my Sacagawea set and submitting currently owned coins for encapsulation for the forseeable future. I Love My Mustang. Thank You Lisa, you're the best.

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  14. Mokiechan
    Thanks to EbaY.
    I have upgraded my Franklin Half set to all MS coins, I just added the NGC 1949 MS62 FBL, NGC 1950 MS64, PCGS 1950-D MS64 FBL, and NGC 1952-D MS64 FBL. All were purchased on EBAY so are yet to actually arrive. It will be very nice to replace the AUs with these new MSs. As is my normal policy, I tried very hard to keep all the coins NGC but ended up buying one PCGS coin. That is pretty much in keeping with my ratio of about 2.5 to 1 NGC to PCGS.
    Woo Hoo, my Hana is going to get a nice set to enjoy when she gets out of high school. Daddy will get all the stuff that falls out of completed sets.
    The tough set to upgrade, to all MS, will be my 20th Century set, those Barber coins and SL quarters are going to be a bit expensive.
  15. Mokiechan
    Plus I organized all my Slabs.
    My Wife, Daughter, and I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park Yesterday. I received 2 Shield cents while purchasing Chips and Soda at one concession. My wife received 3 more shield cents when buying popcorn at a different concession stand. Looks like they are in wide release here in the SD area. Oh BTW, the Butterfly exhibit was great and well worth the 45, or so, minute wait. I think it ended its run today or maybe tomorrow.
    This afternoon, I organized everyone of my slabs. I took the top 50 high valued coins and placed them in a couple of padded aluminum slab holders for redeposit in my safe deposit box. All the other slabs were organized by denomination and date then placed in alternate storage.
    It's nice to be organized. I think I will do this once a year.
  16. Mokiechan
    That it's DejA Vu All Over Again. OR Let Me Rant A Bit.
    A while back I purchased a 1958 Canadian Dollar from a dealer on Ebay. I tried to register the coin and it turned out someone still had it registered. Okay, minor annoyance, it seems to happen a lot here. Then by chance, I noticed a post from another member explaining how he had finally "tracked down" the dollar that had (disappeared) several years ago when it was lost during shipping from his dealer. In fact, he had ordered all of the 1958 Canadian coins, individually NGC graded, for gifting to his Mom. All 6 coins disappearing into the nameless void.
    Well, even though he never physically received the coins and even though he received a full refund from the dealer, he saw fit to register the dollar (and probably the other coins). So I was stymied when I tried to register my new purchase. Next hing you know, Amy is asking for a picture to prove I have the coin. I just ended up sending her my Ebay purchase information.
    I wrote the dude my opinion of if his actions and the coin was transferred to me a day or two later, based on my purchase evidence and certainly not based on his cooperation. Moving ahead a few months, since 1958 is my birthday, and since the U.S. coins from that year were uninteresting to me, I decided to get the rest of the 1958 Canadian coins, NGC graded, and make up my own signature set. I received the coins from GOTJA coins today, the same party I bought from originally and I now find the Quarter and the Cent are currently registered to other(s).
    I BET it's the same guy that had registered his unreceived Dollar. Hopefully he is less of a pain this time. Especially since he NEVER physically held the coins and his dealer fully reimbursed him.
  17. Mokiechan
    A Fish Story of Another Kind
    10 seconds to go, my finger was poised on the send button, I had already filled in my bid amount. 9 8 7 6 FIVE, I hit the send button, my $130.00 bid ready to obliterate my foes when..... goshdarnit, I had to confirm my bid on the next screen and my prize, my MS64 1925 Mercury Dime, had been claimed by another eager bidder for a measly $95.17. Next time I will hit the send button at the 12 second mark. Yup, that's my new strategy.
    http://cgi.ebay.com/1925-Mercury-Dime-PCGS-MS64_W0QQitemZ110514231367QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCoins_US_Individual?hash=item19bb295847
  18. Mokiechan
    Thank You McDonald's
    I took my daughter to the local McDonald's today and when i received my change, I had 4 very bright shiny cents in my hand. I eagerly turned them over and found I had scored my first, in circulation, examples of the 2010 cent. They look great, much better than the Lincoln Memorial and certainly attractive on a small coin like the cent. Let's see, I will be 101 when they change the reverse again for the 250th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, or will the Cent, in any form, last that long? My bet is No.
  19. Mokiechan
    There sure was a lot of cleaning back then.
    I recently submitted three commemorative half dollars for grading. All three had been purchased at least 25 years ago when 3rd party grading didn't exist and Photograde was the best resource on the market. I believe all three were purchased by mail order although it has been too long to have a true recollection. The coins were an Oregon Trail, a Sesquicentennial, and a Grant. All three came back UNC Details/Improperly Cleaned.
    I just sent, this past Friday, a Rhode Island and Arkansas halves, I hope they come back w/o details. On the plus side, I also sent in a Bay Bridge half I had acquired from a company in Colorado at least 30 years ago. At the time of my purchase, the coin came with a written certification stating the coin was AU. The Bay Bridge Half came back from NGC as AU55. That's a nice testament to the integrity of L and L coins.
  20. Mokiechan

    Submission Hopes

    By Mokiechan,

    Or how I hope to close out my Winged Liberty Head (WLH) date set.
    I sent 8 coins to NGC yesterday for grading. Three of them were WLH dimes intended to complete my year set. The three dimes, 1918 (AU), 1921 (VG), and 1925 (AU) have been very elusive at a decent price and condition on both Teletrade and Ebay. They are either overpriced or overbid, everytime one appears. So, I decided to go raw and take my chances with the fine NGC grading staff.
    The other coins I submitted yesterday are:
    1. 1932-S Washington Quarter, est: VF condition
    2. 1936 Arkansas Half, est: MS63
    3. 1936 Rhode Island Half, est: MS64
    4. 1893-CC Morgan, est: VG
    5. 1921 Peace, est: AU
    Hope my grading estimates hold up, wish me luck.
    BeAW
  21. Mokiechan

    Duke in the Hizzy!

    By Mokiechan,

    Finally!
    Well, I finally received my first Washington D.C. Duke Ellington Quarter in change today, 2009-D. I was at the mall getting change for a kiddy ride, put my dollar in the machine, and got my prize. I have now officially collected four of the 6 quarter from circulation. I have yet to find Northern Marianas or Samoa in circulation. Soon, hopefully soon I will have the whole set. I shudder to think how long it will take to get both Philadelphia and Denver examples of each. Here in California, we are awash in Denver coins.
  22. Mokiechan

    Tattoo Tale

    By Mokiechan,

    Or How I Managed to Turn A Visit to A Tattoo Studio into Coins.
    Every year, around the time of my birthday, I get another tattoo. Sometimes I use the available flash, sometimes I use my own design. This year, I had my own design and had gone to two separate studios and gotten quotes of 180 and 200. For that reason, I had accumulated 300 dollars to easily cover the tattoo and a 20 dollar tip. On a lark, I went to a third studio in downtown Oceanside and got a quote of 120. WOW, I couldn't believe it. Since I had to wait an hour and a half for my appointment, I decided to take that extra 80 dollars and go to my favorite coin shop. I ended up buying a VG 1921 Mercury Dime (to be sent to NGC for grading and inclusion in my registry set), a 1967 Canadian Centennial Coin Set w/silver medal, in a nice leather case, and a set of 2009 Lincoln Cents in a whitman display holder (for gift giving). So an excellent day, more coins, more skin art, can't be beat.
  23. Mokiechan

    My Top Ten

    By Mokiechan,

    U.S. Regular Series Coins - One Man's Opinion.
    I was thinking about this on the train ride home today:
    10. Sacagawea Dollar (just a really sweet portrait of Mom and Baby)
    9. Jefferson Nickel (but that reverse is awful)
    8. U.S. Trade Dollar (Seated Liberty with more Gravitas)
    7 Walking Liberty Half (Could have easily been in the top 3)
    6. Lincoln Cent - Pre 1959 (The Best Presidential Portrait)
    5. Flowing Hair Dollar (Simple but still strong)
    4. Buffalo Nickel (the perfect combination of Obv and Rev)
    3. Mercury Dime (So much beauty in such a small canvas)
    2. St. Gaudens Double Eagle (The best of Gold)
    1. Peace Dollar (Bland is overrated, this is the better design)
    Your thoughts?
  24. Mokiechan

    EbaY Tale Continued

    By Mokiechan,

    Or How All Parties were made WHole AgaIN
    Some of you may recall a recent post of mine where I mentioned 3 transactions in the last year involving non-delivery of coins or coins supplies purchased on Ebay. At the time I wrote, the most recent transaction, involving the purchase of a 1937 MS66 Buffalo Nickel, had gone to the resolution center and the ruling was in finally made in my favor, with full refund.
    Well about 10 days later, this would be this past Saturday, I received a note from the Post Office telling me I had an insured letter to pick up. This past Monday, my Wife picked up the letter and Lo and Behold it was the Buffalo, about one month late. I have since sent the payment back to the vendor and have posted positive feedback. No word from the seller. I assume he is happy.
  25. Mokiechan
    With a little Wizardry.
    I received a roll of uncirculated Lincoln Cents today with my order from Wizard Coin Supply. They are offering one free roll of Lincolns with a purchase of $35.00 minimum. I purchased a book about Commemorative Coins 1892-1954 and some coin supplies to meet the minimum. The roll shows the reverse of the cent at each end. Although it is not a great design, it sure beats the Lincoln Memorial. I think the deal is still available.