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Mokiechan

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Journal Entries posted by Mokiechan

  1. Mokiechan
    The Great Britain Trade Dollar
    I just wanted to show you the obverse of my newly graded, MS62, Great Britain Trade Dollar, the black marks you see near the trident are tarnish that occurred because the cardboard coin holder thingie (what do they call those?) had two little tears during its long storage. The mint is Bombay. Enjoy..

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  2. Mokiechan
    And I have taken the first small steps in my collection of Trade Dollars
    Friends, I have just received the pictures of my latest submissions to NGC and I would like you to see the Beautiful Straits Settlement Dollar. Per the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Straits Settlements were a former British crown colony on the Strait of Malacca, consisting of Penang, Singapore, Malacca, and Labuan. As you may already know, most of my Trade Dollars, including my U.S. Trade Dollar have chop marks. The chop mark on this Trade Dollar appears on the reverse but more often than not, the chop marks are applied to the obverse. This particular piece was graded VF Details due to the chop mark. Please enjoy.

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  3. Mokiechan

    My Worst Purchase Ever

    By Mokiechan,

    Via QVC and the Nuestra Senora De Atocha
    Friends,
    I know we have all made purchases in the numismatic realm that we later regretted and I hope my sad tale makes you feel much better about your particular anguish.
    Sometime during the late 80's, while my collecting was mostly focused on NCLT foreign coins, I was watching those wonderful hucksters on QVC and became very interested when they started marketing an actual silver ingot from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha treasure ship. This ship had been found by Mel Fisher and company back in 1985 and had gotten a tremendous amount of press at the time.
    Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, I wanted that silver ingot (in deluxe treasure chest box with accompany plaque and COA) but I held off due to the high cost and patiently waited until the ineviteble QVC sale when the little beauty went for a little over 100.00.
    Suffice it to say, I was very pleased at the time and was only mildly disapointed when the silver ingot proved to be pretty durned small (about an ounce I think). But, it was still TREASURE and it was MinE. Later, after the thrill of victory subsided, I realized it was not really an ingot from the Atocha, instead it was a faux ingot cast from the reamains of a bigger ingot. I should have known better, I betcha they even mentioned that factoid during their spiel, but I missed that detail and ended up with a bitter understanding of TV marketing.
    I still have her today, she sits in her box, in my closet, as a constant reminder of why overeagerness to buy plus selective hearing can lead to great tragedy (well that's a little melodramtic but you know what I mean).
    Later,
    Malcolm
    PS-she's always for sale, who wants to give me 50.00 plus postage.

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  4. Mokiechan
    At least a little.
    Hi All,
    Hope your Holiday Season was wonderful and the trip back to work yesterday was tolerable.
    Some of you may recall a journal entry from last year where I mentioned my worst numismatic purchase was a silver ingot poured from a larger ingot from the Nuestra Senora De Atocha. At the time, I offered to sell it for 50 bucks (sort of as a joke although I would have sold if anybody asked). It just sold this past weekend for 200.00 on EbaY.
    I had placed it on Ebay because I had seen two similar ingots that had sold for about 150.00 and 250.00. Mine split the difference and was a wholly satisfying outcome. Hmmm, I think that PCGS smaple slab has got to be next. One sold for about 179.00 recently.
    Later,
    Malcolm

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  5. Mokiechan
    The weather was great, despite a forecast of some rain, the walk from the trolley station to the convention center was pleasant, and the ANA National Money Show turned out to be all that I expected. I had two purposes for attending the NMS. First, I had signed on as a volunteer for Saturday but knew the heavy lifting would be at the end of the show, when we had to pack up our considerable amount of "local sponsor club" stuff for storage until the next show in May.  So, I had duties to be sure, helping out at the exhibits area, manning the club booth, and walking the show in my ANA Ambassador shirt to answer questions and to point people toward the museum exhibit where one could view a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, an 1804 Dollar, a 1933 Eagle (one of about 20 legal to own), and the fantastic 1943 Bronze Cent.  There were several other exhibits as well, but those were the most popular.
    Just interacting with the attendees was the  best part of volunteering.  I especially enjoyed interacting with YNs and their Parents as they came to our club booth during their treasure hunt.  We were question #1 on their form, "What was the first year the United States produced coins?"  The possible answers were 1776, 1793, 1804, or 1812. I probably assisted about 15 Juniors with their form and with a wee bit of coaching, they were all able to get their first question correct.  Our  booth had a big box of foreign coins and each YN was able to choose two coins as soon as they got the correct answer.  Seeing their eager faces and their happy parents, made the whole volunteering experience worth much more to me than it probably did to them.

    But volunteering was only half the purpose.  Second, I had a want list and was determined to find, an NGC slabbed 1918 Lincoln Illinois, a raw 1925 Canadian Cent for my Whitman folder, and an NGC slabbed NO-VDB Cent, 1909-1917.  So many temptations along the way, I could have easily blown my entire budget before I even spotted any of my wanted items, but I persevered and finally found the 1918 Lincoln, in MS65, with a CAC Bean to boot.  Now that particular purchase pretty much blew my budget but luckily I had already had an offer accepted for the 1925 Canadian Cent, from EBAY, that same morning.  I never did find the Slabbed NO-VDB, but they are plentiful on EBAY and I will buy it soon.  Finally, I saw something that brought waves of nostalgia to my little collector heart, it was the SILVER STORY with Silver Certificate, Morgan Dollar, Peace Dollar, and Silver Flakes for a price I could not pass up, so I took the last of my budget and bought it too, just $50.00. 

    Freebies were a little scarce on that final day of the Con, political campaigning for the ANA Board was occurring so I got a very nice token from Mr. Donald Kagin, he is running for ANA President, and I also received a poker chip issued by Mr. Thomas Uram, who is running for ANA VP.  Both men spent some time talking with my partner and I at the PAN booth, I like their enthusiasm for the Hobby and I also like their can-do attitudes.  To top it all off, I met and shook hands with one of my all-time Numismatic heroes, Mr. Clifford Mishler, I told Mr. Mishler how much I loved his stories of convention trips over the years and I only wish I had asked him to take a photo with me. 

    I can't  wait until August of 2020 when ANA returns to Pittsburgh.  I can guarantee you, I will be there on the floor again doing my Ambassador duties. 
    One interesting note, as I was searching the bourse for my 1918 Lincoln/Illinois, it became apparent that PCGS slabs outnumbered NGC slabs by at least 5 to 1 all over the floor. 
     



  6. Mokiechan
    Although Neville was discussing an entirely different matter.
    Folks,
    Just received very nice 1923 and 1924 NGC MS65 Peace dollars in the mail. They have both been added to my fledgling Peace dollar set which is now a whopping 20 percent complete.
    I once owned a complete Peace set in a Whitman album but that was sold years ago to fund my ill fated comic book ventures. The set was average circulated (VG to XF) and was purchased intact from well known Pittsburgh area dealer Harold Weitz. I think I paid a little over 200 for the whole set and sold it for a little over 300. Same set would probably cost 1000 today. Anyways, my registry set will be mostly MS with the keys being VF to AU. by my reckoning, it should be complete in about 4 years. Should be fun, I love the Peace dollar set.
    Later,
    Malcolm

  7. Mokiechan
    I think there are too many SAEs in the pipeline.
    Hi All,
    I was thinking about submitting one last group of coins to NGC before the end of the year. But I think I'll wait until the glut of 25th Anniversary sets makes it through the pipeline. When I say last, I mean LAST, as I am down to a very small group of raw coins that seem to be worthy of the extra expense (vice simply selling them to convert into already graded coins).
    The lot will consist of some Silver Ikes, Some MS Mercury Dimes, and some older SAEs. I know, I know, there probably not worth much more than their grading cost but, What The Heck, it's kind of like gambling in LV, most of the time you come up short but all you need is that one MS68 Ike to make your day.
    Hope all of you had an excellent Thanksgiving and the Snow is not too deep in your backyards. All our snow seems to melt before I wake up each morning.

  9. Mokiechan

    Nice Pickup On Friday

    By Mokiechan,

    One more closer to the halfway point
    Friends,
    I picked up a very nice MS64 1936 York County Maine half yesterday by selling some more old stock at my local coin shop. For those of you unfamiliar with the York County commemorative, it is a perfect representation of why the first series of commemorative coins failed so miserably (Special Interests). The York half commemorated the 300th anniversary of York County, southernmost county in Maine, and is also the second commemorative issued, during that period, for Maine as the first Maine half had been released in 1920.
    Congress authorized 30,000 York County halves. With about 25,000 actually minted, Besides being poorly designed, the York also suffers from very low relief. So Maine has the dubious distinction of having two poorly designed halves in its numismatic history.
    I also picked up a Monroe Half yesterday on EBAY, will show that Puppy when it arrives.
    Later,
    Malcolm

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  10. Mokiechan
    is arguably the finest year in U.S. Mint History.
    I am having a hard time sleeping last night due to mass infusions of McDonald's sweet tea and I started thinking about coins and how we like to collect them. I thought about those old Whitman Snap-tite holders, the ones that had a space for the Cent through Dollar. Those were kind of the original slabs and are still available at your local coin shop today.
    So, why 1927? It just happens to be about the only year where you can pick up all the best designs of U.S. coins at a reasonable price in grades XF to MS63.
    1. Lincoln Cent, 1927P, MS63 about $20.00
    2. Buffalo Nickel, 1927P, MS63 about $80.00
    3. Mercury Dime, 1927P, MS63 about $80.00
    4. Standing Liberty Quarter, 1927P, AU55, about $100.00
    5. Walking Liberty Half, 1927S (only mint available), XF45 about $200.00
    6. Peace Dollar, 1927P, AU55, about $100.00
    For those with a bit more cash, you can also add the relatively common St. Gaudens Double Eagle for a couple of thousand and even add the Vermont Sesquicentennial for another $350 or so.
    But the basic Cent through Dollar is the set for the average budget and can probably be obtained in the conditions listed, or even a little better with judicious buying, for under 500.00.
    I think I am going to go old school and see if I can put together the set, in a snap-tite. It would be a great little set to show off to folks, mostly under 40, who have no idea we ever had such beautiful coins.

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  11. Mokiechan
    A Challenging collecting area.
    A representative from the Naval surface Warfare Center recently visited my Command to attend a conference. During a break, he stopped by my office to say Hi because we had spoken on the phone many times but had never actually met. At the end of our very nice face-to-face, he shook my hand while passing me the very attractive challenge coin pictured below.
    For those of you who do not know, A Challenge Coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing a military Unit's insignia or emblem and carried by the Unit's members to prove affiliation with the unit. So a vet telling a story about his time on the USS Peleliu (for example) could pull out his Peleliu Challenge Coin if someone questioned whether he had ever actually served on that Ship. Hence the name Challenge Coin.
    I have a small collection of Challenge Coins I have collected over the years. This latest example came as a complete and welcome surprise.
    Cheers,
    Malcolm

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  12. Mokiechan

    O Happy Day

    By Mokiechan,

    Treasure is Found
    Well Folks,
    I finally received my copy of David Bowers, American Coin Treasures and Hoards, today. As some of you may recall, this coveted, by me at least, treasury of numismatic history had been cruelly ripped, OK a little bit to melodramatic, had been lost by the Post office almost a month ago. Here is the sequence of events:
    04 April - Mailman leaves Delivery Notice at front screen door.
    07 April - Attempt to pick up, package cannot be found
    Promised callback, no callback.
    10 April - Attempt to pick up, package cannot be found
    Promised callback, no callback.
    10 April - Go to USPS website and file complaint.
    Request callback, no callback.
    17 April - Receive request from USPS to evaluate their service on my 10 April complaint. I excoriate them for complete lack of response.
    27 April - Mailman leaves delivery notice in mailbox.
    28 April - Yay, my copy of Mr. Bowers' book finally arrives.
    Who knows what kind of journey it must have taken. So weird and never a peep out of the Post Office. Oh well, my library is complete!!!! Until the next interesting volume appears.
    Hope all your Numismatic pursuits are going well, I am a very happy camper.

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  13. Mokiechan
    Splain Somefin To Me
    Friends, I know some of you are very experienced in the ways of NGC and can provide a logical explanation for the following. I received a Silver Jefferson Nickel back from NGC graded UNC Details due to a PLANCHET FLAW on the reverse. Now, I can understand and support a Details grade for a coin that has been doctored in some way, even if the Doctoring occurred long before the current owner held the coin. After all, a doctored coin will presumably appear nicer than it should if it had not been doctored.
    But, I don't think a planchet flaw falls into the same category. To me, a planchet flaw is something that occurs while the coin is in its production phase and the flaw should be treated as a natural feature of the coin that can be mentioned but should not prevent the assignment of a numeric grade.
    Your thoughts and opinions are sought my Friends. What am i Missing?
    Malcolm

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  14. Mokiechan
    For those of us that are just plain worn out by the SAE 25th Anniversary story.
    I was reading Coin World and ran across an interesting article about a pair of lead die trials that have recently come to light from the estate of Cyrus Dallin, the coin's designer. These die trials were unknown to the numismatic community for over 90 years. Mr. Dallin was a colleague of St. Gaudens and did his work during the golden age of U.S. coin design. Here is a link to the article:
    http://www.coinworld.com/articles/pilgrim-50-die-trials-surface/
    Enjoy,
    Malcolm

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  15. Mokiechan
    Some Interesting Research
    Folks,
    I ran across a very interesting article from Coin World about Mint Police Officer theft of edgeless Presidential Dollar:
    http://www.coinworld.com/articles/where-are-all-of-the-plain-edge-presidential-/?utm_source=OB_traffic
    The article analyzes the current numbers of coins certified by NGC, PCGS, and ANACS while also attempting to discern how many were stolen and when? Good Stuff!!
    Malcolm
    PS-not affiliated with Coin World in any way, shape, or form.

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  16. Mokiechan
    or Why can I not find a single 2009 quarter in change...
    Hi All,
    I got some change at the bank today for a community yard sale I am participating in next Saturday. Besides fives and ones, I also got two rolls of quarters. Since I had them in hand, I figured I would take my chances and try and find some 2009 quarters to fill my extra whitman page.
    Unfortunately, I did not find a single 2009 in either roll. I did find a bicentennial quarter, more of them seem to be popping up lately, Maybe they are part of old change jare that people are cashing in due to the economy? It wasn't silver so certainly nothing worth keeping.
    I guess Southern California is just awash with older quarters. The 2010s are going to be a beaw.
  17. 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!!!!!
  18. Mokiechan
    And parallels with the Comic Book Bust.
    MV Coins struck a nerve when he mentioned the proliferation of different labels that are being produced for various editions of the SAE. i was heavily into comic book collecting from the early 90's until around 2005 and I recall the craziness that ensued when all the companies started producing variant covers for their products. Content was the same in every case but the covers HAD to be collected or your set was not complete.
    One book in particular, GEN 13 did a comic book with, numerous different covers. They even boxed the set and had the three primary creative folks, Jim Lee, Alex garner, and Brandon Choi, sign their respective box. So theoretically you had to have all the variant covers and each of the three boxed sets (since the boxed sets had its own unique extra issue) to be complete.
    That's what SAE collecting sometimes looks like to me. Beware the label, for they are just for profiteers and speculators.
    Later,
    Malcolm

  20. Mokiechan
    NGC stirs up a hornets nest.
    CVCC, and perhaps others, are considering leaving the NGC community due to the recent announcement that PCGS coins would no longer be allowed in competitive foreign sets. I believe this is not entirely warranted for the following reasons:
    1. Their is no indication that PCGS coins will be dis-enrolled, the Collection Manager can still be used to manage our collections.
    2. The NGC community of collecttors is an excellent source of friendship, fellowship, and expertise.
    3. Custom sets, the most creative portion of our community, will be greatly enhanced by new sets derived from high grade competetive sets.
    4. Most of us make a real effort to have mostly NGC coins in our set, This will shake-out those collections that have attained high ranking despite containing a high percentage of PCGS coins.
    5. finally, it's not like PCGS is suddenly providing a viable alternative, i.e. announcing that NGC world coins are welcome in their registry sets.
    We all suspect the same sort of mandate will also occur on the U.S. side of the house sometime in the foreseeable future. If that occurs, I will stay put for the same five reasons I cited above. I hope you do too.
    Later,
    Malcolm
     
    Pictured, my newly purchased, but yet to arrive P C G S 1937 Roanoke Commemorative Half:

  21. Mokiechan
    But my shop is closed!!!! Until Monday.
    Gary inspired me, at the end of April, to seek out a Columbia SC 1936 commemorative half. It was Gary's May C.O.M. and I fell in love. Well I found one on Ebay for a reasonable price, pulled some outlier coins (coins that don't really fit any of my current collecting interests) and planned on going to California Numismatic Funding (they are great!!!) on Friday to sell my coins and get the 240.00 needed to by my Columbia. WELLLL, when I got to the shop, there was a big honkin sign on the door sayin, we're closed, will reopen on the 14th. DARN, now I have to wait until next Saturday to sell my coins, Luckily there is still plenty of time, as it is a BIN sale, and I have a backup, in a higher grade, also on BIN, both well below FMV, just in case my MS64 is snatched up.
    They say patience is a virtue, I don't feel very virtuous right now.
    Hope all your collecting efforts bear fruit this weekend, I am going to a car show with my Mustang tomorrow.
    Later,
    Malcolm

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  22. Mokiechan

    Recent Mint Purchase

    By Mokiechan,

    Sometimes you just can't stop yourself
    Well Folks,
    I have not been very active in my collecting endeavours lately but I did note the Mint was offering their 2012 Silver Proof Set. For once, the Silver Proof Set is ALL silver and even includes the Silver Dollar. I could not resist, it just looked so nice.
    As always, will eventually be given to my Daughter Hana, but Daddy will admire for a few years until College expenses start accuring (11 Years Hence).
    Hope all of you are also enjoying your collecing efforts both extravegent and modest.
    Happy Holidays,
    Malcolm

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  23. Mokiechan

    Same Old, Same Old

    By Mokiechan,

    How can we redesign our coins in a way that makes them a true ambassador to the World.
    I was laying in bed last night, unable to sleep, because I could not get the idea of coin design change out of my mind. To say I am tired of our Presidents is probably too mild. In fact, I just wish all those Presidents would just go away to be replaced by a whole set of new historical figures to truly represent the greatness of our Nation.
    The Sacagawea Dollar is a prime example of this concept. We have a American Indian Woman, a reportedly brave and intelligent woman, who helped guide Lewis and Clark on their momentous journey of discovery (and even birthed a Baby while doing all this). That is a historical figure who truly represents, even if her story is partly myth, the greatness of America.
    So here goes, my replacements for the Presidents:
    Lincoln Cent - Let's keep Lincoln on the Cent as he truly rose to the occasion during the most critical time of our Republic and should be honored by all Americans as long as we exist.
    Jefferson Nickel - Let's show our respects to the international community by honoring Lafayette for his contributions to the American Revolution.
    Roosevelt Dime - Let's keep with the Polio them by honoring Dr. Jonas Salk for taking those marching dimes and turning them into a vaccine that positively impacted millions of Americans.
    Washington Quarter - Let's pay homage to the great American writers and honor Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). His writing captured the our spirit our rural lives and our profound sense of adventure during our during those formative years before we became a world power.
    Kennedy Half - Let's save this coin for another World War II hero, General Douglas MacArthur. He said to the Philippine people during the darkest hours of World War II that "I Shall Return" and he did. Showing the World that American's live up to their promises.
    Just stirring the pot. Happy Collecting Everyone.

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  24. Mokiechan
    And another for our Friends in New Zealand
    Folks, I know this is off-topic but I would like to ask all my Friends and Fellow Collectors to take a moment and say a prayer for the Japanese and New Zealand people. The devastation is enormous and I hope their recoverys are swift.
    For my Friends and Fellow Collectors along the west coast, please make sure your earthquake kits are ready and your family plans are set. The farther we are from the last Big One, the closer we are to the next.
    Beaw
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  25. Mokiechan

    Scarce? Hardly.

    By Mokiechan,

    I just need to be patient.
    I have been working on a Winged Liberty dime date set for a few months now and have found the 1918 and 1925 seem to be very difficult to find. I recently bid on a 1925 which was bid up to, what I thought, was a highly unreasonable 50% over the listed numismedia value. Now I understand those values are just general guidelines but I also note that most coins, on Ebay or Teletrade, do not normally exceed those listed values by too much and often are obtainable for quite a bit less.
    What is up with those two dates? I know I will find them sooner or later at a price I can afford but this collecting bug makes me very impatient and i find myself checking Ebay twice a day and carefully checking Teletrade when I get their latest auction announcement. They are NOT scarce, they just have cycled out of the market for a time and will return soonest. He Hopes.