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THE WELSH DRAGON

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Journal Entries posted by THE WELSH DRAGON

  1. THE WELSH DRAGON
    I never in a million years thought I would have so many cool people respond to my posts.
    Just when I think there is on one left that wants to read my letters, I get another responce.
    Thane with a killer Laughing Gull pic, Six Mile Rick with his hilarious rooster story (which by the way has an awesome name!) And all the others with so much helpful advice and ideas.
    I never thought this would be half as much fun as it has been. I really look forward to getting back my NGC orders and adding to my Bird set so I can talk to everyone some more.
    I would love to write to all of you that send me a responce, but I am very, very slow at typing and it would take me hours to write back to everyone. But just know that I would like to, and I thank you for your input and stories.
    Thank you,
    Brett
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  2. THE WELSH DRAGON
    I'm sick of it, it's time to enjoy my sailing, build a greenhouse so that I can garden in the winter, spend extra time with the granddaughter and reading my Bible. Maybe take that money spent on coins and take that dream trip through Europe now that the Euro is crashing and travel there is cheaper than it has been in decades...lots of things to fill thye time I spent on coin collecting. Most of them will enrich my life far more also.
    I SAY AMEN!!
    I spent the better part of 30 min. today just deleting sets from my "Control Page". What started out as 4 pages, with around 122 sets, with 117 of those first place sets, is now down to just a few. Why? Because NGC dropped PCGS from the World Coin Sets? Hell no! Even though it did affect MANY of my British sets, maybe around 15 sets, that's not the only reason for such a turn-about.
    For the past 5 or 6 years I have been on the phone with NGC, trying to clear up their mistakes, more times then I could ever count. But I can tell you this, NOT one of those times, NOT ONE, did I ever feel like they turely cared about me or the mistake they made. No matter who I talked to, they all seemed to be in such a hurry to get me off the phone. I have already told the story about the so called "second in charge" flat out telling me that they are way too busy to be dealing with my problems. Which was funny, because if THEY would have labeled the coin right the first time I wouldn't have a problem.
    You always want to feel like you're a valued customer, no matter if you spend $50 or $50,000. Well I have been both. When I first started, I was the $50 customer. But last year I was the $18,000 customer. And no where in that time did I get treated any differently. Always like .
    So, I say AMEN to Jackson. It won't be sailing and greenhouses for me, but it will be something more rewarding then making NGC rich.
    As far as BULLY'S question. "As anyone put pen to paper and told NGC how they feel"? I can say that I have not. Maybe I should. But I have to admit, I don't think it would get any better responce then all those phone calls and emails I sent about mislabeling, mounting problems, population mistakes, Registry additions or corrections, or billing mistakes. I mean, if a company seems pissed that you caught a billing mistake where they over charged a customer $55, and then $28, and then $39.... then what makes you think they will care to hear from you about the "Registry"? Besides, are they so busy that they can't open a journal of one of their customers and read it? Even if it was just one or two journals a day. I mean, I work 8 hours, sometimes 10, at my job and I still find time to read/write some journals. That's because I care about what people are saying and about a hobby called "coin collecting" not a hobby called "making money"!
  3. THE WELSH DRAGON
    WELL, AFTER 3 DAYS OF WORKING ON MY CUSTOM SET I ONLY HAVE 10 MORE COINS TO ADD TO FINISH....FOR NOW.
    I TOOK SOME TIME OFF, BUT GOT THE BUG BACK SO I STARTED WORKING ON MY "BIRDS OF THE WORLD" SET. TRYING TO ADD PICS AND GETTING THE COINS IN A PLEASING ORDER IS NO SMALL TASK! VERY TIME CONSUMING!
    I THINK I AM UP TO 80 BIRD COINS NOW, WITH ONLY ABOUT 10 TO ADD TO BE CAUGHT UP.
    IF ANYONE LIKES BIRDS OUT THERE TAKE A LOOK AT THE SET AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
    TAKE CARE.
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  4. THE WELSH DRAGON
    Hello everyone. Just wanted to share my newest additions to my custom set.
    For those of you that took a look at my set before and don't want to go all the way through it again to find the new ones, here is a list of the coins I added today:
    AUSTRALIA - 2012 ($1) COLORIZED KOOKABURRA
    AUSTRALIA - 1990 ($10) WHITE COCKATOO
    BELIZE - 1975 (1C) SWALLOW-TAILED KITE
    BELIZE - 1975 (5C) FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHERS
    BELIZE - 1975 (10C) LONG-TAILED HERMIT
    BELIZE - 1975 (25C) BLUE-CROWNED MOTMOT
    BELIZE - 1975 (50C) MAGNIFICENT FRIGATE
    BELIZE - 1975 ($1) SCARLET MACAWS
    BELIZE - 1975 ($5) KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN
    BELIZE - 1975 ($10) GREAT CURASSOW
    CANADA - 2000 (50C) BALD EAGLE
    CANADA - 2000 (50C) GREAT HORNED OWL
    CANADA - 2000 (50C) OSPREY
    CANADA - 2000 (50C) RED-TAILED HAWK
    COOK ISLANDS - 1976 ($5) MANGARA KINGFISHER
    COOK ISLANDS - 1991 ($50) EAGLE OWL
    NEW ZEALAND - 1982 ($1) TAKAHE
    PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 1977 (20T) CASSOWARY
    If anyone is interested in birds, please take a look. And as always, any comments are welcome. I am always willing to change things around due to a good idea.
    http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=3519
    Thank you,
    Brett
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  5. THE WELSH DRAGON
    Well I spent the past two days working on the pics on my Custom Set "Birds of the World".
    I think I did much better with the coin pic and I also had the idea to add a pic of the real thing, just so people could see the living bird.
    Still want to work on the set-up and description alittle more.
    But thank you to everyone who took time to check it out.
    http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=3519
    Thanks,
    Brett
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  7. THE WELSH DRAGON
    I have no idea how to use the chat boards
    Hello everyone,
    I have been gone from the world of coin collecting for a little while. Decided to get back into it just for fun. Which brings me to my question. Does anyone know if you can switch your main page in your "control panel" from "competitive page" to your "custom sets" page?
    You know so if someone looks at your profile they will see that page first.
    Thanks
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  10. THE WELSH DRAGON
    Turn around?
    So, I am (somewhat) back from a 2 year lay-off from collecting. Before I took the break I had been sending in submissions for grading to NGC for about 6 years. But after endless problems with the whole process I couldn't take it any more. Whether it was a mis-label or over charging for the service or a coin bouncing around in its holder or orders held up because the "professionals" couldn't tell the difference between a regular British pound coin and a pieford British pound or on and on and on.
    And now that I'm back, my first submission is still in grading after 18 business days. That's 24 days total. They still have to make it to the slab room and QC!!
    What is the point of having the turnaround times listed if you don't even adhere to them?!
    Anyone else having this problem too or is it always just me?
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  11. THE WELSH DRAGON
    I was trying out my new book I got today, "COINS OF ENGLAND & THE UNITED KINGDOM" put out by SPINK, and I am having a hard time understanding its reference to a coin that I'm realizing that I know very little about.  I have a 1849 Florin and I thought that only 48'S & 49's were the "godless" type A.  But in my new book it looks like they can also be the "gothic" type B.  Can anyone shine some light on this?

  12. THE WELSH DRAGON
    This isn't fun anymore.
    Hey there Rick,
    Thank you for your offer on the trades, but I think I am going to just sell as much as I can being myself to letting go.
    I think that if I was to trade/buy any more stuff, I would just want to put it up on the Registry, and that is exactly what I want out off.
    I have been collecting for about 10 years now. I have been an active player on the registry for about 8 of those years.
    Over those 8 years I have added, deleted, re-added, re-deleted sets over and over. I would probably have around 200 more "First Place Ribbons" if I didn't keep deleting sets.
    I have dropped out of the Registry twice now, and this will be the third time. But i am pretty sure this time is it. I have went from U.S., to China, to Australia, and now to Great Britain coins. Through all those changes and all the research I have done on those coins, I have had countless problems with NGC and their serivce.
    Every time I started in a new country, I would have a new set of problems with NGC. Coins mislabeled, coins mounted backwards, wrong metal type...you name it. And as I got more and more ignored, I would just go into my "Control Panel" and delete everything.
    When I was doing Lunar coins from China, I really didn't think NGC could do any worst. I mean it was everything you could imagine, almost every order had something that needed fixed.
    BUT THEN CAME BRITISH COINS!!! Oh my God!! I don't think anyone at NGC as ever even seen a British coin. Over the spand of one year (all of 2011) I spent around $17,000 (just for information, this amount is about 1/3 of my take home pay!) on grading and had around 28 orders. Each order ranged from 15 coins to 40 coins. And in EVERY order there was a mistake by NGC. I was on the phone with them more then I was on Ebay.
    And almost every person I talked to had a tone. Like I was wasting their time or something.
    The final straw was when the "world coin expert" told me that a coin that I had in my hand did not exist. And, hold on you're going to love this part, it was graded by....yeap you guessed it, NGC!!!
    Now, the same company that graded a coin, put it in their population report, and had it listed on the Registry on their website and then said it does not exist, is the very same company that is telling me that PCGS is no longer acceptable. WHAT A COMPLETE JOKE!
    NGC is only about one thing, that is money. I have now realized that and I have changed my whole collecting goals because of it.
    My heart goes out to people like "Mr. Bo Jingles" and everyone like him because I know what it is like to find out that someone is playing you like a fool.
    I have so much more to say, but really, what's the point? You have two options, put up with it, or leave it. When the #2 in charge (Scott at NGC) tells you that some mistakes won't be taken care of, I guess that answers all the questions I have.
  13. THE WELSH DRAGON

    HEY Augustus

    By THE WELSH DRAGON,

    HELLO JOSH,
    JUST FOUND YOUR LETTER FROM OCT. IN MY IN-BOX. SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS EVEN THERE. I DON'T USE THE "CHAT BOARD" THINGIE, SO I NEVER LOOK THERE.I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING MORE FUN AT THIS HOBBY THAN ME RIGHT NOW. I REALLY DIDN'T THINK THIS WHOLE THING COULD GET ANY MORE FRUSTRATING, BUT AS ALWAYS, WRONG AGAIN!TAKE CARE
  16. THE WELSH DRAGON
    FOR ANYONE INTERESTED, I AM SELLING OFF ABOUT 90% OF MY COLLECTION.
    I WILL BE LISTING ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM MY "CONTROL PANEL" PAGE ON EBAY.
    MY EBAY USER ID IS worldbirdcoins.
    IT WILL TAKE ME MANY DAYS TO LIST EVERYTHING, SO IF YOU DON'T SEE IT LISTED, JUST WRITE ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN.
    YOU CAN CONTACT ME THROUGH THIS WEBSITE, THROUGH EBAY MESSAGES, OR WRITE ME AT bkdeeds@yahoo.com
    IF THE PRICES ON EBAY ARE TOO HIGH, JUST WRITE ME AND MAKE ME AN OFFER.
    THANKS
  17. THE WELSH DRAGON
    PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
    AS YOU MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT KNOW, I DELETED ALOT OF MY COMPETITIVE SETS ALITLLE WHILE AGO. SO, I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY SOMETHING NEW.
    AFTER TWO DAYS OF PLAYING AROUND WITH THE WEBSITE, I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE AND ADD TO MY CUSTOM SET (I AM ALMOST WORTHLESS WITH A COMPUTER).
    I AM JUST GETTING STARTED WITH ADDING COINS AND PICS TO IT. I HAVE ALOT MORE TO GO, BUT I WANTED TO ASK ALL OF YOU WHAT YOU THOUGHT BEFORE I GOT TOO FAR ON IT.
    THE CUSTOM SET IS CALLED "BIRDS OF THE WORLD". I'M NOT REALLY SURE IF I COMPLETELY LIKE THE WAY I HAVE IT SET UP. AND, BEFORE ANYONE TELLS ME, I ALREADY KNOW MY PICS SUCK. I HOPE TO WORK ON THAT LATER AFTER I HAVE THE SET MOSTLY DONE. I WOULD LOVE TO BE AS GOOD AS ALAN LASTUFKA AT PICS. HOLY , THE PICS IN HIS "The Symphony Set" ARE UNBELEIVEABLE.
    BUT AS FOR THE SET-UP OR ORDER OR DESCRIPTIONS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
    THANKS,
    BRETT
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  18. THE WELSH DRAGON
    After all, the whole reason for this is to show off ones collection.
    Been here for a few years now. The few that know of me might remember some of my custom sets. But I made the mistake of selling everything and now I'm starting all over. I'm not really feeling the "competitive" side of it all anymore. So I started a new custom set.
    I am about half way into it. But after looking at it, I find it a little cluttered. Which brings me to the reason for this letter.
    I was wondering if some of you fellow collectors out there would have any input on what way would be most interesting way to do a custom set. Like I said, after all, we are all on here to proudly present our collections in the way that is most interesting.
    Sooooooooo, right now I have one large set that includes all my bird coins. But I was wondering if it would be better to break it up into smaller sets, such as:
    Birds from each country (i.e.)
    Bird coins of New Zealand
    Bird coins of Canada
    And so on
    -OR-
    Sets of each species (i.e.)
    Duck coins of the World
    Kingfisher coins of the World
    And so on
    Every different idea has its pros and cons. But maybe one way would be more appealing than the others.
    I get to look at my coins every day, so I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what would be cool when they look at them.
    Sorry if this is just one giant run-on sentence.
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  19. THE WELSH DRAGON
    This letter was sent to me on July 6th....
     
    Hello Mr. Deeds,
    I am disappointed to learn this has happened again and I apologize for the inconvenience to you. Of course you may send them back to be corrected at no cost to you.
    In addition to speaking with our encapsulation and QC personnel, NGC President, Rick Montgomery is now involved and we have prepared a set of criteria for all of our graders and QC specialists to follow to see that this does not continue. You are welcome to note which side up on your submission form -- this information will be provided to the QC specialist.

    We appreciate you taking the time to contact us once again and we look forward to providing the level of service you should expect from NGC.
    Best regards, Dena     That was less than 60 days ago, and it has happened two more times.  The Maundy set that is pictured below is the second time/set that has come back to me like this. If the president of the company can not correct this then I have no idea what to do. 



  20. THE WELSH DRAGON
    Hello Everyone,
    I received my latest order from NGC two days ago with yet another mislabeled coin inside.  
    This was the second time I trusted what customer service had told me, "the graders will catch the mistake". It is also the second time they did not catch it.  Leaving them now with a perfect record of zero for 6. 
    And as you probably already guessed they had entered my newest order with 4 mistakes again (not understanding that the "S" is very important when it comes to clad vs SILVER coins).  So I went back to the old way, like the 15 or so times before, and I called in to ask for the corrections before they were missed again. That phone call was NOT fun in the least bit.  Fun......humm.....ok, back to having fun.
    This is a picture of both sides of my latest headache.  Can anyone out there guess when this coin was minted?  I have two clues:
    1)  It is NOT the year NGC graded it at.
    2)  Queen Elizabeth wasn't put on coins until the year 1953. (What makes it funny is that this is true in like 35 countries!!!)


  21. THE WELSH DRAGON
    I think of British coins like milk, I love them but they hate me. 
    I looked over some of my "best" British coins and pulled out a few that I thought were true winners.  I came up with a 1937 crown that I thought was a sure lock for a 64 and maybe even a 65 if the NGC gods were kind.  But it came back a ordinary 63.  I also sent in a 1895 Florin that I would have bet my car was atleast a 64 and that came back a 63.  And to top it off I had yet another one (1834 farthing) come back in a purple holder, hairline scratches. 
    My hat goes off to all those British collectors, like RMW, who come back with grades I dream of at night.  
    I'm not giving up, I'm staying in the fight, but it sure would be great to be right for just once.  It's still fun anyways.
  22. THE WELSH DRAGON

    NCS guestions - can anyone help?

    By THE WELSH DRAGON,


    NCS QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE WITH HELP
    Hello Everyone,
    I just sent in my first ever NCS submission.  I thought that I was feeling good about it, but as I sit and think I wonder if I even did it right.
    Navigating websites is not one of my strengths.  But I was always impressed with how easy the standard NGC online submission form was to fill out.  However, the NCS form confused me a great deal.
    I have basically 3 questions to the NCS form.  I tried to call NCS once and I also called NGC's customer service for help with the questions, but I actually was more confused after the call.  So, I was wondering if there were any members out there that might know the answers to my questions. 
     
    #1 Problem - I could only enter 15 coins on the form.
    #1 Question - In the (NCS) PDF form, how do you enter more than 15 coins?
    #2 Problem - The "variety" box is so small.  As I enter more words to describe the variety, the words got smaller and smaller to where one couldn't even read what was written.  (Example: Piedfort - Charles Darwin - 200th Anniversary of Birth)
    #2 Question - How can someone add the needed number of words without it turning out so small on the print out?
    #3 Question - Does NCS enter the submission into the system when they receive it like NGC does?  And if so, can I see it in the same "Submission Tracking" page as the NGC orders?
     
    If anyone could help with these questions I would greatly appreciate it. 
    Thank you very much, 
    Brett
  24. THE WELSH DRAGON
    RMW,
    So, I'm trying to use your formula you taught me. And I was wondering if you would be willing to check my work?
    I was looking at a 1940 six pence on ebay. The item # is 122382859421. 
    The surface looks great, but it has zero luster, and the eye appeal is nothe there. But like most post 1900 coins it has a fine strike.
    So, with 2 of the 4 bases covered, do you think a coin like this would come out a 65?
    If you get time please take a look and tell me if I'm understanding things a little better. 
    Thanks
  25. THE WELSH DRAGON
    Hello everyone,
    One of my favorite sets that I have been working on is my Great Britain 1937 - 1965 Crown set. 
    I just finished it, with what I think is the coolest piece in the set,  the 1960 British Exhibition Prooflike. 
    I got lucky and scored a 66, which is top grade, for now anyways.
    On to the next set......