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Texan's Coins

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Journal Entries posted by Texan's Coins

  1. Texan's Coins
    How I've spent it.
    I am starting a new job next week and was lucky enough to be able to take two weeks off in between leaving the old job and starting the new one. My cousin coined this term as being "Fun-Employed".
    Sadly, it has not been 100% fun though, as I have injured 4 fingers during this time. 1. A nasty blister while helping my mom in her yard, 2. A leash burn courtesy of my dog as he needed to sniff a tree, 3. A gash on a finger while helping to build a play house for my niece and 4. What I think is a pulled ligament in my finger while trying to climb a fence to retrieve a tennis ball. I'm getting old....
    But, to the fun stuff. I have had time to completely photograph and organize my collection. My wife and I went to Philadelphia for the day, last Thursday and we went to the Philadelphia Mint. We went about 6 years ago and were HIGHLY disappointed. The layout and presentation were awful and way out of date. To say they have made a complete turnaround is just not good enough. The tour is still self guided, but much more interactive and informative. They give a complete lesson on how a coin is made, from huge coil, to packing and shipping. There are binoculars set up to help you see the coins on the presses, information about the current Mint Engravers, etc etc etc etc..... I was highly impressed and can't wait to go back.
    Well, I hope everyone has a great day and is able to add something to their collection.
     
    Marcus
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  2. Texan's Coins
    My niece and soon, my nephew
    I was reading an article in Coin World about how we need to constantly be thinking of ways to involve young people in the hobby, because they're the future of the hobby.
    My niece is 4 and my nephew will be coming along in a few weeks or so. I figured since I just started a type set for myself, so why not start one for my niece and one day my nephew. Right now, my niece knows what money is, but not really what it's for. She just takes it and puts it in her piggy bank. Luckily slabbed coins won't fit..... In the new few years, I will show her the set that I have built for her and show her that our coinage has a purpose beyond everyday commerce. Hopefully, she will show some interest and this will be something she and her uncle can do together.
    What are some ways that ya'll work to involve young people in our hobby?
     
    Marcus
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  3. Texan's Coins

    Type Sets

    By Texan's Coins,

    Disclaimer** Please take this post for the humor with which it was intended.
    I have come to the conclusion that Type Sets were created for collectors who suffer from PCD (Pretty Coin Disorder). I definitely suffer from it and recently started a Type Set Collection. My internal dialogue with Ebay goes something like this.....
    Me: Wow, that's a gorgeous coin...
    Ebay: Buy it.
    Me: I'm not collecting that series...
    Ebay: Buy it.
    Me: I couldn't afford to finish that set. A lot of those coins are out of my price range.
    Ebay: Buy It!
    Me: I have these other sets that I'm working on.
    Ebay: It will be great for a Type Set....
    Me: YES!!!!
     
    In all seriousness, there are a ton of coins out there that have great histories and stories attached to them. Unless you have a bank account that rivals Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, collecting all of them is unrealistic.
    For me, my Type Set is a fun set that I can add coins to over time if I see a great deal or want a break from another set I have been working on.
    If you suffer from PCD (Pretty Coin Disorder), you're among friends here. Feel free to share your story.
     
    Marcus
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  4. Texan's Coins
    How are you spending your weekend, numismatically speaking?
    I was off this weekend, so after doing some errand running with my wife, I sat down to edit some photos of my recent acquisitions. I took the photos last week, but I haven't had a chance to edit until now. My realization is that as much as I love collecting coins, I'm not a big fan of editing those photos. The sad realization is that I have another stack of coins that needs to be photographed. Sigh...
    I just edited a couple of Presidential Dollars and it got me to thinking. The program ends next year; I think some would say thankfully. I have enjoyed seeing particular presidents come out and I look forward to next year's set, because it includes the Commander In Chief when I was born: Jimmy Carter. (Who was in charge when you were born?)
    In addition, we are coming up on an interesting paradox next year. There are two pieces of legislation that are about to clash. The first is the legislation that authorizes Ronald Reagan to be the last presidential dollar instead of Gerald Ford. The second piece of legislation states that no living person can appear on a coin. Nancy Reagan is still alive and will appear on the First Spouse gold coin.
    As this program draws to a close, what are your thoughts on it?
     
    Marcus
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  5. Texan's Coins

    Coin #500

    By Texan's Coins,

    Halfway to my bucket list goal.
    I recently looked at the overall standing of my collection and realized that I was sitting at 497 coins. I was curious as to what my 500th coin would be. The next day, two coins came in to put me up to 499. The day after, two more coins came in. The package I opened first was my 2014 Kennedy Reverse Proof Half Dollar. It is my first reverse proof and I really like the technique.
    I decided to create a bucket list after watching the movie. I included 100 items. Numismatically, I have 1000 graded coins and to purchase a $10,000 coin at auction one day. I've completed surfing, driving Rt 66, etc. Some of the fun things I have left include walking on hot coals, visiting each state capital (I've been to 12 capitals so far), etc.
    I look forward to one day in the future writing about which coin comes out as #1000.
     
    Marcus
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  6. Texan's Coins
    If it was within your means, what would you collect and why?
    For me, it would be St. Gaudens $20 gold pieces. My high school was named after Theodore Roosevelt and I have enjoyed reading about the relationship between President Roosevelt and Augustus St. Gaudens and how the two of them redeigned our coinage. In addition, how St. Gaudens indirectly affected our coinage through his students; Weinman (Walking Liberty, Mercury), Fraser (Buffalo Nickel) and others. I also love the design and the weight of the coin.
    What about you?
     
    Marcus
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  7. Texan's Coins
    Inflated Prices on Ebay
    Good morning, everyone. I am down to the last two coins in my Modern Commemorative Half set. They are two of the 1996 Olympics coins.
    I have been looking at them for quite some time and the prices are very inflated for some reason. They are consistently listed in the $150 ranges, but NGC's price guide only has them listed around $80 - $90.
    My dilema is whether or not to just suck it up and buy them to complete the set, try to buy them raw and hope for a 69 grade or to continue to wait. Granted, I haven't checked for them in PCGS holders. Maybe they will be listed for less in their holders.
    Any thoughts?
     
    Marcus
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  8. Texan's Coins
    Could you bear to see your collection be sold off?
    I think it's an interesting question. When the collection started being sold off, I was surprised that Mr. Newman was still alive. I have put a lot of time, effort and years into my collection and I honestly don't think I could bear to see it sold off. I think it would be like seeing a child leave you.
    When I pass, if I don't have kids that want to continue the collection, I have left my wife instructions on how and where to sell it off and a reasonable expectation of what the collection would sell for.
    What are your thoughts? Could you see your collection sold off?
    Marcus
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  9. Texan's Coins

    March of Dimes

    By Texan's Coins,

    Get ready for the craziness.
    I just read that the March of Dimes set is going to be a mintage of 75,000. I hope that the mint's website can handle the volume.
    I'm also curious as to why you can't open the box, if you want the special labels. The dimes do not exist outside of this set, so the can't be switched in and out, like the Silver Eagles (Made in SF). I would like to be able to open the box and make sure the mint sent me what I ordered..... Thoughts?
     
    Marcus
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  10. Texan's Coins

    Coin Finds

    By Texan's Coins,

    At Work!
    I work in a credit union, so I am lucky enough to have access to a large supply of coin and currency to look through.
    This morning, I was auditing one of my tellers and I came across a yellowish colored nickel. Immediately, I flipped it over and saw the large 'D' over Monticello. She is is a 1945 Jefferson beauty.
    A member came in and asked if we had any silver dollars. I laughed to myself, thinking that if any ever came in, they would not be going home with anyone but me.
     
    I hope you're all finding something for your collections.
     
    Marcus
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  11. Texan's Coins
    Has derailed.
    So, a week or so ago, I logged in and saw that I lost around 16K points. As we all have seen by now, the Presidential Dollars plummeted, points-wise. I figured it would happen sooner or later. I didn't think that a mass produced modern coin should outscore many classic, lower mintage coins.
    I still like the series though. I like that it is a way to teach about our presidents, I like that it is a set that I can afford to collect in 70 condition and I like that I look up a little nugget of information about each president to go along with my coin and photo.
    Hopefully this will be the US's last attempt at a dollar coin without getting rid of the dollar bill.
    ***On another note, when I lived in Dallas, the Bush Presidential library was opened and was attended by the 5 living presidents. I looked it up and the largest number of living presidents is 5 (This group ties a previous group). If George H.W. and Jimmy Carter can hold on another year and a half, they'll break the record.
     
    Happy Collecting,
    Marcus
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  12. Texan's Coins

    Ebay Wish List

    By Texan's Coins,

    How I would love to be able to search.
    Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing well. I made my regular coin purchases this morning, but I had a great day at work, so I figured I would treat myself to an extra indulgence. I made an offer on a Morgan Silver Dollar and I purchased a MS 66 Buffalo Nickle for my Type Set.
    As I was searching, a few thing became very obvious to me. Prices vary ridiculously on EBay. New collectors and veteran collectors alike need to be patient and observant to avoid overpaying.
    The second thing is that while I love that Ebay will no longer accept replica coins, I wish they would get rid of misleading descriptions. Particularly with the Morgans, there are a ton of sellers who push that a coin is a VAM, even though the holder does not recognize it. I believe these should be taken down from being able to be sold. Also, the use of the word Rare, when the coin is not rare for the mintage, condition or availability.
    The third thing, is that I would love to be able to exclude "Details" coins from the results. While these coins have their place for authentication purposes, I don't want any in my collection. I was browsing through Large Cents and there are a ton of them there. I understand why a lot of those types would be graded Details ie. Improperly Cleaned because of differing standards of how to preserve your collection over the years; Scratched, etc, but if I am going to spend money on a coin, I want a grade. That is my preference. I would love to be able to filter out all of the Details Slabs.
     
    Well, that is it for now. I hope you all enjoy your collecting endeavors over the coming days and weeks.
     
    Marcus
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  13. Texan's Coins

    Coin Shopping

    By Texan's Coins,

    Good evening, everyone.
    It was a long day today, so I'm going to go to bed earlier than normal. I read from The Numismatist for a little bit and I decided to see if I could find any bargains on Ebay using the Ending Soonest search.
    I find it enjoyable to see coins that will go into my collection and to take a one shot stab at them. My budget is a little tight right now, so I win some, I lose some. I see a lot of other coins that I would love to have, but I have fun.
     
    Happy collecting.
     
    Marcus
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  14. Texan's Coins

    Registry Awards

    By Texan's Coins,

    Holy Cow!
    I was awarded one of the journal awards. I'm surprised and humbled. I am so happy with the way my collection is progressing and I love reading and posting on here. This is an unexpected bonus.
     
    Happy Collecting, everyone!
    Marcus
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  15. Texan's Coins

    Type Set

    By Texan's Coins,

    Finally Started
    Good evening, everyone. It has been awhile since I have posted a journal. I hope everyone is well.
     
     
     
    I received an email from NGC last week stating that if I didn't add any coins to my 20th Century Type Set, it would be deleted. I registered the set, but I had a hard time starting it, because I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to go about collecting it. Did I want all the same grade? Same grade range? I created a case of Paralysis By Analysis.
     
     
     
    Well, the email was enough to get me going. I decided that I would collect the set by the best coin I can get for under $75 - $100. I know that with some of the coins, I will eventually have to shell out more to get a decent coin, but it will be fun to see how far I can go with that price point.
     
     
     
    My first two purchases are a 1939 Mercury Dime in MS67 and a 1943 Walking Liberty Half in MS63. I look forward to adding more to what I anticipate to be a very fun collection.
     
     
     
    Happy collecting!
     
     
     
    Marcus
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  16. Texan's Coins

    Hello Everyone

    By Texan's Coins,

    Long time no chat
    I hope everyone is doing well. My car decided that it needed some attention, so it figured it would suck some money out of my wallet.
     
     
     
    Things are back to normal, so I picked up a few coins on Friday. My 1881 S Morgan Dollar came in yesterday and hopefully I will have a couple of Silver Commemoratives and a 2014 Sacagawea in the mailbox when I get home. I have missed adding acquisitions to my set, but look forward to getting back up to speed. There is so much to collect and only 60 or so more years to collect them. (That would put me at 95)
     
     
     
     
     
    Happy collecting!
     
     
     
    Marcus
     
     
     
     
     
    P.S. I don't know where Kamakazy is from, but I appreciate his use of the word Howdy in his journal subject.
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  17. Texan's Coins
    My collection when I'm gone
    I was talking to my wife about the Eric Newman collection that was recently auctioned off. I told her about how a lot of his great coins were purchased for less than $100. I think we got about 6 good miles before she put in her headphones and told me the conversation was over.
    I also thought about how gut wrenching it must be for Mr. Newman to watch his life's work be broken up. Even though the proceeds are going toward the advancement of numimatics, I don't think I could bear to watch. I have given my wife instructions on how to disperse of my collection, if our future kids choose not to keep it, but I want to be long gone before that ever happens.
     
    On a happier note, we received a shipment of $20s for the ATMs last week. As we were verifying the shipment, I of course, was looking for stars and serial numbers. I found four good ones: MH19851985A, MH19871987A, MH19861986A and MH19861201A. The last note, the 201 in the bottom right corner has a really nice smear, which I believe happened at the BEP.
    I hope you're all finding what you need and more importantly WANT for your collections.
     
    Marcus
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  18. Texan's Coins
    Odds and ends
    I've had some random coin related thoughts since my last journal that I thought I would share.
    I helped out at a different branch today. Evidently, to my dismay, someone deposited 40 Morgan Dollars there. The depositor didn't know what he had and the branch didn't realize their value either. Unfortunately, someone got them before I did. A day late and a Morgan Dollar short.
    I am working on a 20th Century type set folder for my niece. She saw me pUtting coins into it on Friday. She sat down in front of me and was very fascinated. I'm not sure if she she was truly interested or if she just saw "money" for her piggy bank. She will be 3 in August, so she has some time before she gets them.
    Speaking of type sets, I had a surprisingly hard time finding coins for the MS Buffalo short set I wanted to start, so I am going to finally pull the trigger on a 20th Century Type Set. I am going to build it slowly with as many Top Pops as I can reasonably afford. I look forward to adding my first coin to it.
    That is it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the hobby in some way this week. I know I am enjoying looking at a lot of your sets.
     
    Marcus
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  19. Texan's Coins
    I am a lucky man
    I went to lunch with my wife this afternoon, a decision I am regretting at the moment, since my stomach isn't feeling so great right now....
    As we were talking, I told her that I had planned to start a Buffalo short set, but I am for some reason having trouble finding graded coins from that time frame. She then asked, "is that because the date tends to wear off, since it is one of the higher points on the coin?"
    How did I get so lucky?
     
    Marcus
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  20. Texan's Coins
    Courtesy of my brother
    My brother was over one day when a coin came in for me; a proof Jefferson nickel. I showed it to him and he says , "So what is your collection worth? $35?" I stopped for a second and asked him if he was referring to the face value. He laughs and replies, yes. I had never thought about it before, but after 8+ years of collecting, my collection is worth less than $200. . It is always interesting to get a different point of view on something. Happy collecting, everyone!
    Marcus
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  21. Texan's Coins
    A number of observations.
    First, again, Whitman delivered a great convention. There were a lot of dealers there with incredible inventory. I saw a lot more paper money and certified coins than I had seen in other shows in the past. There were dealers large and small, as well as the US Mint.
    The original plan was for me wife to come to Baltimore with me. She was going to do some shopping while I went to the convention. Since it was raining, she decided to come inside with me for a little bit. To my surprise, she stuck with me the whole time. She was even interested in what was there and my stories about different coins! I was impressed.
    I picked up a couple of Morgans for my registry set and some BU coins for the 20th Century Type Set folder that I plan to give to my niece for her birthday in August. I also saw a good number of dealers who were taking the time to talk to and teach kids at their tables. It seems that one boy will be spending some time washing dishes to pay his parents back for a coin they bought him.
    One thing that concerned me is regarding the new baseball HOF commem. I dealer told me that the 500k mintage sold out in just a few days. He had a good number of slabbed coins. I'm curious as to how he had slabs of a coin that was just released 3 days ago. Also, he told me that from what he has heard, not many of the Half Commems were sent to PCGS for slabbing, creating a "rarity" situation. That makes me think people will offer them at a premium, despite the fact that neither the coin, nor the grade is rare. Again, speculators are doing a number on our hobby.
    Overall, I had a great time and look forward to their June show.
    Marcus
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  22. Texan's Coins

    Hobbies

    By Texan's Coins,

    A continuation of W.K.F's journal.
    W.K.F. Gave us a well written piece about the hobby that we all enjoy and I truly enjoyed reading it. However, he left out the most important aspect of our hobby.... Justifying it to our spouses! (Please take what follows as the satire it is intended to be)
    We've all been there; a new coin comes in the mail, you rip the package open, admire it, add it to your registry and start to tell your spouse how great it is and how much it improves your set. Inevitably however, you can see their eyes start to glaze over.
    I will be attending the Whitman show on Saturday and amazingly, my wife agreed to come with me. I anticipate her lasting 5 minutes before she kisses me good bye and heads over to shop at the Inner Harbor. Here are some things I have had to explain to her....
    1. Yes, I was up half the night looking at Morgan, but it's not what you think!
    2. $65 for a dollar coin IS a fantastic deal.
    3. No, the four different coin magazines don't all say the same thing.
    4. Planning our vacation around visits to all the mints will be a lot of fun.
    There are others, but I would love to hear yours as well. Happy collecting, everyone!
    Marcus
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  23. Texan's Coins
    I hope to go on Saturday
    I hope to be able to go on Saturday. I don't have a whole lot to spend, but I enjoy looking. Last time, I spoke with a dealer from San Antonio, my birth city, who had an incredible counterfeit coin collection (Personal collection, not for sale) and a creepy guy who kept trying to buy it. I also saw a collection of 25 consecutively numbered 1899 Black Eagles.
    It was a great time last time and should be this time as well. Happy collecting.
     
    Marcus
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  24. Texan's Coins

    Seeing Stars

    By Texan's Coins,

    Working for a bank paid off again.
    Being a collector, I feel blessed to work at a bank, particularly on days such as last week. We got a cash shipment in and we received two bricks of FED wrapped $1 bills. I always get excited when we receive FED wrapped money, because the possibility of interesting serial numbers is there. This particular instance, there serial numbers were nothing of note, but I did notice that the blue bands on the strap of one set of bills was broken, indicating star notes! Sure enough, once we unwrapped them, a savings withdrawal later, I was the proud owner of 100 consecutively numbered star notes.
    I hope you all have the opportunity for exciting finds.
     
    Marcus
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  25. Texan's Coins

    I've Given Up

    By Texan's Coins,

    I am coming to the end of my Commemorative Half Dollar collection and my nemesis is the 1982 George Washington MS. I want as much of my collection as possible to be NGC graded. (Personal preference)
    Unfortunately, along this entire journey, I have not seen this coin for sale, graded by NGC in MS69. So in an effort to move forward and complete this set, yesterday I gave up and ordered a PCGS specimen. Sigh....
    Oh well. There are worse things in life. I wish all of you the best in your collecting journeys. Happy hunting.
     
    Marcus
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