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Texan's Coins

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Journal Entries posted by Texan's Coins

  1. Texan's Coins

    Online Auction

    By Texan's Coins,

    Question
    First, before I ask my question, I would like to share a find that I made today. I was making a deposit at work today and I found a $1 Silver Certificate. It has been through the wringer, but a fun find, none the less.
    So, this has happened to me twice in the past month with two different sellers, both with feedback of 500 or less. I bid on a coin, lose the auction and receive a second chance offer less than an hour later. To me, it seems like the seller or a friend bid up the price and then offered it to the second highest bidder (me) at their maximum bid. Has this happened to anyone else? I have received second chance offers, but 3-5 days later once the seller has exhausted trying to get the winner to pay.
     
    Marcus
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  2. Texan's Coins

    New Years Day

    By Texan's Coins,

    The Good, the Bad and the YUCK!
    On New Years Day, my wife, sister and I went down to D.C. and visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History. That is the Good. I got to visit my coin collection. (As a tax payer, I consider myself 1/380,000,000 owner of the collection. ) I always love going down to visit the National Numismatic Collection and I will love it even more in 2015 when the expansion is complete. I was telling my sister about some of the histories behind the coins; the 1933 Double Eagle and its clandestine journey, Theodore Roosevelt and Augustus St. Gaudens orchestrating the coin renaissance of the early 20th century. I was like a kid in a candy store.
    The bad. Across the national mall from the American History Museum is what is known as The Castle. There, they had on display another smaller part of the collection, including the 1913 Liberty Nickel. The bad part is that these coins were now packed away. (The new display was fascinating and worth the visit, but not numismatic related)
    The YUCK. Before heading home, we stopped to eat at a food truck. I ordered a burger. After sitting down to eat, I took a couple of bites only to discover that the inside was raw. Not under cooked, raw. I took it back and got a better cooked one, so life ended up ok and I did not get sick.
     
    Overall, a great way to spend the day. If you live in the area or are visiting the area, the Smithsonian Museum system is a fantastic way to spend the day. If you have some time, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing offers a 1st class tour, which if I remember correctly, is free of charge. I plan to head back up to Philadelphia this spring to give the Mint another chance. We went about 6 years ago and were highly disappointed.
    Happy collecting!
     
    Marcus
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  3. Texan's Coins
    Checking in on 2013's goals.
    So as we get ready to watch the ball drop on 2013, I wanted to go back and see how I did on my 2013 goals.
    1. Crack the top 1500 sets. (Ranked 1356) Yaaaa!
    2. Finish my Lincoln Cent collection. (With the exception of 1955 DDO) Yaaaaa!!
    3. Finish my Ike collection. (65% complete)
    4. Get to 33% completion on my Morgan collection. (16% complete. Halfway to that goal)
    5. Keep Kennedy, Sacagawea and Presidential Dollar collections up to date. (Complete) Yaaaa!!
    6. Finish my Commemorative Half collection. (81% Complete but gaining steam)
    7. Extend my Commemorative Dollar collection. Any percentage of completion is fine. (Did not add to this collection)
    8. Attend at least one major Baltimore show. (I went to the Summer Whitman Show) Yaaa!
    9. Save up money to attend the 2014 January FUN show. (Will not happen unfortunately)
    10. Start a Silver American Eagle Set. (Added two Eagles, one of which is no longer part of the set....) Yaaa!
    So, in all I completed 5 out of 10 of my goals. Not too bad, considering I was out of work longer than I expected after the move. On the last day of the year, here is my list of goals for 2014.
    1. Make reservations to attend the 2015 FUN Convention.
    2. Finish my Commemorative Half Dollar collection.
    3. Finish my Ike Dollar collection.
    4. Add at least 7 coins to each set of Morgan Dollars, Peace Dollars, Commemorative Dollars and Silver Eagles.
    5. Attend ANA Worlds Fair of Money in August.
    6. Participate in a live auction.
    7. Take Lincoln and Jefferson proof sets to 50% completion.
    8. Find a Maryland coin club.
    9. Start a Buffalo Nickel Short Set.
    10. Complete a 20th Type Set Coin folder for my 2 year old niece.
     
    Lots of coins to collect there. I worry about the Chicago trip. I have never had a good experience flying into Chicago. Most of what I have seen of the airport has been at a full sprint from flight delays.
    Happy collecting and Happy New Year everyone. I hope your year is full of good health and small round metal.
     
    Marcus
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  4. Texan's Coins

    Question for debate

    By Texan's Coins,

    Toned coins
    A lot of the toned coins we know today are a result of the coin boards of yesteryear. I would imagine these old coin boards could still be found if you looked hard enough. My question is, would the grading companies consider them artificially toned nowadays? What are your thoughts?
    Merry Christmas to all and to all a new / old (Depending on your preference) coin!
    Marcus
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  5. Texan's Coins

    Checking in.

    By Texan's Coins,

    Coming up on the end of the year.
    Hello everyone. I don't get to check in as often as I would like, but I have kept up my collecting. I just added the MS Olympics Baseball coin to my set today and I ordered the 5 Star General PF coin last night. Once I get that one in, I will have 9 coins to go, to finish my Commemorative Half Collection. My Eleanor (For those of you familiar with the movie Gone In 60 Seconds" is the 1982 George Washington MS in 69. So far, I have only been able to find it in that grade in a PCGS holder. I have 8 coins to go before my hand is forced, but if I get to the end, I will get the coin in a PCGS holder to complete the set.
    I will post again before the end of the year to review my 2013 goals and present my 2014 goals. I will talk to you all soon. Happy collecting!
     
    Marcus
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  6. Texan's Coins

    Checking In

    By Texan's Coins,

    It's been awhile.
    Good evening, everyone. It's been awhile since I've had the time to be on here, so I thought I would check in and say hello.
    I am slowly getting settled into Maryland. The weather is getting colder, so I've had to buy a real coat for the first time in a long while. It took me a little longer that I would have thought to get a new job up here, but I am settling in nicely there as well. I have been buying coins to slowly plug holes in a few ongoing sets. I received two Commemorative Half Dollars this evening; the PF and MS WWII coins. Now, I am only 10 coins away from completing that set. I think I will focus on it the rest of the year and try to get it completed in the first quarter of next year.
    I would still like to start a Buffalo Short Set, but I'm not sure which grade I would like to collect it in. I like for my sets to be consistent in terms of grade, which for newer sets isn't a problem. My dilemma is that within the Buffalos, there are years that I can get in very high grades, but some that I would only be able to afford in Fine or lower. That's a large gap. This is what I would refer to as a First World Problem. I will worry about it next year.
    I hope everyone is doing well and that Santa fills your stockings with slabs instead of coal.
     
    Marcus
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  7. Texan's Coins
    I made it to Maryland.
    I am now in Maryland. I decided with a little bit of time left before I start work, I would go to the Whitman Coin Expo in Baltimore. I was very impressed. I have never seen so many paper money dealers with a ton of great stock.
    Also, I ironically saw a bunch of dealers in Dallas that I couldn't seem to find when I lived there. Oh well.
    What I was kind of surprised to not see was coin clubs. I was hoping to meet up with one.
    I hope everyone is doing well. Happy collecting.
     
    Marcus
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  8. Texan's Coins
    Is the mint serious?
    Well first, my wife and I have sold our house and will be moving to Maryland on May 21st. We're very excited to be back closer to family.
     
    Now, I just looked at the mint website to see when the two coin West Point Eagle set is going to be released. I was absolutely shocked at the price tag: $139!! I can't believe they're charging that much for two ounces of silver.
    I'm sure they'll have a good selling, but it will be awhile before I get them on the secondary market...
     
    Happy collecting,
    Marcus
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  9. Texan's Coins
    Just a formality now
    I won the 1941 D Lincoln cent yesterday to bring to a close, my 1934 - 1958 business strike Lincoln Cent collection. The only exception will be the 1955 DDO. That one will stay blank for awhile.
    I have been working on this set off and on for about 5 years, but have really been grinding it down over the past year and a half or so. In about a week when the mailman drops it off, it will be finished.
     
    Happy collecting,
    Marcus
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  10. Texan's Coins
    A rattler
    Good morning, everyone. I wanted to see if anyone could help me out with this.
    I bought a coin a couple of weeks ago. The coin looks great, but it's sitting at a bit of an angle in the holder. I've tried tapping it a bit to see if I could get it reseated, but it hasn't worked.
    Does anyone know if NGC will reslab it for free, or whether there would be a charge?
    Thank you for your help.
    Marcus
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  11. Texan's Coins
    With a silver lining
    We were wondering today if there was an extra full moon out. Our clients have been extra crazy today, so to speak.
    A few minutes ago, we had a client ask for some rolls of coin for their business. As I was about to hand him 4 rolls of dimes, I see a Mercury Dime reverse staring at me! I put it back saying that it looked a little short and gave him another roll.
    When he left, I ripped the roll open and it was a 1936. Not too shabby of a find. Now I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of it before ripping it out of the package. Kid in the candy store syndrome, I guess. Oh well. As soon as I have a chance, I'll go out to my car and get a dime so I can put my new Mercury in my pocket.
    Happy collecting, everyone!
     
    Marcus
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  12. Texan's Coins

    Lincoln Cents

    By Texan's Coins,

    A bit of a detour
    Good morning. I've kept ya'll up to date on my quest to finish my Lincoln Cent collection. Since my wife likes to sleep in on Sundays, I sat down at the laptop and browsed around Ebay.
    I am down to the last 4 coins (Minus the 55 DDO) and have not seen any of them come up for auction. Because of that and my desire to finish the set and move on, I searched PCGS graded coins. I added the 1952 and 1952 D. The bad news is that these are a different grading company from the rest of the set, but the good news is that they are the same grade and that's what I think is important.
    So, that just leaves me with the 1941 D and the 1952 D. I saw the 52 by PCGS also, but it's a little much for me to pay right now. If it's still around for my next paycheck, I'll snap it up.
    I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
     
    Happy collecting.
    Marcus
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  13. Texan's Coins
    I have a problem.....
    Hello, my name is Marcus and I love everyone's sets. I come here to the message boards and I read about people's love for the set they are working on. In reading their excitement, it makes me want to start up a similar set, even though I have sets that I am working hard to complete.....
     
    I write all this in fun. However, I do enjoy reading about everyone's love of what they are collecting. The passion keeps me moving forward in my sets and the knowledge I gain from everyone keeps my gears turning, thinking about what my next endeavor will be once I do knock some of these sets out.
     
    I hope you all have a great weekend of collecting!
     
    Marcus
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  14. Texan's Coins

    Bombshell

    By Texan's Coins,

    Key Coins
    I was cruising around Ebay today looking for coins for my Commemorative Half set and I noticed that I have not seen the 1982 Washington coin in MS69... ever. Unfortunately, I can not see the population reports without a paid NGC membership, but by looking at all the sets, I found the writing on the wall.
    I looked at the #1 set and that person only has a MS69. I take that to mean MS70 either does not exist or is very, very scarce. The #34 set "only" has a MS68. That means that if the same holds true for the PCGS registry, then there are only around 75 MS69s or so in existence....
    So I'll go ahead and add a MS68 to my collection and chalk this one up as a coin I may never see on the market. But, as President Kennedy said about us going to the moon, we choose this hobby for the challenge, not because it is easy. (Rough translation. )
     
    Happy collecting, even for those coins we may rarely see.
     
    Marcus
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  15. Texan's Coins

    Gold and Silver

    By Texan's Coins,

    In freefall?
    I've been keeping an eye on the movements of gold and silver as of late. In my short 33 years, this is my first "real recession" as a working adult. My wife and I have been lucky enough to have stable jobs, so it hasn't affected us as much as other people in the country.
    One of the things that I've formed an opinion about is that gold seems to be a "worry investment". As the stock market plummeted, more and more people got into gold and silver. Now that the DOW is back over 14,000, gold and silver seem to be headed back down. Gold is down around $200 over the last 60 days.
    I certainly don't have the money to buy up ounces and ounces at a time, but over the last few months, I have been spending around $200 - $250 a month buying small amounts of gold and silver. I plan on using dollar cost averaging to sell high during the next recession, on average, 10 years or so from now.
    Does anyone have thoughts about whether this current drop is correctional, or whether it is a sign that prices are headed back down for awhile? Also, where do you think they may bottom out?
     
    Marcus
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  16. Texan's Coins

    Opinion, Please

    By Texan's Coins,

    1950 P Lincoln Cent
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/221187244199?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1431.l2649
    I wanted to see if I could get some opinions on this particular coin. It is one of 3 that remain in my 1934 - 1958 Lincoln Wheat Set. I haven't seen one of these come up for sale in months. However, it is currently sitting at $75 with 3 days to go and NGC's price guide values it at $20.....
    The pros are that it has nice eye appeal with the red toning and it may be awhile before I find it in this grade again. (MS 65)
     
    Would anyone out there suggest pulling the trigger on it, or waiting awhile? I appreciate the opinions.
     
    Marcus
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  17. Texan's Coins
    Don't miss out on opportunities.
    I found out today that Alan Herbert, author of NN's "Coin Clinic" column passed away recently. I enjoyed reading his column and was amazed at the information he could track down about the most obscure coin questions.
    I urge anyone who just glances at the chat boards on occasion to get to know some of the people on here. They are great people who love to talk about the hobby that we all share.
    And let's face it. How many of our family members understand when we spend a couple hundred dollars on a quarter or cent?
    I wish all of you luck in your collecting endeavors.
     
    Marcus
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  18. Texan's Coins

    Off from work

    By Texan's Coins,

    Having some remodeling done.
    Well, I took today off from work to have our bathtubs refinished. The smell is horrendous! It will be worth it though, because we are pushing to list our house on the market Friday. Cross your fingers for us.
    In the mean time, I am in the living room looking at coins. I like the ending soonest filter on Ebay. I am getting a few great deals. However, I did miss out on one, because I was watching a Michael Jackson video on youtube while I was waiting for an auction to end. Don't let Michael Jackson ruin your coin collection.
    I am flying up to New York city next week to visit my in-laws. Are there any items of numismatic interest that anyone would recommend checking out? I would appreciate any suggestions.
     
    Happy collecting.
    Marcus
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  19. Texan's Coins

    Patience

    By Texan's Coins,

    A virtue I don't have, but could probably use.
    I was bored a few nights ago, so I decided to look around everyone's favorite auction site, Ebay. Usually when I buy coins I look for the lowest Buy It Now price. I don't like to wait for auctions to end. Well, this night, I decided to search by Ending Soonest and as I was searching, I noticed the Civil War Commemorative Half, a coin I had never seen before in the Buy It Now offerings. I made a couple of bids and won it.
    It was kind of exhilirating actually. I won a few more coins for much less than some of the Buy It Now prices I have seen and have some more bids that are ending tomorrow. I should be careful and make sure I don't go overboard....
     
    Marcus
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  20. Texan's Coins

    Getting Closer

    By Texan's Coins,

    Almost there
    My 1934 - 1958 Lincoln Wheat set is getting closer. I just received and added the 1935 S and have the 1949 D en route. The 1935 S is in an old holder. This is my first old NGC holdered coin. The case is smaller and thicker than the rest of my coins and the serial number is one shorter as well. In this 25th year of NGC, it's a pretty cool piece.
    So, minus the 1955 DDO, which will stay enpty for some time, I am down to 7 coins needed to complete this set. I've been working on it for over four years, so I'm ready to finish it out.
     
    Marcus
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  21. Texan's Coins
    Food for thought.....
    Since boxes for slabbed coins hold 20 coins, wouldn't it be nice if coin sets were in multiples of 20's?
     
    Are there any other "deep" thoughts out there?
     
    Marcus
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  22. Texan's Coins
    A little free time.
    I found myself with some free time last night, so I pulled out the coins I had recently purchased, along with my camera, light box and lights and set about taking photos of them to add to this site.
    Not too far into it, I bumped one of the lights off my coffee table, onto the floor. When I picked it up, nothing was broken, but the light wouldn't come back on. I'll start my search for a new bulb after work today to see if I can finish up. Such is life, though.
    I hope everyone has a good collecting week.
     
    Marcus
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  23. Texan's Coins

    2012 into 2013

    By Texan's Coins,

    Thank goodness the Mayans didn't get us.
    So as 2012 draws to a close, I wanted to take a look back. My goal for 2012 was not very rigid. I knew that I was not going to collect as heavily, because I wanted to build my photography gear, which I did. I bought some coins here and there as money permitted and I kept my Kennedy and Sacagawea collections current. I ended the year a little heavier, working on my Lincoln 1934 - 1958 Wheat collection. I am down below 10 coins needed. (Not counting the 1955 DDO.) I went to the ANA show in Dallas, which was a lot of fun. Also, I started a few new collections; MS Ikes and proof Lincoln Cents and proof Jefferson Nickels.
    So as I look forward to 2013, my wife and I are planning to move back to the east coast, a move we are hoping will take place around the end of January or the beginning of February. Even with this, I plan to go deeper into the hobby. My goals for 2013 are as follows.
     
    1. Crack the top 1500 sets.
    2. Finish my Lincoln Cent collection.
    3. Finish my Ike collection.
    4. Get to 33% completion on my Morgan collection.
    5. Keep Kennedy, Sacagawea and Presidential Dollar collections up to date.
    6. Finish my Commemorative Half collection.
    7. Extend my Commemorative Dollar collection. Any percentage of completion is fine.
    8. Attend at least one major Baltimore show.
    9. Save up money to attend the 2014 January FUN show.
    10. Start a Silver American Eagle Set.
     
    Whew! That's a lot. That should keep me focused for the year. It should be a lot of fun working on these collections. Good luck to each of you in your collecting endeavors.
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
     
    Marcus
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  24. Texan's Coins

    Lincoln Cents

    By Texan's Coins,

    Getting Closer
    On Thursday I purchased three more coins for my 1934 - 1958 Lincoln Wheat set. I think that will put me around 86% complete.
    Other that the 1955 DDO which is out of my current price range, some of these coins are getting hard to find in MS65. That may pose a dilema. Although MS65 isn't the highest grade I can afford, it is the highest grade I could afford while keeping the set all one grade. I may have to look into MS66 for the last few coins that I just can't find. We'll see what happens when I get to that point.
    Happy Collecting, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy Kwanza!
     
    Marcus
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  25. Texan's Coins
    Dallas, TX
    Today was the last day of the ANA National Money Show in my backyard of Dallas, TX. Today was the only day I was able to go, but I had a fantastic time.
    The day started with me taking the light rail to the convention center. A nice ride and with traffic from the closing weekend of the state fair, it was nice to not have to drive. When I arrived, I went and paid my admission which included a show guide and a copy of the Numismatist. All the ANA volunteers were top notch great people who were happy to help.
    I started my bourse visit by visiting HW Wood insurance to ask about insuring my collection. A quick application and ANA membership purchase later, my application for insurance is on its way. It's a nice feeling knowing that if my years of hard work are stolen, I won't have to come out of pocket to rebuild.
    After that, I started wandering around the dealers tables, up one row and down the next. Yesterday, I printed the dealer list and highlighted the ones that I definitely wanted to stop by. Most of my money went to a dealer from San Antonio. He was a very nice gentleman who had a large selection of NGC slabbed coins, had time to talk to his customers and was very nice to the kids who came up to look. As he an I were talking, the chat turned to counterfeit coins and he produced his collection of counterfeit coins, including a "1900 Silver Eagle". It was very interesting to see the workmanship and lack thereof of some of these coins. When I finished looking at them, a man came up and asked to look. When he was finished, he asked to buy some of them. The dealer's answer was an emphatic no; it was his collection and he obviously couldn't sell them because they were not stamped copy and he did not want to stamp them copy. The dealer was a lot more polite than I would have been after the dozen times the man asked to buy the coins.....
    In addition to my purchases, I took a look at the museum collection that the ANA brought down, including among other rarities, a 1907 Ultra High Relief St. Gaudens, Republic of Texas Currency, an 1804 Silver Dollar, a 1955 Lincoln DDO, which is the first one I have seen in person. Also there, was the George Walton 1913 Liberty Nickel. I have seen the Smithsonian specimen, but this being the lost brother of the other 4 in the special holder was fantastic to see. Lastly, I saw my first in person Hobo Nickel. Not overly valuable, but each, a work of art.
    That's about it. I added 4 coins to my Washington Silver Quarters, 3 coins to my 1934 - 1958 Lincolns, 1 coin to my Morgans and started a Peace Dollar collection (1 coin) and Ike dollar collection (2 Coins).
    All in all, a great show. I'll have to check the schedule to see when there will be another ANA convention near me. My goal for the next one I attend will be to purchase something at auction. Wish me luck and thanks for reading.
     
    Marcus
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