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thisistheshow

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Journal Entries posted by thisistheshow

  1. thisistheshow

    Choosing flips instead of 2x2s

    By thisistheshow,


    Journals
    I have decided that I am going to use non-Pvc flips,with inserts, for some of my re-organization/first organization of my collection.  As I mentioned in my last journal, I have an eclectic, not too big assortment of world silver coins. The reason that I have these coins is that part of how I enjoy this hobby is by slowly perusing world silver junk bins. So I guess you could call these coins keepers, but for the most part not meant to be slabbed one day - whether for protection or investment.  I currently have about half of these coins in 2x2s and half loose.
     
    For this part of my collection, as I move forward, I really want to be able to let others enjoy them as well (for instance, at a post-apocalypse family get together, that sort of thing) so I want them to be in the flips so I can take them out and let people (or myself) hold them.  
     
    It's funny, if you were to do a verbatim search for  "coin forum flips vs 2x2"  I assume you would get a lot of hits. There are so many collectors, a lot new but many not new like myself, who still struggle with this type of decision.  I think it is important to keep in mind being able to best enjoy what we bought, not just look forward to buying more. For the record, I know that 2X2s are beloved by many, bemoaned by many, and that discussions about crimping your staples know no bounds. I want to be able to write information about each coin, so 2x2s made sense. But the inserts in the flips will do that job as well. Maybe two years ago I bought a small amount of flips with inserts, and I found that there are a few problems.The good ones that won't contaminate your coins have a propensity for eventually cracking, often where you fold them. But I have found that this can be mitigated. A lot of collectors hate flips for the possibility of scratches from going in or out, or from sharp edges after a crack. But I'll take my chances. And I like the idea of not being "tied" to whatever I wrote on a 2x2. With the inserts you can edit as desired or necessary. 
     
    You can get flips in sizes other than 2x2.  I've had to dig a little but I was finally able to find some that are non-Pvc even over sized - meaning not those large flimsy ones you might have run across. This is important because I have a small amount of exonumia I plan to house this way as well. 
     
    Updates will be forthcoming. 
     
     
     
  2. thisistheshow

    My second journal...

    By thisistheshow,


    Journals
    It's been almost two years to the day since my first journal. For any Futurama fans out there, I was just practicing my dramatic........................................................................................................pause!  Anyway... during the last two years I have come a long way in forming the direction my collecting takes, learned quite a bit about the hobby, and had some great experiences.  A few days ago, I came to some realizations that go beyond collecting. First, that it is time to get organized. Second, that it is time to do more writing. As for the writing, the last few years I have been increasingly active online on different forums, but I realized that the NGC Journals are an obvious way to share with my fellow numismatists. And as for the organizing, I have always tended to be a bit disorganized.  For the last two years I have done a great job only buying what I really want ( and a lot of this has been motivated by financial reasons), But I feel that is time to really go through what I have and "house" it differently. So in this journal and hopefully some upcoming, I'd like to talk about what I collect, how I collect it, and what I intend to do with it. 
     
    Washington quarters 32-98 is my favorite series. I started and finished a raw, circulated set of 32-64 Washingtons and have them in a Library of Coins album. Almost every one , except the two keys, was plucked for right around spot out of LCS junk trays. I tried to keep the conditions pretty matched, all pretty crusty. So that is complete and something that I enjoy perusing once in awhile. I do not have any slabbed pieces from those years and I do not intend to do a slabbed set. In the future I will probably pick up some examples, but time will tell.  I really want to finish a set of the clad quarters 65-98. There is a guy who has helped me quite a bit, who I consider a mentor in regards to these. I purchased all but maybe four of the needed quarters from him raw. I have been debating what to do with them. I decided that I want to get the rest from him as well ( will do this next month) and put together a compete set all from him. I plan on housing these raw, mots likely in an older Whitman Bookshelf album. I like the different vintage albums quite a bit.
     
    I have been slowly pulling Type B reverse Washingtons (56-64) from junk bins. I enjoy this variety, and have maybe two or three of each year. It wouldn't make sense to slab them, and I will probably pick up some examples already slabbed in the future. For now these are  in 2x2s. I have a bunch of quarter tubes, and I am thinking of separating them by year into nine different tubes and just filling them as I find them.  I have never found a type C 64D Washington. I may buy one slabbed, just to keep with me as reference, because I just do not think I am great with the pickup points when looking at coins in hand.  I have made a list of about ten date/mm combinations of silver Washingtons which I now look for when going through junk bins. This way I am not tempted to grab just whatever. I find that having a list with me really helps me to better enjoy my time looking and my time post purchase. 
     
    So beyond Washington quarters, I have a small assortment of medals. Nothing crazy. Private mint issued sterling historical stuff from the 60s and 70s Bronze Medallic Art medals. Etc. These are all scattered about and I am still trying to settle on a final way to house these so as to protect them and allow me to enjoy and handle them when I want to. Any suggestions appreciated!
     
    I unfortunately had to sell off my small bullion collection, but I do still have an assortment of 90% that I have been slowly buying as I find it. On that previously mentioned list I also include date/mm combinations of all Barber coinage that I consider a buy in almost any condition. I also snag Barbers that have good rims and/or some decent visible "liberty".  These I am organizing in tubes by denomination and sometimes year, though it is not an extensive amount. 
     
    Whenever I am at an LCS, I like to go through the world silver junk bins if they have one. I have a small eccentric collection of 19th and early 20th century coins that I enjoy. These are mostly loose or in 2x2s. But I have found that I just do not enjoy them in 2x2s. I used to use non-PVC flips. As many of you know, these can and will eventually break from being bent. But I like using them, especially with the insert for information. I will probably go back to these and go through my world coins to separate out any non-keepers.
     
    I certainly have dribs and drabs of other coins, but like I said I have gotten pretty good at only buying what my focuses are. My goal is to, over the next few months, really get down to the "nitty gritty" and condense and organize my collection in a way that I find pleasing. I will end things here. If you made it this far, thank you! Any comments and/or suggestions welcome!
     
     
  3. thisistheshow
    The title of my Journal, and this specific entry, is a takeoff on a series of old Kellogg's Corn Flakes commercials from when I was a kid. In those commercials, someone who had tried the cereal before, and maybe not enjoyed it or appreciated it, tried it again and really did like it. The tagline for the commercials was: "Try them again, for the first time". 
     
    In late 2018, I was on another forum where I responded to a thread about 2019 numismatic resolutions. My response was that I was going to try coin collecting again, for the first time. I think most of us know what I meant when I said that. Most of us made beginner mistakes when first collecting. And, in fact, most of us continue making mistakes even after we are no longer true beginners.  Unfortunately, these mistakes can lead us to have collections which we are not happy or satisfied with. This can lead to even more rash purchases as we try to just get that one coin that will turn around our collections. This scenario can be extrapolated out in many different ways unique to each collector, but nonetheless it is commonplace and relatable.
     
    So I decided to take a step back and try collecting again,for the first time.
    An important early step in this process is writing here in the Journals. I plan to give voice to my goals, lessons, and experiences,  not only to help myself but hopefully to help others.