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marknich-migration

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Journal Entries posted by marknich-migration

  1. marknich-migration
    LIKE THE REST OF YOU I THOUGHT THE PRESIDENTIALS WERE OF QUESTIONABLE QUALITY. WAIT TILL YOU SEE A 70!!
    Thats right, an honest to goodness 2007-P MS70 Washington Dollar. check it out and let me know what you think!
    ebay item # 190085759396
    ok before you go and then yell at me for wasting your time, it looks like a grade your own special slab. Do people really think people will bid on it as if it were a genuine MS70? Whenever I see those I laugh.
  2. marknich-migration
    What a week I am having! I have added a bunch of perfect coins either NGC & PCGS graded for prices I couldn't believe!
    2003P First Flight $1 NGC PF70,(nowhere near what numismedia quotes or what teletrade shows as the recent prices realized). All the bald eagles for the mint price + about $10. That includes: 2008W Bald Eagle $5 PCGS MS70, 2008W Bald Eagle $5 PCGS PR70, 2008W Bald Eagle $1 PCGS MS70, 2008W Bald Eagle $1 NGC MS70, 2008W Bald Eagle $1 NGC PF70, Also a 1991W Mt Rushmore $5 PCGS MS70 (again so far less than numismedia quotes it is embarrassing), 2008-W silver eagle PF 70 for $50, 2001 P&D Bison PCGS MS70 (so cheap I can't believe they are real...but they are).
    What the heck is going on?
    Are people so desperate for money they are "blowing out" their collections? Did the Numismatic Market explode and I am the last to know, buying at what I think are ridiculous prices when actually I am the sucker?
    Whatever the reason, I am grateful I have some disposable income right now to pick up what I perceive are incredible bargains. Is anyone else having these kinds of experiences or is it just pure stinking dumb luck of the Irish God smiled on me got a horseshoe up my rubbed the belly of the Buddha cant believe my eyes luck?
  3. marknich-migration
    These are the world famous "spy" coins. Seems our government thought the Canadians were using these coins to spy on us using nano technology embeded in these quarters.
    Turned out it was just a mesh used to prevent the red from rubbing off. No wonder we can't find Osama..too busy checking out our neighbors to the North!. I can't find a way to Value these. There is no website like PCGS price guide to see what high grade canadian Quarters sell for. Any thoughts on how I can find out the value?

  4. marknich-migration
    This has nothing to do with suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune....but everything to do with spending a fortune grading coins I shouldn't grade! I have gotten quite good at picking out some coins for grading...but the state quarters still elude me!
    My process for selecting coins to grade is a good one, with 1 exception. It requires my judgement! I'm posting a pic to ask for advice. does the area at the bottom of George's neck say "don't grade this it will be a MS63? OR IS IT A MINOR FLAW THAT WILL COST YOU 2-3 GRADE POINTS? I have at least a dozen coins like this. Basically flawless except for this area. To grade or not to grade...help me out experts!

  5. marknich-migration
    Ijust saw an eBay ad for a 2006-W silver Eagle SGS MS70. Besides being graded by SGS there was one catch...anyone want to guess?
    That's right it was an SGS MS70 2006-W Silver Eagle.....without the W mint mark. Did they make one like that? I thought if a coin was missing a mint mark it was a P. Am I wrong, or is SGS THAT BAD? I know the mint has 2006-p silver eagles with no mint mark. They have 2006-p with mint mark (the reverse proof)and 2006-W with the mint mark both in the 20th anny and out....but they didn't make a W with no mint mark did they??? Tell me if I am wrong!
     
    here it is!

  6. marknich-migration
    I must be getting better at choosing which coins to submit!
    2 $5 ms70 jamestowns, 1 $5 pf70uc congress, 7 $1 ms70 jamestowns, 3 ms69 jamestowns, 1 $1 pf69uc library of congress, 1 $1 pf69uc congress. The best part is I predicted the exact grades when I sent them! I knew at least 3 jamestowns (maybe 4)would be 69's and knew both the silver congress were probably not 70's (although I did hope they might be I put them down as 69). My new method of "self grading" seems to be working! I am sure I'll get Questions, so here is how I decided what to send in. Eyeballed them first discarding any with obvious flaws. Examined the rest with a magnifying glass, again discarding the flawed coins. Photographed the rest, discarded a few whose flaws I had missed. Then sent the coins I thought were 69 and above to be graded. I discarded 11 and sent 15 for grading. 3 that normally would have made the cut were caught by the camera! I'm curious if I do as well on my next submission which has only 2 gold coins and 12 different varieties. I am hopefully done spending $15 grading a $12 coin, or spending $15 to grade a coin I bought for $30 to discover it is worth $25. The real test will come when I have to send in some 2005 bison nickels, presidential dollars, and business strike state quarters. None will be perfect....will I be able to identify the elusive 67-68's. I'll let you know. No pics as I am in Florida and my coins are at home in Michigan!
  7. marknich-migration
    I am trying to decide whether to send my presidentials in for grading or just buy them graded off ebay
    So far there is no pop info on the presidentials. Most of mine do not look like they will grade high. Lucky if I have a 68, probably 67-65. Looks like the 65's are selling for less than the grading fees. I stopped buying state quarters because it is cheaper to buy them graded on ebay. I just bought the 2007 silver quarters set for $65 PCGS PR69DCAM. I can't grade them for that, much less buy them and grade them. Of course I lose the chance to maybe get a PF70. I guess it comes down to...will I get enough 70's to make up the losses on all the lower grades. So far it seems better to buy them graded. The same is true for most of the state quarters. I buy a MS67 for less than the grading fee. Will the presidentials be the same way?
    I am interested in what the rest of you think. What is a good grade for the presidentials? Should I bother grading a coin that may be a 65?
    just sent this $10 olympic for grading xing my fingers, looks like a 70 to me

  8. marknich-migration
    I GUESS A LOT FEWER PEOIPLE WILL BE READING MY JOURNAL ENTRIES
    ON THE OTHER HAND, I WON'T HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY MORE "GROWING CONTROVERSIES"! I GUESS YOU TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD!
     
    ONE OF MY FAVORITE COINS AN OUNCE OF PURE SILVER COMMEMORATING OUR LOSS TO MAGIC JOHNSONS LAKERS IN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. CANT BE GRADED, BUT IT IS A PF70 TO ME
    PISTONS SM
  10. marknich-migration
    As I said in an earlier post, PCGS sometimes won't grade a MS70. Look at the pop reports for the 20th anniversary ASE's
    by the way I voted not to let the other graders in. does that make it a shrinking controversy? so now there are 5 votes or 9 votes casted. On to my dilemma...I just acquired a 1999 Yellowstone proof and bus strike collection. my impression is they are perfect. i have used both NGC and PCGS. PCGS has better turnaround (by far) and they tend to sell for more (not imp to me...maybe very imp to my kids 20 yars from now) NGC IS NOT TOUGHER ON GRADES, I JUST BELIEVE PCGS DESCRIMINATES AGAINST THE 70's. PCGS 42 MS 8 PF 70's NGC 255 MS 42 PF. Now the ngc's are supposedly worth $350 each (asking much more on ebay) while the book on PCGS is 800 and 1500. I guess if I follow the numbers it's NGC for grade and PCGS for price. Shoot I already filled out the PCGS forms OH WELL I'll just have to do the paperwork over again!
    MY FAV FRANKLIN NGCPF70
    FRANKSM.JP
  11. marknich-migration
    I read an ad that had the 2007 ASE'S for sale. Graded BU and slabbed by NGC for $21.95!
    The copy said the grading and slabbing by NGC was a $5 value! We all know what's happening. there is no grading. Obviously every ASE is BU. They dont make an ASE for circulation. Any coin directly from the mint and never entered into circulation is BU. NGC is getting $5 for a slab that costs $1. They have a minimum wage worker stuffing and sealing them for the huge coin wholesalers. The people who buy them are not true collectors or investors. They are souvenir scavengers who are buying pretty shiny coins. I don't see it as a compromise of integrity. All they are saying is the coin has never been spent. Like my header says...i have a desk littered with BU presidential dollars I could grade as BU. Sure George looks like he was attacked by a lawnmower and it would grade MS60....but that is a BU grade isn't it. Every dollar they make from the BIG BOYS is a dollar they dont raise my grading fees
    pic is my ms70 20th

  12. marknich-migration
    We all get phished right? At least now I have an address to forward the FC's e-mail to (FC stands for _in criminal)
    webacx@aim.com, comstin78@gmail.com, munte34@yahoo.com all sent me bogus ebay second chance offers. feel free to send them nastygrams. I forwarded their e-mails to spam@uce.gov which is the FTC. They work with the ISP'S to deny these FC'S email and web access, as well as procecute the ones they catch. the other scam was a bit more insidious.....it was an invition to bid on auctions items from universal collectibles. some of their items include:
    1956 PR70 SGS GRADED SLAB SILVER FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR
    Item # 270090757050
    Opening: $30.00
     
    1990 - 1999 SGS MS70 SLABBED SILVER EAGLE SET - 1990s
    Item # 270090757095
    Opening: $150.00
     
    1882 O/S SGS GRADED MS66 MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR O OVER S!
    Item # 270092444637
    Opening: $100.00
     
    how can I resist 9 MS70 Silver Eagles....Oh well I'm done outing the crooks. hope you all have a profitable day
    pic is my 1960 MS65 Franklin

  13. marknich-migration
    Just got my latest submission from NGC. If all my submissions were like this one, I would be the happiest guy on the planet!
    OK some of the submissions were gimme's. my Jamestown $5 golds all came back PF70UCAM'S. That's a gimme...the pop has more 70's than 69's (does that make the 69's more valuable due to their scarcity?). The real gems were my 1973 MS66 Eisenhower (SEE PIC)none better only 18 like it. and my 1960 MS65 Franklin 22 better. Submissions like these keep me coming back for more!
    ms66ike sm
  14. marknich-migration
    ngc grades tough but isnt that why we use them? when they grade a coin we know it might be better.....but it cant be worse!
    i recently submitted 10 gallery grading company coins. for those of you who havent bought a ggc coin....good for you. they grade and call it a ms67. i was thrilled they only bagged 3. my experience with ngc is....tough but fair. exactly why i started to use them.
  15. marknich-migration
    With all the delays and frustrations with NGC I guess I made the right choice!
    I was using PCGS for all my coin grading (had a prob with NGC). Someone said PCGS had a policy not to grade any 20th's with a MS70! SOMETHING ABOUT THAT DIDN'T SOUND RIGHT!! I decided to use NGC for half my 20TH'S JUST IN CASE!! Just looked at the PCGS pop report and guess how many MS70'S they graded? That's right......zero. And it's not just the 20th's. Most of the silver ASE'S have no MS70'S Something strikes me as wrong. Out of 8k coins not one was perfect.....come on!!! Doesn't that make the whole "game" of third party graders seem a little suspicious? If they rigged the 20ths, who knows what other policies may screw us over. Is there a no MS68 Franklins or Peace or Morgans? The whole idea of pre-determining highest grades just stinks like last weeks meatloaf. Since 2 of my MS 20TH'S were 70's I'm patting myself on the back....but then again..i probably got screwed on 5 of them! Shees these TPG'S sure make it tough. NGC has bad customer service and slow turnaround, but they don't screw you out of 70's. I guess if I think I have a shot at a 70 its NGC, if not PCGS
  16. marknich-migration
    My Presidential Dollars are about the same Quality as the Sacagawea's That is to say...you are grateful to get a 67!
    ok, i get these coins are not high quality, but unlike the gold and silver coins of today, these are meant for circulation. I compare them to the 2005 bison nickels. lots of nicks and scratches with an occaisional gem. Isn't that what collecting is all about, finding the gem? It would be nice if they were like the ASE'S or the Jamestowns where we can submit 10 coins and get 4 70'S & 6 69's, but these coins aren't going to receive that kind of care and attention in the minting process. Why? Because we are only paying a buck for them, not $33. I bought a bunch of rolls from the mint and hopefully i'll get a few worth grading. The rest i'll spend and try to attract new collectors to the hobby! My guess is the that we will have trouble spending them, like the taco bell story that keps coming back (much like the taco bell burritos) every few years.
    this is my best president!
    presidents
  17. marknich-migration
    As a wrap to my continuing saga of "Days of our Coins Lives" my 20th eagles (delivered Dec 27) have finally been shipped!
    Sooner or later they had to grade and ship them. I must admit I'm surprised at the results. I've heard that the proofs were grading lots of 70's, mine were all 69's. On the other hand, I heard the MS70'S were tough to come by. I got 2 out of 3 MS70'S. Better than my PCGS results. all 7 sets were ms69's across the board. Guess I can't complain (except about how long it took).
    i know there are lots of founding father proof 70's but it is one of my fav's and i think it will become a classic!
    ffpr70sm.j
  18. marknich-migration
    Just saw an ebay ad for coin grading services. this company looks like they are going to give NGC a run for their money.....ahhhh maybe not!
    Item number: 150089887842 on ebay is for up to 5 free coin gradings from ICGS not ICG, icgs stands for integrity coin grading service (would be great to find a TPG wih integrity though i doubt they have much of it) the come on is that the coins will be evaluated by a computer program analyzing the coins from a high rez pic and comparing it to a perfect coin of the same type, then doubled checked by a human before being slabbed in a cheapo plastic slab (ala sgs, inb, etc),my sugestion was to sell their coin grading program to schlubs like me to help me evaluate my coins before i send in any more ms64 bison nickels. what do you all think? can a computer grade coins? by the way P.T.Barnum was right...they have 8 purchases
    here is my favorite new coin!
    2002 ms70.
  19. marknich-migration
    ok so it may have been Jesus, Moses, iam, or just some flunky at NGC, BUT MY COINS ARE FINALLY BEING GRADED!
    MY COINS WHICH HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING SINCE DEC 27 HAVE FINALLY MADE IT TO QUALITY CONTROL. OK NOT ALL OF THEM, 20 ARE STILL WAITING TO BE GRADED BUT MY 20TH ANNIVERSARIES ARE FINALLY THERE! SIGHHHHH OF COURSE I STILL HAVE 10 COINS THEY RECEIVED LAST WEEK THAT HAVE'NT BEEN OFFICIALLY RECEIVED YET.
    HERE'S A BEAUTY FOR YOU EISENHOWER COLLECTORS...ONLY 4 GRADED HIGHER! ITS ON EBAY NOW
    1973-S MS6
  20. marknich-migration
    MS69 OR MS70 would be an interesting test
    I also wonder how accurate the grades are. An interesting test would be to give a grader 20 coins he already graded - half 69's half 70's. have the grader re-grade them and see how much overlap there was.
    another cool test would be to buy a ms70 from a big tv site customer and send it in raw to be graded again. anyone besides me think the big dogs might get the benefit of the ms 69/70 doubt?
    I guess i'm just venting because NGC has had my coins since Dec 27th and they still aren't scheduled for grading
    here is a pretty pic for those who like modern gold its a pcgs pr69.....or is it a pr70?

  21. marknich-migration
    ANSWER: When you pay NGC another $15 + S&H to correct their first error
    I have a 1964 Kennedy half proof that I know is better than a 64. Under magnification you can't find a single scratch (front or back). There are no spots or discoloration anywhere. I don't know enough about coins to talk about the strength of the strike, but it looks as good as any proof I have ever had. I would love to have NGC check their work, but I can't bring myself to pay them again! First, because people are reluctant to admit their mistakes, and second because I already paid them to grade this coin. If they "blew the call" I shouldn't have to pay. I think I'll just break it out of the holder and have PCGS grade it. If it comes back 64 i'll admit I was wrong!
  22. marknich-migration
    i bought some coins in a "blind" auction it promised 3-5 coins at least 1 PCGS or NGC graded and at least 1 morgan ms64 or better. the rest of the coins would be graded by such companies as...
    ICG (no problem), halmark (who?), SEGS (SGS?)anyway most of you know how this will end! The PCGS coin was a 1974 pf69 cameo...nickel. these were the rest of the coins. 1968 ms67rd....yeah right. this coin is a bodybag at any other grader. the 1974-p ms66 ike looks like it had a rust remover job. cant see it so well in the pic but the rim on this coin has more nicks than any coin ive ever seen slabbed. Now the morgan looks spectacular. much better than the ike yet 2 grades lower. In fact it looks too good when pared with the rest of this trash so im guessing its been altered (betya it would get bb'd at NGC as well) The moral: dont buy coins unless you see the actual coins you are getting! thank god she will let me return them, im only out $10 shipping. On the bright side i picked up an ngc ms69 10 dollar gold for $146! not bad
    UNGRADED 0
  23. marknich-migration
    ok i bought some coins 4 bright flawless to the naked eye, beautiful 1996 ase's. 2 two toned coins.
    The toned coins so far are two toned (3 if you count the silver). On the obverse a deep sort of steel blue around the circumference of the coins fading to a goldish tone that gets lighter as you move to the center of the coin (so i guess if you want to be technical there are many different tones). The reverse has very little toning although you can see it is starting. Ive never been into toned coins, but i must admit they look kinda cool.
    My question (as always) does toning make a coin more or less valuable. since this is a 1996 ase, it could be a significant amount of money if it is even one or two points lower.
    i would add a pic but my 16 yr old daughter swiped my digital and went up north with her girlfriends (and my wife as a chaperone)
  25. marknich-migration
    Everyone knows the economy is on a decline in America, but who knew that would spill over to NGC?
    I have an economy tier submission (some beautiful Morgans). they were recieved over 3 weeks ago and still aren't scheduled for grading! i was under the impression that it was a 21 day turnaround. ooops....current turnaround is 38 days. wow! if my math is right that's an 80% decline in efficency! sure hope the american economy isn't heading in the same direction. I'm not complaining about the turnaround time. as i said in my previous journal entry.....you get what you pay for!