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jackson64

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Journal Entries posted by jackson64

  1. jackson64

    no topic

    By jackson64,

    boring stuff..not worth reading
    Well I finally got my grades for the 12 coins I sent in to add to my signature set.They were recieved at NGC on Sept 5th it is now Oct 6th..a lttle long but I'm not that concerned about that.I am a little disappointed in the grades..only 1 69{no 70's} out of 12..the proofs range from 64-68 which is the disappointing part since 5 of these 6 coins were taken from the mint box/felt case and never removed from the plastic capsules...the other 6 were mint state coins and got varying grades. I guess I have grown a bit spoiled..the last time I mailed 15 coins and got 13 69's and 2 70's..but the last time I paid extra for faster/premium service and this time I just went with the economy/value{ they are for a signature set and not a point/ranked set}..hmmm..maybe I have learned a lesson,if you try to save money on the submission, you might lose money on the coin value...or it could just be a coincidence. I probably should have held off on writing this until my disappointment was in check...I always worry about who might read this and that I might get black listed...maybe it's just the weather has got me in a mood..drizzle with intermittent rain,gray and grayer and that damp chill that gets in your bones and my attitude it would seem
     
    on a bright note !! I leave for the Ocean City Maryland 34th Annual Coin Convention tomorrow morning...here is a nice 1806 Draped Bust half Overton 116..an old cleaning and SLABBED by ANACS VF20 details-cleaned...a coin like this classic should never be in a "bodybag" with a sticker saying essentially that it is not worth slabbing {even though a person may have paid for this service} how about just slabbing coins as authentic-no grade?
    MVC-992S.J
  2. jackson64

    DISGRUNTLED ABOUT EBAY?

    By jackson64,

    still deals to be had...
    About a month ago I ran a listing on ebay for ALL of my old loose coins, some incomplete albums, wheats of course, several bu Peace dollars, some commems in their boxes,a 1999-2005 Silver state quarter set PCGS PF69,random halves-quarters, 2 bu rolls of rosy's dated 53-s and 54-s a bu roll of Jeff's 46-S, and other stuff too....anyhow, the ebay buyers are getting so jaded{especially by the "grab bag" junk sales} that with a $1000 start bid .....NOBODY BID!!! I have 700+ feedback with a 99.6% positive so I figured it was not because of any concern about me disappearing. Anyhow I had to do it the hard way...list them item by item.I am finally running the last 29 items this week{I won't give my name because this is not an advertisement} so far I have sold $3350.00 for the coins in that shoebox and the cubbies of my desk..and I still kept the state quarter set...I guess the lesson for me is to not be so lazy, and the lesson for ebay buyers....sometimes things that seem too good to be true, are still true... here is a photo of a pretty 1944 Walker that I found in a desk drawer...I am a COIN HOG..and have no idea why I bought it or half of this stuff...maybe I just wanted to hold it and look closer at it..anyhow I listed this as one of the last coins this week on ebay with a $1 start bid{ I listed all of the coins at $1} and now I'm left with about 300 wheats and a couple of dozen dateless buffalos...where does this stuff come from?
    MVC-001S.J
  3. jackson64
    I have found a better solution...
    As I was filling in my album holes with the new circulated Standing Liberty Quarters this morning that I purchased at the convention yesterday, I took a look at the 1916 slot.As with many of these old whitman coin albums it had the "hole" filled with a cardboard circle saying RARE. I have never had a problem with cracking out a semi-key date coin from a slab to fill a hole in one of my circulated sets, but I doubt I will ever stick a coin worth THOUSANDS into an album slot. So my options appeared limited..leave the spot blank{never really an option with my perfectionist personality} or buy a replica coin to fill the slot....but I chose option #3 and I like it....there is more than 1 way to skin a cat..so I hear..my solution is pictured below
    PS: those dumb cardboard circles are hard to peel out..not sure they were really meant to...
    MVC-920S.J
  4. jackson64
    crowded due to Veterans Day Holiday?
    I had a great day. It was Veterans Day and the start of the Baltimore Coin Convention and I was off of work, and off to Baltimore{about an hour north of me here in Calvert cty Maryland}..A beautiful 75 degree day, the last of the fall leaf color changes..just glorious. I parked a few blocks away and enjoyed a pleasant walk to the convention. The place was hopping..and huge..tons of tables and stuff to do. I checked out the pre-viewing of a few coins in Bowers and Merenas auction..I took the time to hold the finest known 1913 Liberty nickel{how cool is that} walked the bourse for 3 hours looking for a final coin I need for 1 set that I've been working on-with no luck. I did see 2 of them, both at too high a grade/price tag..$10,000 is not in my coin budget..finally, after a few smaller purchases of 4 xf-au standing liberty quarters for my circulated album set..and a couple of full liberty Barber quarters that were too nice to pass up, I ran into a nice woman{still don't know her name} who also had a table at the Ocean City coin show in October. We recognized eachother, chatted a bit and I asked if she had run across the coin I was searching for..she hadn't --but she showed me a nice NGC MS63 1917-D Obverse Walker that would make a slight upgrade for my set.We worked out a deal{my 1924 $20 St Gaudens MS64 which I had brought for this purpose and $500 for a swap....done!!} So I did not get my final coin I needed/wanted but I did get some nice fillers, a nice upgrade and some pleasant coin talk which I love.
    PS: NGC needs to get some different people at their on-site grading booth. I was a little disappointed that the NCS person essentially wouldn't even look at any coins, and didn't seem to know anything. I was twicw sent to one person by another and then back again..plus they were short with you and borderline rude. I had brought 7 coins for regrade check and around $8,000 worth of coins to be conserved and then re-holdered since they have been toning in the NGC holders. Well thats around $900 they didn't get today from me..and may never get.The workers seemed tired and aggitated and it was just the morning of the first day....they need new jobs away from the public
    MVC-915S.J
  5. jackson64
    didn't even spend a dime for it either...
    Ok, I'll admit that the title is intentionally misleading. I am writing this to record my own experience and so other colectors may appreciate the beautiful St. Gaudens photo.....My daughter had an art project due the other day and part of it was to pick a piece from the National Gallery of Art here in Wash. DC. I thought this would be great because then maybe I could walk down the street to the Smithsonian and look at the National Numismatic collection on display there.Anyhow time got away from us and we couldn't do both, so I was resigned to "just" visiting the National Gallery. Anyhow, to my delight and surprise the very first piece we saw on display upon entering was titled "Diana of the Tower"..a beautiful bronze sculpture which caught my eye.Looking at the lines of the figure the artistry somehow felt familiar...then looking at the sculptor...Augustus Saint Gaudens!! Since then I have been searching to see if I can find a smaller cast replica of the piece to sit on my desk where I look at my coins..but for now, here's a nice photo of the piece..
    sorry for the lack of a photo, I can't seem to get it to fit to download..anyhow the National Gallery of art website has a picture of it if you would like to see another beautiful female figure by St. Gaudens
    Diana_of_t
  6. jackson64
    a 99% FH or FB coin can be a fraction of the cost
    I remember reading a piece written by David Bowers on the "Full Head" Standing Liberty Quarters.It essentially raised the question that I have been struggling with this week. The November event in Baltimore has several coins that interest me, a few of these are SLQ's. One coin in particular does not have an official FH designation on the slab, however it does have a fuller head than many I've seen slide by. In addition to the 99% FH, as David Bowers pointed out, it has other elements that only a super strike has...full rivets on the shield, a strong shield emblem with lines both horizontal and vertical...strong eagle feather definition all the way up to the under edge of the right wing. My point is, how did the head become THE MAJOR determining factor?..even so much that an MS66 of one coin valued at $2000 can be a fraction of it's lesser MS65 FH sister valued at $15,000? One coin is superior in every aspect except the head and is of far less value? Who decided that the head was the most important and that much so? For my money the MS66 with 99% FH at less than 1/7th the price would fit my collection very nicely. And just a quick word on Full Band Mercury dimes. Check out the price difference on a 1918-D MS65 and 65FB.....$750 compared to $42,500!!! Many of these coins that narrowly fall in one group or another are so close to being FB or not that it becomes almost a judgement call.Out of 9 people 4 may say yes and 4 may say no and then comes the $42,000 opinion of 1 person....hmmmmmm...those 2 little letters, whether FH or FB can be awfully costly, and they may not even be right...
  7. jackson64
    pulled a rare/key date out of an old bullion roll!!
    I am far from being a coin dealer...the extent of my sales are selling off my old coins after I've bought an upgrade or clearing out a whole set to buy a key date-expensive coin for another set.Having said that, I am not above buying a bargain when I see it purely for the sake of a re-sale and a quick, small profit.I saw a nicely toned indian head cent proof on sale at an Amish market here for $50..which I resold for over $200 on ebay. Last week I saw a listing for 40 Walker halves{2 rolls worth} selling at around their bullion price and I took a shot and bid $200 for them both..and to my surprise I won.The coins arrived today and I was pleased by the first4 or 5 I inspected as they were nice common date coins from the 40's in xf-slider bu grades...then the 6th coin I peeled off said 1938!!! Harboring a little hope but not really expecting it, I flipped it over and behold!! a bright solid "D" staring me in the face!! Ok, it's not exactly like finding a "d" on that 1916 mercury but this is a nice xf40-45 coin with original uncleaned surfaces...a hidden treasure in my book!! What a thrill, besides the fact that this coin alone is worth more than I paid for all 40 combined, the momentary excitement of FINDING it was a rush.Anyhow, I think I'll sell these others off by small lots, see if I can make my money back on them, and have a free XF40 1938-D Walker to boot...I really love this hobby..
    MVC-084S.J
  8. jackson64

    The Last Coin in a Set

    By jackson64,

    2 years on a 20 coin set and still 1 to go
    Well, another chance to acquire the final coin in a year set that has been my primary focus slipped by.Actually, far from slipping by, I made sure I got home in time to get final bids in on the internet portion of the auction. I logged in and with no surprise saw that my earlier bid had been outbid. Five minutes remaining and I had to decide quickly how much I wanted this coin. As any collector knows this is a tricky spot...finally fill that hole in the set? is this the coin you really want to fill it? is this coin just a temporary filler until you find another..if so how much will you spend for a temp filler? will you get this much re-selling after you find a replacement? buyers fees? future re-selling fees? when will I get another shot at this elusive date/grade?
    In the end, the prospect of not seeing one in the AU55-58 area priced at $1500 or so for a long while...I bid...not enough..bid again..again not enough...finally, with time running short the madness takes over and I bid $2000..$500 more than its Trends value and $600 more than the last one sold!!! Alas, no happy ending...still not enough and as high as I was going to go. Someone else must have really wanted it badly and I hope that they enjoy it. My quest will just have to wait until I can scour the bourse at the Baltimore show in a few weeks...
  9. jackson64
    By the time they have determined the dozens and dozens and dozens of varieties...mine may be rarer!!
    I just finished reading another article on the Minnesota doubled tree-doubled die-doubled rock-random blob-floating speck- quarter dollar.I actually went and looked at the 2 I own, one in a fold album that I fill with change recieved quarters..and my PF69DCAM silver set I get each year with the flag on them and it takes a 10X loupe and serious eyesight to see the details of those tiny trees.There are so many variations now-I think 50 of just the Philadelphia mint alone-that I wouldn't even be sure what a non-doubled looked like.I commend the collector dedicated enough to find these TINY specks{ I have 20-20 eyesight and a 10x loupe and they are very small to me}. An obvious extra leaf on a Wisconsin quarter is one thing- but tiny shapeless globs? There should be a rule about an error coin having to be at least a little visible to the naked eye to be an error...heck, tons of coins from the 1800's are full of die clashes, double punched stars slight rotated dies etc etc and are ignored...anyhow...here is a photo of a SUPER RARE dime I found in my change yesterday..8 more of these and I can get a coffee refill at the 7-11.. NOTE that the reeded edge from the side of the coin is actually on the obverse and it has a double rim- stop the presses!!!
    MVC-082S.J
  10. jackson64
    the angry reply system doesn't work
    I have been buying and selling coins on occasion on Ebay for several years now. Far from being a dealer, I usely sell my old coins after an upgrade or if I see an item being sold for well under its value I warily might purchase it and re-sell for $20 or so profit. I have 878 positive feedbacks from 633 different ebayers of which 300 are sales.I HAVE 4 NEGATIVE FEEDBACKS. One was sorta my fault..sold a vg/f barber for $13 and guy didn't like it and emailed me...was out of town and got back to find about 7 angry emails and a negative feedback{ a $13 coin worth $22 and was only away for a week seems a bit much}anyhow the second was a goof up- sold a guy an MS69 SMS 1994 Jefferson nickel--NGC GRADED-- he said the coin wasn't white enough and returned it for refund..I refunded all of his money, plus shipping, but sent the refund paypal and he got charged a $2 fee..sent me a negative...finally the last 2 negatives were just from spiteful sellers...sent me garbage coins, I asked for a refund- was told no refund or not answered, and when I left a negative feedback I got one back in reply. There is a simple solution to this and it would also help with ebay frauds....make the seller leave his feedback within 24 hours of being paid. If a buyer has on good faith, bid on an item, taken the time to send money electronically or gone to the bank for a money order and mailed it...his part in the transaction is done and the seller should give feedback on his reliability and promptness.A seller's feedback is given based on his delivery time and items being as listed...I have been po'd more than twice with coins I've bought but now I don't leave negatives, it will only reduce my feedback %.....PS: I don't care if people invent their own certification services/slabbed coins..when I see an ad for an NTC MS68 MORGAN $30,000 TRENDS !!! WOW!!!...the coin still sells for $50..lmao....like we can't figure out that a $30K coin would have a $1 start bid and no reserve...thank goodness for NGC,PCGS,ANACS, and ICG...you always know what you're getting within a point or two
  11. jackson64

    working on my sets

    By jackson64,

    a labor of love
    spent a few hours this morning adding some of the coins I just got back from NGC to my Signature set....I know that I probably spent a few dollars more encapsulating a couple of them than the coins are actually valued at. Their worth to me is a different subject though...worth every penny to slab them and become part of my High Seas signature set...Of the 8 coins I added today {half dozen to add later} I included my first 2 gold coins for this set; 2 coins from the Middle East; 1 from South America; a Polish zloty "coin within a coin" design and a few Carribean coins. The real time is spent gathering info on the coin/history/ship depicted/country etc... then I get picky with the photos....like I said, a labor of love......
    this is a photo of the just added 2006 Canadian $20 Tall Ships series coin.."the Ketch"...second coin in this series with the hologram on the reverse..
    MVC-953S.J
  12. jackson64

    Small Local Coin Shows

    By jackson64,

    sometimes some very nice coins can be found..
    I just got back from a small coin show{around 30 tables} in Ocean City Maryland. What a great chance to get away, alone with my wife, for a few days to the beach. Although the weather was a bit wet for the first half of our trip, it was a great relaxing time together and I went to the coin show at the convention center for a couple of hours while she looked for end of summer bargains at the clothes stores.I found most items being sold at above trends prices, although most of the grading appeared accurate.Several vendors even had copies of the ANA grading guide right on their tables in case you wanted to check something.I only made a few small purchases..nobody had either of the 2 "main" coins I was looking for and some of the "upgrade" coins I saw could be found on the internet for cheaper. Anyhow, I did upgrade 2 coins in my Buffalo nickel circulated album..replacing an ugly 1915 and a 1931-S that had a pinscratch with 2 nice AU50's. I also bought 1 coin that I found was selling for less than half it's value-a 1917-S Obverse walker in VF30, which I will list this week on ebay...and a Canadian Silver Dollar from 1973 that just grabbed my eye and kept pulling me back until I bought it. Anyhow, not much in the way of purchases or finds...but what a great hobby, to get the chance for a weekend getaway-recharge the batteries,keep my relationship with my wife fun and fresh,and spend a little time with some wonderful people at the show with my love of numismatics......now we need an ANA convention in Nassau, Bahamas for January....aaahhhhh
    MVC-025S.J
  13. jackson64
    What a difference a day makes
    Yesterday I was bummed about the grades I received on my submissions and frustrated with the whole thing. I am probably not alone when I get feelings that my coins may not get the same consideration as someone who has submitted 200-300 coins at a time or who pays for the top tier for his 5 $10,000 coins. Anyhow, my entire attitude changed with one trip to the post office. My coin from American Numismatic Rarities came today...and it is even better than I hoped. The coin is a 1917-D reverse {very costly for my budget} NGC graded 62. I have studied this coin every time it appears in any auction for almost 2 years trying to fill one of the last 2 holes in my set and when I saw this beauty at this low of a grade I jumped. It was an on-line bid with a floor auction later and I didn't want to lose it...I bid $700 above the Trends list and fortunately I won and it didn't cost me my full max bid. This particular date is notorious for being a very weak strike in the centers..rarely do you see any of the draped flag lines across the left leg, a seperate thumb on the left hand, seperate hair/cap line and on the reverse the eagles breast and left leg are so weakly struck {on BU examples} that virtually no feathers are visible...this one has full feathers...a wonderful find and now my new favorite of my collection....I am not a good photographer but I tried to angle the camera and adjust the light so that some of the details show..but it leaves some areas darker..oh well, I can hold it and turn it in the light all I want now!!!
    MVC-022S.J
  14. jackson64
    Mailed Coins for Consignment in May..first check will be mailed next week...sigh
    I am not a patient person by nature, in fact coin collecting for the most part has been good for this character flaw. It has taught me the patience/selectiveness in waiting for those hard to fill slots, coins in the value/cost range, grade ranges..and of course- budget range.In May I decided that I would consign some of my collection to liquidate money for upgrades/additions to a particular set I want to finish. The remaining coins in the set are above what I usually am willing to pay for a coin so I chose to do it by selling some and buying the others.The coins, mailed in May to the auction house, were put in 3 different auctions..Dallas signature,Denver signature and Denver on-line...check mailing dates are Aug 24th, Sept 24 and Oct. 2nd {from May to Oct...hmmm}.This has been a true test of the Patience that I have been praying for/working on. The challenge is not waiting for the settlement, but the fact that I found one of the coins I have been coveting...and for around $1000.00 less than I have seen it before...PLUS- it is a nicer example than coins of equal grade I've seen for sale/auction. I want to buy it NOW before someone else snags MY coin...anyhow, if it stays put for one more week I'll be including a photo of it with my next journal entry..biting my nails here..
  15. jackson64

    The COIN!!!!

    By jackson64,

    Buy the Coin that Looks best to YOU!!
    I just finished reading a lot of my fellow collectors' journal entries and can't believe there is even a debate. A little history from an old-timer: before the TPG's we bought coins based upon their value to US-the collector..at my local coin shop I would ask if my dealer could do better on a price if it was a lower grade filler, if the coin had attributes I liked I would never ask...I probably would have paid more. I like white coins and full strikes..toned coins are ok but not my first pick..if NGC or PCGS gives a toned coin a higher grade, say a 65, it DOES NOT make it more valuable to me...but that 63 with a fuller strike and luster???..I'd pay almost as much because to my eye it is more appealing...and as for the PCGS and NGC price disparity...some of us still remember when it was the other way around and NGC coins were higher valued. I understand that the registry ranks by points for assigned grades and gives awards for the highest graded/best sets..but I want to have the best set that I can put together of coins that I find appealing..in fact I own quite a few ANACS also because I wanted a particular date from a series but don't want to collect the whole series{my 1912-S Liberty nickel for example}plus I got the same coin that would cost twice as much in a PCGS holder..for my collecting experience, it's about the coins...PS: the most valuable collection..The King of Siam set of gold coins..not in TGP holders...hmmmmm..anyhow I'm off this weekend to the 34th Annual coin Convention in Ocean City Maryland..will update my Journal early next week with my experience and finds...can't wait
  16. jackson64

    Finally....

    By jackson64,

    won one I wanted badly
    Well I finally had a winning on-line bid of a really nice PQ coin{just my biased opinion}..I have had a tough time finding this 1917-D reverse Walker in an MS60-63 grade. The ones I see usually have the typically weak strike through the centers{common for this date with any of the 4 mintmarks} and very little, if any, feather detail on the eagles' chest on the reverse.There often seems to be an inconsistency to the grading of these coins...clean coins with toning and the weak strike can be either a 62 or 64...well struck specimens are rare and unless they have a lot of detracting marks get near/gem grades.I got very lucky on this one..this MS63 was purchased at between the 62-63 price and I think if I can get that tiny carbon speck removed and the coin re-graded it looks as nice as any 64..and struck as nicely for the date as any 65{ full lines on the skirt, flag, great head detail and full feathers..even a left thumb and 2 seperated fingers!!!}..regardless of anyone's opinion, it is a gem to me.....oh well, the image is too large to include with this journal entry
  17. jackson64

    All my bids lost...

    By jackson64,

    I had bids in with 4 different auctioneers...
    well, the Long Beach event has come and gone...and since I'm not able to go to many ANA events out of the state, I am reliant on internet bidding. On 4 seperate items being auctioned by 4 different Auctioneers I was the leading/high bidder entering the floor auction....the results?..a big 0 for 4...sigh...two were coins that I had placed modest bids on, hoping to win and upgrade my sets without investing too much. One bid was for a hole in my set that I can't fill with anything above an MS62 because of a huge price jump in the 63 grade and above....unfortunately MS60-62 graded coins of this date have an even lower population than those 63 and above..go figure..anyhow, I bid Trends list value, was high bidder until the floor auction..and ended up not even being close to winning...finally, a coin I have now seen twice at auction, I felt I had over bid on and was feeling foolish for being willing to pay that much for it...well I lost that one too...and for once didn't wish that I had bid a little higher.....Maybe I'll just save my money for the Fall ANA Convention in Baltimore, go there in person and I won't have to get those dissapointing emails.."You Have Been Outbid"
  18. jackson64
    Missed out on getting one and feel like venting
    OK, I will admit off the top that this is purely sour grapes but what else is my journal for if not to write my thoughts on my hobby.I do not like the constant bombardment of special LIMITED sets....it creates false rarities in my opinion. In 1995 the mint made a Proof American Eagle Silver coin with a "W" mint mark as part of a 10th anniversary set...recently a PF70 sold for $32,000 at auction!!!!...an 11 year old coin selling for more than most mid-grade 100+ year old coins...and why? An intentionally small limit on production...if these anniversary sets were truly for the collectors like I hear, then they would be available to us from the mint, not at second hand mark-ups from dealers who are allowed to buy multiple amounts of limited sets to start. Why not start at 1 set per order and later offer multiple sets if there are some left? Anyhow, I guess that the frustration is due to the fact that I can't keep up with them all....Anniversary Gold and Silver Eagles..MS and Proof Silver Eagles..MS and Proof Platinum Eagles of various denominations..MS&PF Gold of all denoms....20 state quarters{P,D,S-clad, S-silver..oh and Satin finish} ...lincoln cent MS&PF, new Jefferson nickel design MS&PF, Kennedy Halves MS,PF,SATIN,...Sacagawea...MS,PF,&satin...Franklin Commems X6...San Fran mint Silver dollar and gold $5 commems..Legacy Sets...Minnesota quarter die varieties...Golden Buffalos...my head is spinning, somebody please hand me a few aspirins, some rolls of Lincoln cents, and an old Wheat penny fold-up album please...thank you........................pictured is a true scarcity..a 1917 McKinley gold $1..mintage of only 5,000{probably less} and then finest known of this 90 year old classic, an MS67, has a Numismedia list of $10,000... or you can pay $32,000 for a 1995 Silver Bullion Coin...
    MVC-622S.J
  19. jackson64

    Sending to NCS?

    By jackson64,

    Dilemma because of my lack of knowledge
    I recently purchased the coin pictured below, an 1853-O with arrows and rays Seated half dollar. The coin has been artificially toned {very well and attractive...but not original}but it does not appear to have been cleaned under high magnification. It seems that whoever owned it before tried to hide a die crack at 3'oclock on the obverse and a die clash under the right wing on the reverse by artificially toning this beauty...It is in an ANACS holder as MS Details/artificial toning.....my dilemma is that I am considering sending it away to the Numismatic Conservation Services to see if it can be restored to original and then graded and encapsulated in an NGC holder....however if NGC won't slab it after restoration then I may have paid for this service and then not like the coin as much in its refurbished state. It wouldn't be that big of a deal { I have a handful of very nice coins in ANACS holders that have have been altered slightly and are very much worth collecting} except that the potential upside of getting this coin in an MS63-65 grade is significant, but as I stated previously, I really like the coin as it is....this is a tough one...
    MVC-931S.J
  20. jackson64

    A Lesson Learned

    By jackson64,

    sometimes a hasty buy is worth the lesson learned
    Early in 2005 I had a Jefferson nickel proof set {1965-date} that was ranked #1. When the final 2 westward journey nickels came out and were appearing at auctions and ebay in PF70UCam I bought them to update my set. By July those coins were selling for half of what I paid..{and now even less}. I only collect a few modern sets now-and none of these are top-registry grade sets.I have learned the lesson, however, of waiting for that newly minted addition.I wanted a 2006 PCGS PF69DCAM Sac$1 to update my set and checked the ebay prices early this year when they started popping up...price around $40....I decided to wait. By June they were going for between $25-30 on ebay....waited more....and last night I could wait no more, for $14.25 I now have my update to my complete PF69DCAM PCGS set.....They say that insanity is making the same mistakes and expecting different results...maybe I'm not as nuts as I thought..
    MVC-928S.J
  21. jackson64
    although thinking with questions....
    Again I sit here with my thoughts...I sometimes peruse other peoples journal entries..I HAVE NEVER...directly responded to what someone else has written except by the member contact form and questions that I pose are ALWAYS self directed and of a rhetorical nature, never soliciting a direct response VIA someone elses journal entry.I do enjoy when someone who may have read MY entries into MY journal may have some pertinent information or knowledge and shares it with ME via email.I am very happy that I now email regularly/on occasion with several fellow Society members who have either like thoughts or interests. Thinking further on this issue, I realize that I sometimes write entries in a way that may appear open to discussion..this is not my intent...I do know that other collectors may enjoy reading the thoughts of their fellow hobbyists and I may phrase my thoughts as if someone else were listening...but these musings are purely MY own and require no response at all...I do find it curious that I can include a photo of the coin I am talking about..who is the photo for {I wonder}? The readers or myself who has the ACTUAL COIN on MY desk in front of ME.....
  22. jackson64
    should there be different standards for grading coins from within the same series...
    First let me say that I think the Third Party Grading system is great{meaning the top 3or4 companies of course}.They add security to your purchase, help set an industry standard, preserve these works of art, and they get the grading right most of the time{except for my coins which are all under-graded..}.I was thinking about how certain coins within a series..ex: the 1917-S obv and rev Walkers...have consistently weak strikes. Should the BEST examples of these coins be graded the same as a 1942 Walker with a strong strike...even though the skirt lines,left hand, eagles' breast feathers etc.. are missing? I have no problem with either way they decide to do it, as long as they are CONSISTENT!!..Another example for those who collect Buffalo nickels...usually the braid in the Indians' hair must be well-defined to get a gem or better grade, but I often see some of the years where there are none struck that well{look at most of the D mint coins from the teens}getting 65-67 grades.Anyhow, I've rambled enough...I'm sure I've confused a few who might read this, and for those who understand and even concur-I'm just preaching to the choir...here is a MS61 Walker 1917 Rev S...without rub, jsut a weakly struck year...by ANA grading standards...a true 61...by comparison to others from this year under-graded{like all of my coins..wink wink}
    MVC-920S.J
  23. jackson64
    redeemable at any coin dealer/ auction as cash
    OK..so I'm a dreamer. I correspond via email with a few other collectors who recently posed this question with each other. "What would you buy if you had a $100,000 gift certificate that you could use for the purchase of any coin/s?" The answer is...I'm not sure. Would I fill holes in existing sets, buy 1 dream coin {a $100,000 coin IS a dream for most of us}...3 or 4 really nice coins in the $25K range...hmmm...so far my list goes like this{using trends/ Coin Values}..1917-D rev Walker in MS63, $2500..1917-S obv Walker in MS63, $7500...an 1877 Proof 3-cent nickel, a stunning cameo upper mint state for around $5000.....and then the nicest Flowing Hair half dollar I could get for the remaining $85,000....oh and a 1911-D $2.5 Gold Indian Quarter Eagle in MS63, $27,000...well looks like I'm over budget...maybe a slightly lower grade Flowing Hair half for$58,000?...well that's my list....I'm sure we all would have different ones...what a great and diverse hobby..
  24. jackson64
    Older years almost all have a few"scarcer" dates/mints
    I have a few modern sets that I have finished and add the yearly new addition to it. I have 2 signature sets...1 which is complete and one which is endless{sailing ship themed coins}. I also still like to start an album or folder and fill them with problem-free upper grade coins that still have nice eye appeal.I have been working on a 3 cent nickel collection of unslabbed, AU, circulation issues, for what seems like forever.I love silver half dollars of any type-in fact one of my "dream" coins is an upper grade Flowing Hair half from 1794 or 1795.One of the types of collecting I had never done before but started because of this site was year collecting.Finishing an entire year of any date before 1940 can be a challenge...it seems that every year has at least a few coins that are either rare, hard to find, or very expensive in mint state grades.After I finish the current set I'm building I think I'll start one from about 50 years earlier-and all of the series will be different...shield nickels instead of buffalos,Indian cents instead of Lincolns, Seated dimes, 2 and 3 cent pieces...well I guess this is one of the things I love about the hobby, my newest interest/direction is just waiting for me---if I can ever finish any of the ones I've already started
  25. jackson64
    My one experience at buying HCGS coins worked out in the end..
    OK, just the facts...I fell for a listing for 4 Barber halves on ebay...the coins I got were not those in the photos and were not the grades advertised {and even lower than the grades assigned on the slabs}...I paid only $40 so I figured I could salvage this small monetary mistake{the blow to my numismatic view of myself would be harder to fix}.So I pulled the little piece of tape off the capsules, that hold them closed{was already coming off on 3 of the 4},pulled the plastic apart with a thumbnail, and popped the coins out of their little cardboard/felt insert.I re-sold these 4 coins on ebay...listing them as only genuine Barber halves, their dates, and a photo...and got back $35 of my money{they were sold individually by me}.I then took the 4 plastic capsules, peeled the label off the insert{again in 2 seconds since they are cheap}and now had 4 nice holders to place some attractive bust halves that I collect only for fun and do not try for certification. It is now a JGC..Jackson Graded Coin...the one in the photo is an 1838 Bust half JGC AU53 maybe artificially toned, I'm not sure because like those guys at SGS, HCGS etc...I'm not a professional...
    MVC-620S.J