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jackson64

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Journal Entries posted by jackson64

  1. jackson64
    Even with a lessening mintage, the availability of the gold 100th anniversary issues is plentiful.
    After having to use the secondary market to acquire the Mercury Dime edition of the 100th anniversary gold commem coins from the US mint, I battled on the first day of issue for the Standing Liberty Quarter ( 1/4 oz gold) coin. It turns out that there was no need for the frustration of a jammed up ordering system to acquire the SLQ edition- there are still some left in stock at the mint website. The Mint is actually even selling the SLQ for $25 less now than the original issue price. Oh well.
    To be honest, although a Walking Liberty Half collector, I wasn't sure I was going to buy one. I have just grown to view the coin as "correct" in its customary silver. The coin just looks a little like a caricature of its 70+ year old progenitors.
    So I get 2 adds for them in my email today--one from Si...towne selling original, ungraded WL gold coins at $1179...and the second from govmint ( which I confuse with the US Mint at times- at least until I see the webpage), which was selling at "just" $975.
    I opened a separate window and went to the US mint site--and they have plenty still in stock of the limited 70,000. The US mint cost is $865 and after a few moments to think it over I finally went ahead and got one.
    I purchased it more for the "completion" aspect of it than any desire for this single coin. Having the 2 prior issues still in original packaging, I'm considering getting all 3 into a multi-coin holder and displaying it in my home office outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed
    I don't know--I might get all 3 housed in the black retro holders--the gold looks good with the black background.
    Either way, even if left in their mint boxes, at least I followed my collector instinct and completed the set.

  2. jackson64
    There may be weeks or months between a suitable hole filler- and other times your hunting yields several at a time.
    Part of the fun and challenge of collecting a series in which you limit yourself to a grade window or appearance type ( toning, color, whiteness, frost, cameo etc) is that one must often hunt for weeks just to find a single filler for a slot in a set. I will often come across coins I could "settle" for--a grade above or below my parameter or a certain rub, carbon spot, dark/blackish tone, heavy die polish lines--whatever triggers my "anti" eye-appeal reflex.
    So weeks or even months may pass without any additions and then there are the bountiful times. I might catch an auction house selling a consignment with a seller/collector who shared my tastes. Then the struggle is, " should I buy or bid on all of the one's I need that are available, or should I just get 1 or 2 and continue with the ritual of the hunt?"
    Well I have hit the slot-filling-jackpot in the past few weeks. A recent/current on-line auction has 5 separate coins for one of my sets. I decided to take a sort of "middle ground.' I bid strong bids on 2 of the items and the other 3 I placed the current High Bid but would be surprised if they held up until auction end.
    Also, I recently added another MS64 BN to my Indian Cent short set-the first since August. Well it turns out that just 2 days after I wrote my most recent journal about the purchase, I found another for the set--none since Aug and then 2 in 3 days. Sometimes when we hunt, it pays off in bunches.
    1897 Indian Head Cent BN

  3. jackson64
    Design, Toning, Patina and RD vs BN
    We are all unique in our tastes. We may share a common taste for many of the same things-such as coins/medals in general-but what we find appealing is divergent.
    I could write a book on all of the different ways that numismatists collect-series, by date, by color, type, one of each, by mint, by medal, theme, country etc etc etc...but we all have our style and preferences.
    I have assembled sets by theme which have hundreds of coins--and other times I collect a series by "short set" because I don't want to invest the money, time and effort into assembling every issue and mintmark of the same design.
    My most recent short sets were of the 1900's Barber Halves in VF/XF and then the Buffalo nickels 1934-1938 in MS66 and above.
    Having finished those sets, removed from the registry and set aside, I now have begun 2 more. The SLQ One-Per-Date set is a registry category but I added my own parameters again in that they all must be AU grade.
    The other set I am building was an Indian Head Cent Short Set. I initially set it for just the 1900's coins but have since decided to extend it from 1890 thru 1909 as I am enjoying the collecting of the varied looks of the coin and the parameters I set to increase the challenge is still somewhat easy in our internet age. All coins must be MS64 and all must be "BROWN."
    Why brown? The truth is, I am just weird and the appearance of bright red/orange copper is less attractive to my eye than the deep chocolates, purples, wood grained look and/or depth of design that an aged looking copper coin has.
    On the plus side is that the browns most often cost about 1/3rd of the price of a RED, but often I end up with a coin with "exceptional eye appeal" and end up forking out more for my coins than your plain brown examples.
    So if I can find a coin in the look I prefer and at a lower cost, for me that is a win/win and if my collecting choices don't jibe with someone else's --then good, less competition for the coin's I'm hunting.
    The latest addition--an 1891 MS64 BN....Happy Hunting everyone

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  4. jackson64
    Fastest delivery I've ever received of a new mint release.
    I thought it was only proper to mention that my gold edition of the 2016 Standing Liberty 100th Anniversary Coin ( not a token) arrived today.
    Less than 1 week after placing the order the coin was at the post office today waiting for me. I'm glad that many of you understood my last journal which was part self-deprecating humor ( attempted at least), partly a play by play of the process I went through when ordering on the first day of release, and partly a sharing of the minor frustration I have with dealing with modern technologies.
    I am thrilled with the release of this coin. I've always loved all of the "renaissance" coins of the early 20th century- with St Gauden's artistry on the $10 and $20 gold series as my personal favorites.
    Although I have all 6 of the 1917 SLQ's in MS and the 1917 T1 in 67FH, I still can see what a true, fully struck SLQ would look like now.
    I believe that after the Walking Liberty is released that I'll have all 3 of these 100th anniversary coins placed in a multi-slab. Happy hunting everyone--collect what you love and respect what other's enjoy without disparagement.

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  5. jackson64

    12 MINUTES OF CHAOS

    By jackson64,

    record time for me to acquire a limited edition mint product
    As a sign of providence, I happened to have the rare day off of work on the same day as the anticipated Standing Liberty design Gold quarter ounce coin's release.
    I spent the prior hour before the 12:00 start time to review my US Mint account, make sure my billing card number was right and my current address/PO Box was also listed.
    After this, I simply found busy work around the house to kill the final 40 minutes or so until the frenzy started. I set the timer on my phone just in case...walked the dog, took out some chicken to thaw for dinner, picked a few ripe tomatoes, collected the eggs from the chickens and emptied the dishwasher......and still 18 minutes left !!
    Okay, so I logged in early and visited some of the mint's resource pages...products...news releases and events...finally, down to the final 2 to 3 minutes !!
    I clicked on the "What's New" link, opened the SLQ 1/4 oz AU page and waited for the "remind me" button to change to "place order" or Add To Cart.
    Twelve o'clock finally struck and my screen remained the same--I hit refresh and got the horror of "this page cannot be displayed". I re-logged into the website and after 5 tries I caught a volume gap and was directed to the Mint's Homepage. I opened the drop down and selected the Gold SLQ--the page opened on the first try !!--Now I'm cooking !!--NOT---
    I add the item to my cart and proceed to checkout--"This Page Cannot Be displayed" again...crud !!--I return to the prior page and the coin is still in my Cart--sweet !!
    Three more tries and the checkout page is in view! I won't drag the story through the next 7 or 8 mins of chaos--suffice it to say I had to enter my card number, match the "billing address" with the "shipping address" several times all typed out in the forms over and over and each time I got to "Place Order" the "This Page Can't Be Displayed" or some error I made in my hurried frustration prevented the final step--and when the page refreshed, all of my typed info had to be re-typed again !!
    Finally on the 7th or 8th "Place Order" click, my confirmation number was done and order confirmed-SUCCESS!
    Twelve minutes is not so much but with mega-dealers somehow scoring dozens of the "one per household" coins, I was sweating it there after a few minutes.
    I had to work on the date of the release of the Mercury Dime Commem gold coin and was unable to order one during my half hour lunch break from 12 to 12:30--eventually buying an SP69 pre-slabbed for quite a markup at $219.

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  6. jackson64

    The REAL Value

    By jackson64,

    A coin is ultimately worth what someone will pay for it
    Okay, so it appears that the FIFTH time is the charm. As some may recall from an earlier journal I wrote, I have been bidding weekly on the 2016 Canada S$2 bimetallic Polar Bear proof issue ( say that in one breath.) Technically it is the 99.9% silver proof issue from the fine silver set and the inner ring is gilt with 24k gold--hence, what one must go through to collect Canadian coins/series.
    So this is the fifth time that this coin has appeared, slabbed by NGC in PF69UCAM by this seller. Each time I have entered the same bid-slightly above $40 which I consider fair considering the pricey cost of the whole proof set, the grading fees etc.
    If you'll recall, I lost the prior 4 auctions of this item to other bidders on ebay-all of whom had disproportionate numbers of bids on this singular sellers items, LARGE numbers of bid retractions and hundreds of items bid upon per month.
    So I finally win the auction at $42 and some change, but what SHOULD I have won the coin for? **** As a disclaimer, I do realize that the value, by understood economics, is the $42 as someone ( myself) was willing to pay that amount***
    But what could I expect to receive for it if I were to turn around and list it myself on ebay?
    I had placed a bid early in the auction of $42 and "let it ride". The first big jump was from $5 to $25 after a few days--this was by a**v feedback 731 with 69 items bid on the past 30 days and 100% with this seller ( it doesn't take a genius to see what's going on here.)
    As the final day neared before auction end there were 3 more accounts that chimed in...l**8 with 69 bids and 89% with this seller in 30 days.....O**N with 2784 total bids on 1600 items at 58% and 9 retractions and finally the last 2 bids to push the final price up another $8 was W**A with 73 feedback total but over 100 items bid on just this month at 78% activity with this lone seller.
    Ultimately I am torn on this issue. Through perseverance and discipline not to raise my bid and to place the same bid weekly, I was able to acquire the coin I wanted at a price I was willing to pay--but on the flip side I feel a bit cheated. Haven't I been schill bid for an extra $17 above what the last real bidder had bid?
    This is the world of ebay when you bid on coins from the large sellers with 5 digit feedback/sales numbers--they most likely have employees or fellow sellers who network this 40% increase into sales--and every now and then they will get a "live one" who will chase their bids well above a coin's value in the heat of the moment.
    Be wise, be patient and know your max bid at all times.....happy hunting all. 2016 Canada Silver Twonie PF69UCAM

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  7. jackson64

    To He Who Waits

    By jackson64,

    Good things will come.......
    One thing that does not come naturally to me is patience. Coin collecting over the years has demanded that I learn patience however, for my own peace of mind as well as my check book.
    With the growth of the internet influence on our hobby in the past few decades, it has become ever more tempting to just fill all of the "holes" in one's collection with the readily available selections on the dozens of websites and auctions. It requires a lot of self control for me to abstain from this and stick to my collecting principles.
    One area that I have gotten good at is with modern issues. With a few exceptions, most issues will drop in price over the course of the year as demand for the items drop and dealer inventories need to be cleared out and renewed.
    Since I am not trying to compete for any registry goals/awards with new issues, I have learned to bide my time. My latest acquisition is a prime example.
    When the 4-coin silver 50th Anniversary Kennedy coins came out I found them very attractive and desired to own a graded set. To cut to the chase, I just received this 4 coin set all graded 69 ( SP,RP,EF,UC) and I paid with shipping $86.96. I believe that the coins were over $100+ with shipping direct and ungraded from the mint. I didn't save a bundle however that is not my point.
    Since I wanted to eventually acquire a set to enjoy, own and pass on to posterity it only made sense for me to simply wait for the price drop. On the other hand, certain issues I do call directly from the mint on the release dates--the gold 100 year anniversary coins of 2016, the Ultra High Relief Gaudens, etc as these coins are in such limited mintage in contrast to demand that the price will likely grow instead of drop.
    So here they are, and every bit worth the wait. On a personal note, I really like the enhanced finish coin from this set the most. Such a beautiful, clean looking coin with frosty and reflective finish.

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  8. jackson64
    Unchecked shill bidding but the occasional bargain.
    I still shop on ebay for coins. I rarely buy a raw coin unless it is in mint packaging and I don't buy from overseas. I also don't chase my bids.
    When I first started using ebay it was more honest and more auction oriented as opposed to the massive ebay stores and BIN items. So in the beginning it would be worth it to low ball bid something to have it on your watchlist and then try and snipe it with a late bid--it was part of the game and added a fun challenge.
    Now there is no point. There is either massive collusion going on among the very big dealers/stores or these large Ebat dealers are running a half dozen or more accounts and bidding up their items.
    There is no doubt of this. Even with eBay's attempts to block bidders ID's and history ( which gives appearance of complicity) a person can still check the limited information that is still available and be sure of what's going on.
    Just this past week or 2 I have tried to buy a $2 Canadian 2016 coin for my set-already slabbed by NGC. All 3 coins that have appeared are by the same seller--each coin has had repeated bids ( 5 or 6 each per auction) by the same 2 or 3 bidders and the same bidder won both of the first 2 auctions.
    Now granted, this is not enough to confirm the under-handed shenanigans, however there is more. The winning bidder, when clicked on his bidding history, has bid on over 300 bids this month with 97% of them for the same seller's items---dead giveaway. If this were not enough proof, the history also shows 39...yes 39 bid retractions in the last 30 days. Apparently, he bids up his own items and then retracts the highest bid if the value is enough. If it is not enough, then the item is just re-listed mysteriously ( and the seller is only charged the small FVF.)
    Generally if you go through all of the auctions in the seller's ebay store, you'll notice dozens of bids from the same 10 to 12 accounts. Unfortunately, this seller is more of the norm among the larger ebay stores and not a dishonest exception. I would be stunned if TPTB at ebay are not fully aware but don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.......
    On the bright side, there are still thousands of coin auctions per week that are legit. Collectors liquidating, old family heirlooms, mint products at decent prices or old inventory from honest, larger ebay dealers still provide plenty of great coins at fair market prices.
    One thing I love are the ebay bucks and the ebay "bonus buck days" of 5 to 10%. I usually even wait for these bonus days to buy that set or annual addition for a series to get that extra 10% off.
    My latest edition--2016 Canada S$10 "Reflections of Wildlife" Grizzly Bear--and didn't cost a thing as my savings of ebay bucks covered the coin 100%.
    So I guess the lesson is still buyer beware--but no sense in abandoning a useful resource because of some bad apples...as always, happy hunting everyone.

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  9. jackson64
    Fellow collector's looking out for each other
    A nice side effect of being in this registry community is getting to know each other's sets and interests. I have given a head's-up to a friend or 2 here when I've seen a nice coin that I knew they collected by theme, type or specifically were hunting for.
    The forums and journals are nice ways to share interests and the beauty of it is when the sharing comes full circle. You share with others your enjoyment of your niche interest in the hobby and in turn someone may share a nice "coin lead" with you when they see something.
    My latest slabbed addition to the bear themed set was a heads up from BRG-he of the amazing horse themed coin set. This was an extra nice tip in that the coin is already graded and encapsulated by NGC so that I can add it to the set without the issues of "is the added cost of grading combined with the coin purchase price too much more than the value and worth it for the collection?" A singular price--and that at a discount after I made a respectful offer near the asking price- netted me my Ursus Arctos-the great brown bear of the Black Sea region and eastern Turkey.
    Thanks again, and to all of my other fellow collector's who've given me these great leads in the past also, my warmest appreciation. Happy Hunting-------
    PS: as an added benefit, the coin is coincidentally very similar to the coins which inspired the set. The Canadian $2 Polar bear coins are also of the same diameter with bi-metallic rings of gold colored metal inside and a white metal outer ring..

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  10. jackson64
    If you like the design, there is some way to collect it.
    Collectors have a somewhat different mindset from the non-collector. It may appear a small thing but I believe it is almost a fundamental or foundational component of one's personality. The simple definition is usually of the variety, " a collector feels a need or compulsion to place things in order" I believe this often transcends into their non-collecting endeavors also.
    As opposed to the hoarder or accumulator, collectors usually have defined criteria--often self imposing certain limits, restrictions or parameters to make the collecting more challenging as well as to create the order we so love.
    In coin collecting I often cannot collect all of the designs I love or in the pristine grades that best demonstrate the artistic designs of the series. Key dates in a series often are a factor for me, or large jumps in prices for certain dates in higher grades.
    This need for consistency within each set has led me to be a collector of short sets, date sets and complete sets but in lesser grades for uniformity.
    I collect the Walker short set in MS66/67 but a complete walker set in those grades is not realistic for me. I finished a Buffalo nickel short set in 66/67 but some of the early date keys are pricey in those grades.
    My 2 recent sets I've begun and have listed on the registry as I complete them are a MS63/^$ brown Indian cent set and a one-per-date Standing Liberty Quarter series in AU. So far I've filled most of the slots with coins in the $80 to $150 range and can probably finish the SLQ's with coins in this price range and some patience in the hunt. The Indian Cents set will probably be considered "done" by me when I complete the 1880 thru 1909 years.
    I'm glad that in our hobby we can find niches to enjoy the coins we love without the daunting task of "getting them all", having a "top registry set" or trying to find a way to fit the latest purchase in the coin budget.
    A simple but pretty SLQ addition to my set--an AU55 1927. The AU is the lowest grade I could accept with my taste in coins for this series as I feel that the detail and attractiveness is lost quickly as this coin wears...just my personal taste, happy hunting everyone

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  11. jackson64

    Golden Grizzly

    By jackson64,

    this little coin may turn into a collection of the whole series.
    I added my first gold coin to my granddaughter's bear-themed coin set. It is quite attractive in design and surprisingly well detailed for a 1/10th oz coin.
    When looking through the other coins of the O Canada wildlife series coins, I really was taken with the other coins in the set- cougar, bison, bald eagle, wolf, beaver etc. I think the small coins wouldn't be too much of a stretch in budget to assemble, even though the smaller a gold coin gets the larger the percentage of cost over its gold value.
    Here she is--my golden grizzly and it looks like time for another submission for a dozen or so new bear coins.

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  12. jackson64

    Still Sailing Along

    By jackson64,

    Haven't posted a new "sailing ship" coin for a while.
    It's been several years since I wrote about or posted any photos of my sailing ship coins purchases. I still add to the collection although it has also been years since I stopped maintain my "High Seas" ship coin collection in the Signature series.
    In fact, it is hard to believe that the High Seas set is appx 10 years old since it won "Most Creative Signature Set"--it has even been a few years since they changed the names to Custom Sets. Okay, I'm starting to feel old now so I'll change the flow of this post.
    Although I have not updated or added my new "ship coin" purchases to my signature set ( and even removed a few from the listing of the set-like most of the gold and US commem coins) I still buy coins with the theme I so love. Most often I leave them in their OGP/cases or buy a few pre-slabbed.
    I have been getting many coins slabbed, but primarily they are my granddaughter's "Bear Coin" themed set, the final holes in my Bahamian and Canadian sets and a few classic barbers and SLQ's.
    So although my posts have become infrequent, I still enjoy browsing fellow collector's journals, sets and still am on the hunt for the newest series that catches my whim.
    A 1/2 oz gold Bermuda Triangle "triangular" coin with the Deliverance-a ship who met its end in the infamous, mysterious area.

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  13. jackson64
    I'll remember losing this one for a while.....
    Over the years there have been about a half dozen times that I let a coin slip away that I really regret. One that always comes to mind is a 1934-D Walker that had a really full strike for the date. It had a complete separation of face/hair/hat as compared to the usual weakness and flatness in that area. On top of it, it also had a nice satiny luster and soft minty tone--still wish I had gone ahead and bid over book on that one. You see, the cost of the coin would have been long absorbed by now and the coin would still be in my set to enjoy as often as I wanted.
    There was also an SLQ with such breathtaking toning and patina--although I don't collect the series I instantly was enamored. I bid quite healthy for this one. Although I did lose with my bid, that loss was not as bitter for 3 reasons. First, I don't collect the SLQ series and it would have been a type coin. Second is that I actually gave my best offer/bid and the coin was simply beyond my budget. Third was that my losing bid ended up being several increments away from winning so there was less sting as opposed to getting sniped with a last minute bid. I actually still have the picture of that SLQ in my coin photo file saved.
    This latest loss will sting for quite a while for many reasons. First--it was the 1947-D Walker that I have been trying to upgrade to MS67 for a few years. It would be the final upgrade for my short set and I would be technically done with numerical upgrades ( there is always a chance for an eye-popping coin to replace an existing coin in my sets.) It also was at a reasonable price to start. The coin also had the look that I love.
    I bid a healthy opening bid and it covered the reserve--I checked throughout the week 2 or 3 times and no other bids were placed...on the final day, I visited the website and bumped my bid $300 above my current high bid "for insurance." It appears that with less than 1 hour left someone outbid me, I did not find this out until after the auction closed...my prize was not to be.
    Anyhow, I may not have "just missed" by one increment--it is possible that the other bidder may have been willing to go much higher for the coin and I couldn't afford the bidding war as my bid was pretty much max of what I can afford for any coin.
    Here's the obverse picture of "the one that got away."..... I will keep hunting but for now, this one stings....
    This recent loss

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  14. jackson64

    An Overlooked Coin

    By jackson64,

    A nice heads up from a fellow member
    I have always enjoyed the hunt for a coin. Whether it is a high grade coin, a low mintage issue or just some variety for a themed set, the hunt ( and find, of course)has always been a large part of the enjoyment in the hobby for me.
    I have had a recent find for a long sought issue for my mercury dime set--I'm in the process of offer/counteroffer right now but if all goes well I'll have located an affordable example of one of my top 5 wantlist coins.
    Also I continue searching obscure mints, odd websites and niche sellers for additions to my bear themed set. Lo and behold, there were several under my nose!
    Thanks to VUMC for the heads up on classic US commems. There are some with smaller/partial bear depictions and some with prominent displayed beasts.
    My purchase this weekend--a 1925-S California 50c Commemorative half-- ( in a PCGS rattler.)
    Happy Hunting everyone...and thanks to my fellow collectors who are always so quick with some directions and leads....

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  15. jackson64
    And it actually has a bear on each side
    This coin costs more than I wanted to spend on this "fun" set. However I wanted more than just a bunch of modern commems or panda series coins so I'm going to have to spend a few bucks for some of these more exotic and classic issues to add variety to the set.
    An 1885 5 franc coin from Denmark--a design celebrating the annual Bern shooting Fest ( of note is that the word Bern can be roughly translated as bear--hence the bear depictions on these coins of Bern)
    Nice detail for the issue and if it actually slabs as an AU then I would have gotten a great deal since existing XF/AU grade coins sell for about 4x what I risked on this one. Even if it details grade I'll be very happy with it as part of my budding set--so really a win or big win scenario.

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  16. jackson64
    sorry--couldn't resist adding that groaner title
    Well as usual, I have started a new set with a reckless petal to the metal approach.
    I have made the rough beginnings of my Custom Set with bears as the theme. I have discovered a few things. The size of this collection will be determined by whether I aim for a smaller set with wide variation--or whether I shoot for the broad spectrum of adding any and all coins with bears.
    In spite of my rather full throttled beginning ( I already have 8 commem coins in boxes that need slabbing)--I am hedging toward the smaller of the collections. I simply have no desire to acquire the complete koala or panda sets. I do like the koala gilt coins, but overall I'm just not big on the koala as a coin. No offense to anyone please--I respect everyone's choice in series that they enjoy, I just don't find the koala that interesting ( maybe this is based in envy though -since any creature sleeping 20 to 22 hours a day has really got quite a relaxed life.)
    As for the pandas, like many who have expressed mixed feelings on the issue of collecting coins from communist China--I also share an uncomfortable feeling. I will leave it at that since I don't feel this is the forum for any political postulating or opinions. I may find a few second hand ones from fellow collectors to add to my set--and I also like the panda bear a lot. Having lived in the Washington area most of my life, the baby panda births and watching Tai Shan grow at the National Zoo was something myself, the wife and kids all enjoyed together.
    The biggest reason I won't be collecting all of the pandas and koalas is simply because there are so darn many of them.
    What I will allow however are various bears in insignias, crests of countries and of a heraldic nature--this should balance all of those modern issues and wildlife preservation commems with some classic world coins...it should be fun ( and as the creator, I reserve the power to change my mind and parameters as my attitude my evolve.)
    My newest addition, my first non-polar bear coin for the set..a regal grizzly bear reminding us humans- we are not the top of the food chain.
    Happy hunting everyone and a wonderful new year of collecting pursuits....

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  17. jackson64
    Getting a jumpstart on a new year and a new set.....
    I have had a new idea for a topical themed collection as my primary interest for 2015. I must admit that a combination of factors have contributed to this.
    First, my recent efforts to finish the $2 Twonie polar bear canada series--secondly was a reply on the chat boards by Gary who showed a gorgeous obversed and polar bear reverse design coin from Greenland--and thirdly was the recent perusing of various coin dealers and just entering the keywords "bear" or "polar bear" revealed a surprisingly large number of coins with this topic/theme.
    After some consideration, I've decided to make the Custom Set-" Bearish Collecting" or some other name ( I'm still working on a nice name with some double entendre or pun if possible)--but what I have decided on is to include all types of bears--which makes for a potentially LARGE set.
    As I was looking through some varying mints and mint dealers I have uncovered a myriad of Polar Bears, black bears, Grizzly Bears--and of course entire series of Panda Bears and Koala Bears.
    The panda bears of China and the Koala bear series from Australia I'll try and be selective in purchasing the designs I like since my intent is not to assemble complete sets of those series. I have seen several small 1/10 oz gold and platinum coins also so I'll probably add several different metals into the set for added variety--and maybe even one large 1 ounce gold coin as part of the centerpiece of the collection.
    Of course I will also include any odd shaped coins-scalloped, triangular, 5/6/7 sided coins if I find any for added variance--and a couple of the coins from my Canada "Twonie" set will be included but again, not all of the existing series because that is not the point--it is for variety of metal, shape and design while being consistent with the bear theme..
    So this is my journal to mark the date and beginning point of my new venture in collecting. I always enjoy going back into my journal history and reading past entries to see how my focus and progress has gone over the years--hopefully I'll read this again in a few years and remember when my large Bear Coin Collection first began....
    Here is an early Canadian release of a 2015 dated coin---polar bear and cub, still in the mint packaging but I took a peak in the box before sending it away for encapsulation....

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  18. jackson64
    It's been a busy few weeks to end the numismatic year.
    Since joining the registry I've come to think of my collecting in more of an "annual progress" way. Each year I have goals that I'd like to achieve before the numismatic year ends. I also tend to view a numismatic year from Dec 1st thru Nov 30th as this coincides with the Collectors Society/NGC's dates for registry inclusions of coins to be added into the sets for their yearly awards recognitions.
    While I didn't aspire to compete for any of the coveted annual awards here at the NGC registry this year, I definitely had some set goals--most which I progressed on but fell short of completing ( which is fine by me.)
    One of my goals for the year was to finally get the 2 Canadian coin sets that I collect in order and up to date-if not fully complete. The 2 sets are the Bluenose Schooner 10c proof series and the $2 "Twonie" polat bear coins with the silver outer ring and silver with gold or gold gilt inner ring.
    I love both of these sets--the 10c with the sailing ship since I have been an avid sailor here on the Chesapeake for years and have long collected themed coins with ships on them. The $2 polar bear coin set was started just because they are just such beautiful coins.
    Which brings up the issues that myself and NGC together have been having and working to resolve. It seems that various books and publications have had errant info about the issuances for these series in proofs. The massive variances of issues by the Canadian mint did not make it easy to get the correct info either.
    I will give you a brief example of a partial explanation of the $2 proof series and you'll see how confusing it was for NGC to have the proper slots and for me to try and explain to them.
    Ex: The series started in 1996 and the 1996 and 1997 proof issues were Cuni with also a piedfort silver 1996 issue with gold gilt center and a seperate 1996 issue which had the center of 22k gold throughout and not gilt. In 1998 the proof sets began to make all $2 coins of silver with no more cuni-again with gold gilt centers. In 1999 there were 2 $2 designs with a silver gilt 1999, a "nunuvat" commem silver gold gilt and a 1999 Nunuvat silver with 22k solid gold center ring. In 2000 there were 3 issued--the regular silver gold/gilt polar bear, a millenium polar bear with cubs silver gold/gilt and another silver with 22k solid gold center.........etc etc etc....
    You get the point of how confusing this series was for everyone to correctly list with the bi-metallic nature of the coin being the major confusion. ( A large part of the problem was extra slots being added for the same coins as "gilt" on the labels were being confused as different coins than the "silver" listed on the label, when in actuality they were the same thing, silver coins with gold gilt.)
    Major props to Melissa for correcting submissions that were denied as "not eligible for the slot"...and especially to Ali Emery who persevered with patience through this aggravating series and continued until these 2 sets are at last 100% up to date and accurate on all slots--thanks.
    My latest submission was a larger one for me personally as I submitted several Canadian proof sets to finally fill some straggler holes, also with some special foreign commems and Britain pounds, dollars and Britainnias.
    I also have my annual renewal every November for NGC membership which adds to solidify my perception of a numismatic year running from Dec to Nov. I squeaked in under the wire my usage of my 5 coin submission coupon-using it for an attempt to crossover 5 coins from PCGS slabs to add to my NGC sets--this didn't go well as only 2 crossed.
    I'll go more into the submission craziness I had and my continuing crossover fails on another journal, for now I am just pleased to have my 2 canada proof sets in order and to a point where I will need to only add the next year's release..
    Here's a picture of my 2007 PF70UCAM "Twonie"...not so popular a series in the registry so far, however now that the issues have been clarified, maybe more collectors will venture to assemble a set of these beautiful coins.....

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  19. jackson64

    Just Because

    By jackson64,

    sometimes there is no reason
    I'll keep this journal entry short and sweet.
    The title refers to my latest purchase. The coin fits no set; it is in an old series, small ANACS holder; it can't even be listed into my registry coin manager to be added into my overall collection.
    I bought it "just because." If I must give a reason, it was for the simple enjoyment of holding it in my hand and looking at it through a loupe and turning it under the light and watching the different colors appear and disappear as the light hit at different angles. Maybe someday I will cross it over into an NGC slab and see if it may garner a "star" to go with the MS65 grade--but then again, these old ANACS slabs are getting scarcer as the years go past so I may just leave it as is.
    The other coin venture I'm involved in has hit a big snag. If you remember when I last wrote, I was involved in selling a large estate of modern coins. I had done very well with the gold and platinum coin submissions. I had sold much of the mint wrapped rolls to fellow collector six mile rick, several of the gold commems and buffalos but not nearly half of the hoard.
    The snag? The huge silver and gold paper price manipulation on WS has really dropped the market price of silver & gold ( even though the mint is sold out of ASE's for the year) --at one point down to $15.20 an ounce for silver--not a sellers market. Most of what I have to sell are the Silver Commem dollars from 1982 thru 2012--every issue, silver proof sets from 1992 thru 2012 ( about 5 of each)and lots of other silver and gold mint issued sets. I have let the owner of the coins/estate know the issue and they decided to just set the selling aside until the pendulum swings back.
    So that's it. Selling of the estate coins are on hold for now. I'm going out of the country for 2 weeks anyhow and then the holidays will be here taking my time. It is quite likely that my odd purchase may be my last for a while ( unless one of my "really want list" coins pops up). Here's a picture of my newest Walker-- a 1941 common date, anacs slabbed and graded MS65.....

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  20. jackson64
    The 1945-S Walking Liberty Half was always one I presumed that I would never own an MS67.
    I'm going to keep this journal short- at least that is my intent as usual. I won't go into the convoluted search for one coin that led me to browsing the inventory of a certain dealer who had what I was looking for but not within my means at this time.
     
     
     
    Consequently, I saw this attractively detailed, crusty and unique looking 1945-S Walker Half in MS67. The coin was priced at more than I have ever spent on a single coin, yet nicely discounted below any other I've seen in this grade. I slept on it overnight, revisited the webpage the following morning and went ahead and made the offer.
     
     
     
    A few hours later I had received confirmation that my highly respectful offer was accepted and I finished the purchase...no long story needed and no complications ( except that the coin is registered to another Registry participant and can't be listed yet--no big deal though, I will have the coin in hand in a few days and start my attempts at imaging- hopefully it will be released soon by the past owner.)
     
     
     
    The photo/image I am posting is not my work but is now of the coin that I own. Happy hunting everyone--if you can't find what you are looking for, maybe something you hadn't imagined you could obtain may fall across your path........

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  21. jackson64
    If only they were my own coins...
    One of my recent journals I chronicled of how I just was handed another large consignment, this time by a distant relative.
    One of the first steps I took after inventorying everything was to pick out around 40 coins that had nice price jumps from 69 to 70 or were selling at a significant premium in slabs instead of being raw.
    If I may take a moment and refresh some newer members here on my hard luck history of submissions. I'm the guy who sends in unopened mint sets of special edition ASE's or commems- and ALWAYS gets 69's when the pop shows 75% 70's. My most heartwrenching stories are of crackouts that were untouched but instead of a regrade for higher grade, I many times have gotten a bodybag or details grade for a coin previously slabbed--I could go on and on with these stories but I don't want to darken my euphoria.
    You see, astoundingly, my recent submission got 23 perfect MS70 or PF70UCAM out of 41 coins !! Of course, every coin was still in its unopened original mint capsules, sent in with mint boxes and packaging..I didn't want to do any handling of these coins at all to place them in 2x2's and also wanted the handlers/graders to know for sure that these coins were as pristine and untouched as the day they left the mint.
    Some highlights: the 1997 to 2007 $10 platinum proofs got 9 of 11 PF70's and the 2006 and 2007 regular mint state strikes both got MS70's..that's 11/13 70's for the platinum coins.
    The gold $5 eagles got PF70's for 2003 to 2005 and PF69's for 2006 to 2008. The 2003, 04, 05 and 07W all got MS70 with the 06 W and )8 getting 69's.
    I got a split on the 2008 gold buffalo $5 with the Pf at 70 and MS69.
    Likewise I got a split on the Washington Commem $5 gold with the MS70 and PF69. The san fran mint commem $5 gold got a 70 as did the bald eagle gold commem.
    The proof and MS silver buff $ commems both got 69's and the 5 1996 ASE's got me 3 69's and 2x 68's ( it was worth a shot since the 70's would have been a nice return for the grading costs but these coins were the only ones not in original packaging from the mint.)
    The final coins were a mix of mostly PF69 ASE's with an occasional 70. I still have the full set of PF silver eagles from 1986 to 2001 that I may submit or sell as a set--not sure on this.
    I can't wait to get the go ahead to sell these coins and be done with it but it has been fun regardless. I still got quite a charge from seeing the wonderful grading results even if I don't get to list them in the registry in sets of my own.
    I did get one nice coin for myself recently to add/upgrade for a set. Here's a picture of a nice album toned 1907-O Barber Half Dollar in XF45.
    PS: trying to keep the journals integrity intact and not use them as a selling forum so I have been writing in relation to the experience of being a collector and an occasional consignor. You see, there are 2 sides to letting people know that you are a coin collector. The down side--of course it is that you don't want word going around that you may have valuable things in your home, safe or even hidden away...but the upside is that when people come across some old coins they want to sell or a friend/family who has some, it gets the "well I know a guy who is really into coins and is very honest to deal with...."
    Happy hunting and God bless

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  22. jackson64
    Do you believe in love at first sight?
    I have on my computer as one of the Favorites or quick links, an article reprinted by David Bowers from a very old issue of "The Numismatist."
    The article has a wonderful old list of "The Ten Commandments of Numismatics"--I believe that I just broke number 4. I will add a link to the 10 commandment list/article when this appears on the chat boards.
    Without changing windows for reference real quick, I believe Commandment #4 relates to staying focused on your collecting goals and avoiding "straggler" coins. ( it is evident that the "box of 20" idea of non-connected but lovingly selected coins as a collection does not work for these commandments.)
    I cannot deny that the coin I just purchased and received has no place in any of my sets and will join a host of others that I own which will never appear in the registry.
    You see, my hunt for an attractive, MS67 1947-D Walking Liberty Half continues. I search national auctions, ebay, webpages etc etc..I just have been unable to find one at what I consider a fair price and with the qualities I enjoy in this series--maybe I'm being foolish and the coin I desire and the price I can afford are not compatible at all.
    My most recent purchase is a 1947-D, however it is even lower graded at MS65 than the MS66 I currently have listed as part of my set. Once I laid eyes on her however I had that "wow" thing happen to me. That thing that only fellow numismatists can understand when we glance upon a shimmering, lustrous piece of well struck coinage--one with rainbows and patina of aging gracefully but somehow maintaining its underlying radiance. The kind of coin that you leave out for weeks before finally placing it in the safe/storage/deposit box with your other coins which you only bring out for the occasional perusal and enjoyment.
    It has been 2 weeks since her arrival. I have tried in vain to capture her skirt lines and strike as well as the shimmering gold, green and deep amber adornment. Oh well, I guess I can only present a semblence for you of what I get to behold in hand...sometimes we purchase coins simply because the look stirs in us the very core reason we started collecting in the first place. That is reason enough for me.

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  23. jackson64
    and "hoard" may truly be the most apt word for this collection
    I have written over the years about several large coin collections that have fallen into my hands to convert to spendable money for the inheritors. Once also, a friend's parents from my church asked me to estimate-and then ultimately purchased several cardboard boxes of mixed circulated coins.
    Hoard one had 4 large rubbermade toolboxes and I shared great deals with my old friends at Trading slabs--rons, sam/coindude, antthe, monkeyman (rest in peace chad) matt and matt, walt etc etc...the rest I listed on moneymarketplace and finally ebay with the stragglers. Ultimately I did well for my friend ( whose brother had died) and the funds I generated from the sales enabled him to repair his brother's home and sell it at a nice price.
    Hoard 2 was just a bunch of shoe boxes but had nicer coins--common date AU/BU morgans, walkers and peace dollars. I selected about 20 higher quality "feeler" coins for a submission. They came back with modest grades and after I did some math, it turned out that it was not worth the time or effort to submit any more for the modest increase in value slabbed did not really offset the slabbing, shipping and selling costs.
    This last hoard is massive--55 cases of coins--unfortunately it is all moderns. It appears there are examples of every modern issue and special packaged mint set/proof set the mint has made since 1982.
    I say "hoard" because it is not just 1 of each state quarter proof set-- it is 5 to 10 of each state quarter proof set in both clad and silver, 5 to 10 of each complete proof set clad and silver, a P and D roll with mint wrapper of each state quarter--and yes, even $25 canvas BU bags of each state quarter P&D. ....and this is just state quarters, there are rolls of mint packaged/wrapped kennedy halves BU, prezzie dollar BU, westward journey nickel BU..etc etc etc.
    So I started by cataloging all of it in 2 notebooks--one book with proofs, proof sets and special mint sets and packaging ( like legacy sets, lincoln 4 coin and dollar sets, westward journey set with the $10 buffalo bill)...the second notebook is full of MS rolls, MS P&D sets, single coins and misc foreign coins. It took a few hours every night to finish this ( and also was getting an idea of how to break/group these items into saleable lots.)
    I sent away 40+ coins for slabbing--some of the choicer modern commems like the buffalo silver dollars,the handful of $5 gold commems, a run of 1/10th oz gold coins from 1990 to 2003 and 1/10th platinums proofs from 1990 to 2005, 2008 proof and unc buffalo gold 1/10th's, 5x 1996 ASE's and 1x 2006 silver 3 coin ASE set-- etc
    All of these will be for sale once returned and I'm hoping for a decent amount of 70's since all were still in mint packaging and left there.
    I may do a few more submissions since so many of these mint state envelopes of P&D sets are pristine. Maybe I'll get some top pops of tougher dates, some full steps, full torches, or even a MS68 Kennedy or IKE or 2 would make the submission well worth the costs.
    Also I'll probably do one foreign coin submission since there are boxes and boxes of those $20 silvert canada coins, canada proof sets, 15 different dated mexico uno onza angle coins, brittanias and maple leafs--I'll have to check and see if the values would increase enough if they received good grades or if there is a market for these foreign bullion pieces in slabs.
    It really was a joy and exciting to sort through all of these plastic cases--never knowing what I might find next ( I'm sorting through some proof set runs and at the end of the box are 1x each of 1957 through 1967 envelope proof sets-fun stuff).
    I will be posting an on-going thread on moneymarket place on the boards to sell all of this--foreign, rolls, sets and slabs..I'm waiting for the executor to give me the go-ahead to begin selling ( it ended up being my oldest daughter as executor which is a long story) what I can't sell here I'll probably list on ebay or purchase myself and set aside--I'm confounded as to what to do with $25 roll of P&D of each Sac dollar, each prezzie dollar etc etc--I can't sell on ebay because fees and shipping will probably leave me getting less than face value...we'll see.
    Here's a picture of what used to be my office...

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  24. jackson64
    and a few nicer upgrades
    I've been quiet on the journal side of the hobby since the new year, and for the most part I've been quiet in the purchasing part also.
    I have kept my eyes open for the one Walker I want for my short set to upgrade to MS67--and then will be officially "done" with the set. I have no desire to pay double or more of the value of a coin so that my slab has a +plus or a *star so there is nowhere left to go to improve this set numerically. Also I am quite pleased with the quality and eye appeal of each coin in my set so unless an eye popper comes on the scene( hence the parenthesis around the word "done")--I am moving on.
    Surprisingly to me, the higher grade buffs for my short set are rather scarce in appearing. Ones that do show up seem to be rather ordinary--technical MS66's or 67's but not particularly unique or distinctive with eye appeal. I don't really hunt for these but mostly just check out the bigger auctions when they come up.
    I have 3 upgrades for my Mercury dime set I am still hunting for, with the 1944 MS67 FB and a 1945 FB micro-S being the big money additions I need. I have seen both of these come to auction in the past 6 months but the bidding went above my budget of what I'm willing to pay ( for now.)
    The Barber Half series has seen the bulk of my numismatic budget recently. I closed out one hole, upgraded another date to a more eye appealing grade and finally- I splurged and upgraded the big dollar coin of the 1900's years.
    I added a 1913-D in XF40 which is problem free and has that attractive slate color of a circulated barber half with the tiniest hints of lingering luster hinting around the letters and devices.
    Although not yet changed in my registry listing-I added a really nice 1907-O XF45 with cobalt blues and viridian around the rims--it looks more like an AU50 but I'm glad for the XF45 grade because the entire set's criteria is a "degree of Fine" so an AU would have been to high of a grade to include.
    And speaking of the criteria of F to XF, I upgraded the one coin that was short of the mark. I had a VG10 1904-S in the slot because I had sent the coin in raw hoping for an F12. The coin has remained as the slot filler ever since I started this set, until now. You can't imagine how much a quality 04-S Barber half is in F/VF grade!! I looked at just VF20's and most were $1500 to $2000 with VF30's and VF35's jumping another $1000 in cost--needless to say it has not been a priority of mine.
    However, every once in a while the coin fates smile on you.........I just happened to be perusing my emails when a brand new email popped up in my box. A seller I buy from had sent me an email notifying of new additions to their inventory. I checked out the new listings and TADA !!..the 04-S in VF20 and at a price which was a few hundred less than I had seen from any other. Granted-the headband lettering is borderline 15/20 but the leaves, legends and reverse are solid VF so I jumped on it--finally. I now have the toughie of my Barber "short set" 1900-1915. It may not be one of the lower mintages, but it definitely is correct in value when it comes to scarcity of quality, problem-free examples.
    So that's it..just some Barbers... a few rolls of ASE's while prices remain down and a few generic world golds...happy hunting e1..you never know when that hard sought coin will just fall in your lap.

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  25. jackson64
    Stickers have no place near coins.....
    There are many things in this hobby that can get under our skin. I believe the reason that the small things irk us is because we truly love the hobby of numismatics. Some of the things that we are troubled by are more personal pet peeves and others are because of bigger trends in the hobby.
    I will admit--and I know it is a controversial subject but it is just my own personal feeling ( and for now Americans still retain at least the right to hold personal opinions) but I never liked the green stickers/CAC -money generating business. We already have a dealer with an opinion of a coin's grade, the buyer with an opinion which concurs if he is buying the coin and 3 professional graders who have reached a consensus on the grade and slabbed the coin--
    Do we need a 4th party grader to put a little green sticker on the slab to say in a god-like fashion, " yes, we coin superiors have deemed that the previous 5 individuals were right about the quality and grade of this coin-it is now deemed worthy of a green football sticker."
    Which brings up what inevitably happened--and the extremes of this.
    Irksome sticker thing #1:..I recently was perusing websites and came across a 1942 Walker Half grade PF64--listed right under a 1942 Walker PF67 and PF65. The PF65 was roughly $500...the PF 67 was near $900..and the PF64??..Priced at near $1200 !!!..oh, I forgot to mention that the slab had a "gold sticker/football"...I kid you not. I won't mention the dealer because I don't want to cause any discord to the dealer, they are free to charge as they see fit--but really? I know I don't have to buy the coin so why should I care right? Sorry but it just feels ethically wrong and bad for the hobby as a whole ( try explaining the grading scale and TPG's to a new numismatist and then explain the power of a little gold sticker to make the coin more valuable than others which are 3 to 4 grades better...
    Irksome sticker thing #2: This is very minor but irksome nonetheless. Has anyone ever gotten a winning coin from auction in an old generation slab with fatty plastic or green writing or rattlers etc etc...and placed right on top of the old hologram on the reverse is an auction lot number sticker? There is no way that sticker is coming off without peeling away the hologram also.
    Oh well...enough about stickers ( thank goodness auctioneers don't using stickers on Rembrandt's or Picasso's)...I have enjoyed some recent journals that have been posted. It appears that there is always a glut of coin journals at the time of year when the awards are near ( I remember a few years ago there was one journaler who so desperately wanted an award that he posted every day from Thanksgiving to the new year--it worked too as he won his second journal award even though he only had 13 coins in his entire collection.) However for the most part people have posted great thoughts on collecting and not about awards, awards, awards..I particularly got to thinking about a great journal on FMV's, registry points etc. Although these topics have been discussed prior, it is nice to read fresh thoughts and also see how disparate opinions remain on this topic.
    Ultimately, coins are worth what a buyer is willing to pay for them--many FMV prices are way overboard ( especially with the modernized minting process and wonderful quality the mint consistently produces.) Yet there are always coins that will "blow the curve".
    My example of a "blow the curve" coin...the 1943-D Mercury dime is of high mintage, common in MS67 and in the top 3 highest grade with FB's...an MS67FB example can be had for about $100 or less...yet I paid over 3x that for mine...and had healthy competition during bidding...if FMV factors in all coins sold at auctions when they deduce a value--then coins like this make the price appear higher than it may be.....happy holidays e1...and happy hunting...

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