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jackson64

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Journal Entries posted by jackson64

  1. jackson64
    A "distraction set" has turned into a registry top ten
    One thing I particularly enjoy about the Collectors Society Registry is the variety of ways that people assemble sets and that are included in the registry.
    There are type sets by denomination and by century...series short sets, one-per-dates and whole sets. Some sets are broken up according to design changes in the series or even a year or two special design. Of course if you care to assemble a set by topical or themed, a world set from a country, medals, creative sets with just ships or horses or fish--there is a place for all of these collecting interests in the Custom/Signature sets.
    As someone without the patience to assemble a huge set of 100 or more coins, I really enjoy short sets like the Mercury 1941 through 1945 sixteen coin set; the Walking Liberty Short Set of 1941 thru 1947 which is 20 coins, the Buffalo nickel short set from 1934 through 1938 which includes the S/D and D/D varieties for an added challenge.
    I also have my Seated Liberty Half Dollar Collection. It is a one-per-date set and I know I would have never undertaken the collecting of these coins with a goal being a complete set. A one-per-date set spanning the decades from 1839 to 1891 is hard enough, especially considering many of the last years of minting had some pretty miniscule mintages.
    My goal for this set has been XF40 to AU58 range--and so far so good. I've picked off many of the easier dates while at the same time sticking with my standards and what appeals to my eye. Old, crusty coins with clear devices and no major distractions. I can already foresee that finishing a few of the dates will require me to drop my standards to F or VF and all I can hope for is a problem free example with honest wear.
    So the latest addition is the first year of issue--the 1839 (with drapery) in a solid XF which I got as part of a larger trade in the Moneymarketplace on the forums.As always, Happy Hunting e1........Jackson

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  2. jackson64
    hope they don't fix it
    I spent the day messing around with my High Seas Signature Set. Recently I have been so focused on my Walker Short Set since it is only 2 coins from completion ( and a few upgrades) that I have not been spending the time I usually do hunting/tracking sailing ship themed coins.
    Well I spent most of the day "fixing" my signature set. I finally finished the task of re-imaging all of the coins...then I got the wild idea to "jazz up" the set. I have inserted in every coin pic a flag from the country of origin in the corner ( some of the flags from countries like Andorra, San Marino, Nauru, Niue & Palau are very cool)...I got lucky and found a cool website with every flag in the world--unfortunately I had to download---then crop---then re-size the image of the coin to large---paste the flag---then shrink the coin image back so that it would re-load.
    Have I mentioned that this is a labor of love?..actually that is mostly true as I get to look at all of my coins from this set again--but it was a lot of work. I added a second flag to some coins--US Navy coins got the Naval flag and Stars and Stripes....olympic commems got an olympic flag along with the country of origin...and other neat stuff ( for example I recently purchased a 1907 Jamestown 300th Anniversary stamp and put an insert of that to go with my 1907 SC$1 and 2007 Jamestown commem)
    About the glitch----I had not fully grasped how large ( and hard to navigate) my set was getting, so after 2+ years of putting it off I finally seperated them into an order. There is no practical denominational or date method that would work because of the various denoms and different date systems, medals, tokens , SC$'s etc...so I decided on geographically.
    The set is divided into 6 regions..and the glitch is that I was able to create a "blank" line between regions with only the title of that area in the listing line. I managed to circumvent the little red dots that say "*required info"
    Okay, the six regions are: N. America (US, Can & Mex)..Caribbean, Central and S. Amer....Eastern & Western Europe....Africa...Middle East, Asia.....and Australia, Pacific Islands and Antarctica ( yes-I have actually hunted down a sailing ship coin from Antarctica)...
    So that's what I did with one full day of my life..sigh..if you are of a mind to give it a quick look...the gallery tab makes for quick perusing...I'd hate for all of my effort to not be appreciated by anyone..here's one that still needs slabbing (along with about 20 of his kin)..

  3. jackson64
    some trial and error
    Well I've reached an impasse in my Walker collecting. The remaining slots in my mid-date set cost 4 figures+ in the grades I want. I don't have the continual funds to be shelling out whenever a hole-filler arrives and at the same time I don't want to keep buying lower grades which eventually get replaced in the future.
    I've decided to take a more "relaxed" approach to my interests for a while. My Barber Half set is the perfect medium for this. You see, I actually like the circulated look of these coins--and this may sound nuts or like justification for my limited funds, but I actually prefer them to blast white, pristine BU Barbers. I'm building a set of F12 to XF40 grade coins. The only criteria is that they can't be too white and can't have "acceptable damage" ( sometimes the TPG's allow a bit of scratches or dings in the much older coinage). So essentially, problem-free and worn surfaces but with nice detailing still.
    Another added benefit of choosing the Barbers ( besides my love of halves) is that I won't have to worry about the temptation to get competetive with this set in the registry. The top sets in the category are worth hundreds and hundreds of thousands ( millions?) and single coins in those sets are worth more than my entire collection.
    On another side note, I have been picking up the occasional seated half in XF quality. Once I get 5 to 6 of these I may actually list them in a Seated registry set as a long-range goal. So now I have plenty of coins to search for at auctions and websites that may cost $200 or less and I can get the enjoyment of the hunt as well as adding a few coins a month--instead of 1 coin every 2 months if I stayed with the Walkers.
    Here's an attractive 1908-D VF35 I recently added. My set is now listed undewr Barber Halves if you'd like to take a look. I have 20 coins so far, all have pictures and hopefully you'll get an appreciation also for how nice this design still looks even with Fine level of wear....

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  4. 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
  5. jackson64
    the grade's the same, the registry points are the same, BUT....
    Well it seems as if there are more than 2 potential upgrades left for my set.
    Last I journaled about my Walking Liberty Half short set I was lamenting that there were only 2 possible coins left in the set that I could afford to upgrade- NUMERICALLY upgrade that is. It seems that I have found another way to spend silly amounts of money for a coin that I already own one of--and not even in a higher grade either. Perusing the perplexing hoard of MS67's at the recent Stacks/Bowers auctions I saw several examples of both the 1943-D and the 1945. It would seem logical to most that since mI had the money set aside for one upgrade that I would try and snag one of these 2 dates and get nearer completion of my "max budget" set.
    Ridiculous as it seems, instead I saw a 1942 ( possibly the most common date MS Walker) that caught me. I was snared right from the get-go. The coin has those crusty flecks of rainbow color around the rim with limes and violets mixed with deep golds and the veridian blues-- a perfect sister coin to about 3 others in my set.
    I set a rock solid bid ( after all there were SEVEN !! other 1942 MS67's in this auction !!). Turns out that the coin I wanted sold for the highest and I barely eked out the win by bidding an "off amount" of 11 dollars more than the normal $50/$100 bid increments. It would appear that I am not alone in my tastes for this eye-appeal and look in a Walker.
    So, do I view this as an "upgrade" considering it is graded the same as my existing coin and not worth a point more in my registry set, or is it just me being a bit OCD or exhibiting a hoarding mentality? Either way, it looks like I won't be complete with my Walker set ever if I am always looking for a slightly nicer looking coin to replace existing coins with. This somehow makes me happy.
    Here's the auction picture of my newest treasure...I'll try and post a picture of the coin it is replacing on the chat boards.

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  6. 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
  7. 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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  8. jackson64
    As my membership renewal approaches, my personal end of the coin year organizing begins.
    November and December have been my "end of the coin year" time period for more than a decade. The registry deadlines, my membership renewal and my purchasing hiatus through the holidays all occur at roughly this same time.
    I have many things I have done, a few I hope to finish in the next 5 weeks and piles of Short Term Goals which have become Long Term.
    My submission procrastination has left me with about 80 coins that are ready for grading and encapsulation. The problem with this is that as my raw coin pile grows, there is an inverse relationship with my available funds to pay for submissions. Now to grade them all would be a healthy chunk of cash--but at the same time I have been trying to finish a few last slots in near-completed sets.
    I am happy to report that I DID complete one simple set I started this year. I added the 1973-S silver IKE dollar in PF69DCAM this week and now have finished the entire Ike proof set in Proof 69. I am up to date on all of the Sacagawea Dollars thru 2016 in PF69 and also have completed the mini set of PF69 SBA's.
    I have about 40 Bear themed coins to add to my granddaughter's collection but they are all still in mint packaging or flips. I have now gotten the 3 gold 100th anniversary coins and need to decide how I will get them slabbed or left in mint packaging.
    My submission list also includes ALL of the remaining slot fillers for my Bahamas silver 50c, $1 and $2 coins --coins that I've had in my velvet-lined, coin cabinet drawers for 6+ months.
    I also have 14 dates of my Jersey 1/12th shilling series of large brass/copper coins ready for slabbing ( I started with all of the 1800's dates and early 1900's for now.)
    So as the coin year ends, I seem to have created more projects and goals than I have resolved or accomplished respectively.
    I have set for myself the single goal above others, before the end of 2016 and changes occur in the registry, to complete my SLQ one-per-date-set in AU grades.
    I landed 3 nice AU's at the recent Stack's sale, which leaves me with 3 final coins to finish---if I don't get sidetracked by a new series, a must-have hole filler or some other coin distractions.
    1917 T2 AU55, 1918 AU58 and 1925 AU58---perfect grades and look to compliment the existing coins in my set.

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  9. jackson64
    haven't bought a sailing ship coin in 6 months !
    No I haven't abandoned my "HIGH SEAS" signature collection. To many who read the journals and are members of various boards that chat about coins..I'll probably always be known as " the ship coin guy."
    It's just that I've been so focused on getting some key Walker upgrades while it seems that many higher grade- nicer coins have hit the market. I don't know why so many upper grade Halves have hit the market, maybe people having tough times are selling off. If so, then I hope that my bids and buys have helped my fellow collectors out some, who've had to sell their collections.
    So I looked back at my invoices/receipts and noticed it has been almost 6 months since my last sailing ship coin purchase. This is quite a diversion from a collection that has averaged about 30-40 coins being added a year for the past 5 years.
    Of course I never do any coin buying with any semblance of control. Not only did I make a bigger dollar purchase, I also bought 5 more $50 range coins too. My reasoning?..I tell myself "Someone else may buy them and I'll never see another one of these issues !!"
    a couple of quick things..
    finally getting back a submission from early October that I had even forgotten about--it's been a while.
    Also, anyone watching silver? Over $1 jump today !! Looking back, 1 year ago to the day silver was around $9.--...today it's over $18.--...wish I had bought several hundred more ounces..oh well, as they say, hindsight is always 20/20.
    Here she is, my new Golden Ship beauty..a rare issue also since there were 5,000 proofs minted yet only 100 of these Matte finish coins..enjoy, the Andrew Doria--a great history to this ship and the Dutch..enjoy

  10. jackson64
    Along with my recent submission which finished 2 of my Bahamian Silver MS sets, I also added 8 more coins to my granddaughter's growing " bear coins" themed collection. She really does enjoy these coins I find and is not just humoring her pawpaw with the ooohs and aaahs. It is fun to see her loop the 20x loupe around her little finger and stare down at all the small details--shifting and turning to get the right light and focus to get the clearest image ( just as I taught her!)
    This submission was a strange one from the start. As I checked to make sure the package arrived safely to Sarasota, the initial logging of the coins had 3 of them as "ineligible.' Since I have seen all 3 of the coins that are marked as "ineligible" in NGC slabs on websites, I figured that what the cataloguer really meant was "illegible" since my writing style is somewhat unique in its -script style.
     
    As the coins progressed through the process, two of the coins lost the "ineligible" moniker and just one retained it--the North Korean coin. I later received an email informing me that N Korea is on the banned list for grading ( I presume Russia, Syria, Libya, Iran and other boogeymen countries will be soon to follow on the list.) Both of the other coins did end up with issues though--the Greenland coin, which has a value of 1 Piastre and is minted at a legit mint is labeled as " fantasy issue" on the slab. The British Virgin Islands coin which is gold gilt and coated in Rhodium was also bodybagged like the N Korean coin because, "colorized outside of mint.' This simply isn't true, the Pobjoy mint which both minted the plain silver issues and the 500 limited edition, gold-gilt issues is the #1 private mint of European countries and mints hundreds of issues which are recognized as legal currency and are in NGC slabs by the thousands. I have the government packaging and coas to prove it is officially licensed product of the BVI govt. If we accept dozens of FM issues, and coins from small countries without their own independent mints, this coin should be allowed. The least they could do is put the coin in a slab without a grade and say "private mint, ungradable"--then I could add it to a custom set or inventory it as well as have it protected with encapsulation, after all-I PAID FOR IT.
     
    I was surprised to be given a credit/refund for the N Korean coin--the first time over the years that I have received my money back ( out of dozens) for NGC not providing the paid service but I'm still hundreds and hundreds in losses for coins they wouldn't grade but kept my cash anyhow. Maybe once they open the box it counts as Tier Service??
    Whatever, my bellyaching won't change anything--I'll just blame it on the Russians, like everything else......here are three of my prizes that did get encapsulated. My Greenland "fantasy issue", a wonderfully artistic, geometric rendition of swimming polar bear with cub, and the final one is my newest favorite--a polar bear ( also under northern lights) with actual diamond dust mixed into the silver to give the appearance of glistening snow--really cool stuff...enjoy and happy hunting....




  11. 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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  12. jackson64
    after 2+ years of trying
    I really enjoyed reading the "Confessions of a Coin Addict" series which ran last week. I was grinning ear to ear with many of them because I can truly relate...I mean, a day without a new coin is like a day without sunshine.
    I particulary liked the 3 stages outlined...although I feel one underlying theme was missed. The Obsession.
    I love the rush from winning an auction, I love the rush of finding something new for my set, I like watching my set jump a slot or 2 in the rankings, I love opening the mailbox and seeing padded envelopes or the little orange card ( meaning I gotta sign for one)...but the biggest of all rushes for me was the one I got last night.
     
    My search for this coin, ( a 1927A Weimer Republic-Bremerhaven) has been over a 2 year odyssey...I first spotted it in a Krause catalog and noticed it was a bit pricey. I looked on ebay and there was one in a seller's BIN/store. The price for his 5 MARK example -$2700 outta my range 99% of the time. So I waited....on only 2 occasions has one come up on ebay since..about 6 months ago the 3 MARK version was available but I stopped bidding at $800...and last night (saw it 6 and a half days ago--talk about obsession). Anyhow, I also saw 3 at the recent Heritage World Coin Auction..1 was a 3 Mark and 2 were 5 marks...not to bore you with all of the details but they got bid out of my range--WAY outta my range. This was very discouraging because I started to wonder if it would be 10+ years before I could find and afford one.
     
    About a week ago I saw a superb 3 Mark on ebay and the bidding was only $130 !!.. I placed a low bid of $135 so that it would be on my bidding list. Going into last night it was still only $138..I watched and watched, sure that there were 3 dozen others doing the same thing ready to snipe my coin. Finally with 30 seconds left I couldn't wait ( what if the computer crashed?--what if our power blipped?) I placed the maximum amount I was willing to pay-$411.51 ( I know an odd number but that 51c has won me a few auctions)...I was AHEAd..and at only $190 with 15 seconds left...I hit refresh...$200 with 7 seconds..and finally I had won at a price of only $219 !!!
     
    I scared my wife with my whoop and I jumped out of the computer chair and did my best EndZone dance !!!...now that was a rush...
    By the way, what's the number for that help line?
    Here's a picture of my prize..I know it's not the taste in coins many of you prefer, but for me this is HUGE-the equivalent of a 1995W Silver Eagle in PF70DCAM !!!

  13. 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
  14. jackson64

    Finished !!!

    By jackson64,

    completed a set..unbelievable
    I just love coins for various reasons..their art, history, design, value, and sometimes just because they are very shiny it seems. Anyhow, I have trouble finishing sets because I will get a chance to acquire a nice coin that does not fit one of the sets I am building and then I go off on a tangent and start collecting that new series. Well I know it's not a large valued set, but I am pleased to finally add the final coin to my France 20 Gold Francs Marianne/Rooster set. It was a surprisingly challenging set to finish since most of the pre-1906 coins don't appear very often. So here it is, the final one..the 1899 First Year of Issue, fresh back from NGC today PS: better, close-up photos of the obverse and reverse are in my signature set of the entire set in the World Coins category. I would recommend them as a collectible set. It is a reasonably inexpensive gold set {prices for most range from $125-$200} most dates can be found easily, and just enough of a challenge finding the few harder dates to make it fun...
    MVC-777S.J
  15. jackson64

    Finished A Set !!

    By jackson64,

    finally broke down and filled the last slot..
    I remember reading some advice in a book once. It was written by a highly respected, giant of our hobby. He wrote in his book, "buy the key dates of a series you're building first. They are the coins that will continue to gain or hold in price, while the easier dates rise much slower or often go up AND down."
    At the time I thought this was a no-brainer. I was sure that I would have figured that bit of logic out on my own, after all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that what is harder to get and more highly prized will increase in value.
    Well I may have understood the concept but I didn't follow the advice. Sadly, the primary "key" coin of my Walker Short Set was the LAST one I purchased. In my own defence there are a few reasons for this. Without boring everyone to death, the two big reasons were cost and my own pickiness.
    It is a bit of an expensive coin in the grade I wanted for a man of my middling means. The big reason though was that I wanted a nicer, eye-appealing coin if it was going to cost more than 5-6 times what other coins in the series cost combined. So I waited, always with a different reason to pass on the one's that became available--"this one's strike is weak"..or..."this one looks dipped"..." the luster is a bit, lackluster"..or " that ding keeps drawing my focus"...etc etc..(I'm sure you know the thoughts)
    Anyhow, almost 2 1/2 years after starting this little 20 coin "short set"..I have finally added the last remaining coin, my 1941-S !! WooHoo..here's a picture of the lustrous reverse, busting with shimmery flowlines and with the proud eagle--defiant in defence of Liberty and freedom
    NGC MS66

  16. jackson64

    Finished Another "Set"

    By jackson64,

    just a year set, but still a complete set
    It happens so rarely that I couldn't let the accomplishment pass without at least a quick journal to record the event. I finally finished my 1944 year set !!
    Yesterday I was perusing ebay and came across the final coin I needed -a 1944-D Washington quarter. I had seen a few before in the MS67 grade I was looking for but they were either not as attractive as I wanted or else they were way over-priced sitting in a "Buy It Now" inventory on ebay. Has anyone else noticed that since ebay re-structured things a year or so ago that there are far less auctions and far more items stuck in BIN at about 20-50% markups? I guess the sellers figure that for 10c a month they may as well give their inventories markups and let them sit in inventory month after month--heck, if they sell even one of these coins a month it can cover a year's worth of their listing fees...okay rant over and back to the point.
    So I found the coin in the grade, eye-appeal and price I was looking for and jumped on it. Now my 1944 year set is finished. It has all MS67 except for the 1944-S Walker which I have in an MS66. The only possible upgrade left is if I can find a 1944 P mercury with FSB.
    One interesting note about the 1944 year set--I actually finished #1 ranked this year. That is not what's interesting however. It seems that there has been a different #1 every year-2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and now me for 2010..so there are alot of ribbon icons next to various names in that set. Who knows, maybe next year there'll be a seventh straight different winner.
    Here's my final piece to the 1944 puzzle..it is worth noting that all 3 of my Washies in this set are now housed in old fat NGC holders-just a coincidence, but still pretty cool...

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  17. jackson64
    My most recent submission is worth at least 3 separate journals after some issues I had, some newly discovered info, to discuss the coins and overall grades ( 8 of the coins were for custom sets) and of course, the completion of 2 of my Bahamian Silver Registry Sets.........
    The Bahamas Mint State silver coins had a relatively short lifespan. There are just 6 years of these issues with quite limited mintages ( it is a smallish island nation so 10's of millions would have made no sense.) The first issue was in 1966 with your 8 coin sets and the 50c, $1, $2 and $5 coins being silver. The $5 coin has an ASW of almost 1.3 oz's and the $2 coins are well above the silver content of the US silver dollar, so these are large and heavy silver coins.
    After the 1966 issue, no new sets were made until 1969 and then they were produced yearly for 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973--after 1973, only the proof sets contained the 4 large silver coins ( and some SP sets and commems also were silver) but the mint sets had switched to cuni and alloys.
    I started collecting these coins originally because of the beautiful designs and the fact that I could sometimes even snag them below silver cost as it seemed 10+ years ago that not many people realized the ASW of nearly 3 oz's in each mint set. I have also fallen in love with the finish of these coins which appear almost burnished- containing an "inner glow" as they have a simmering sort of shine which does not reflect as much or cartwheel like the very light reflective silver. Who knows, maybe they are burnished in some part of production-much like the burnished silver eagles which have the planchettes spun in a tumbler with fine sand or tiny metal beads.
     
    Anyhow, with the wonderful additions of the 1971 "Dancing Marlin" 50c and the 1973 "Flamingos at sunrise" $2 coin, I have now completed 2 more sets. I recently got some free photography lights so I may try and improve my pics ( or at least make them all uniform.) now that the sets are done--and with just 12 coins to photo/crop/size it won't be too big of a project.
     
    Here are the pics, what do you think? Burnished finish?




  18. jackson64
    finally filled a registry slot
    I just added a nice little 1893 Indian Cent to my 1890-1909 Indian Short Set. It's not exactly an eye popper but it is an attractive coin with an aged look, very clear of any ticks, nicks or dings, and retains quite a bit of underlying orangish/red luster for a "brown" designation.
    It may actually be close to an MS65 RB so I'm pleased to find it in the MS64BN that my set parameters entail ( surely a 65 for its freeness of hits alone.)
    I added a photo that I won't use in the set images but was instead experimenting with pictures of different light--this one being a photo taken with the coin on my windowsill. I like the clarity the unaltered sunlight provides for detail however it does tend to wash-out the richness of the aging, coppery tones.
    With the addition of this 1893, that leaves me with the 1890, 1892 and 1894 to finish this mini set. I'm resigned to just plodding along until I find each in an NGC slab and with the 64BN criteria.
    I think I'll post another journal in a day or two since it has been slow on the boards and journals. I will write a journal entry of my pre-submission selections. I'm only going to send the 15 coins that I can list on one submission form for now ( hint to NGC, if the forms had 25 slots per entry page/form, I'd be sending 25 coins instead.) I'm not sure which ones will get the nod for encapsulation, but I'm leaning toward finishing my Bahamian coin sets 100%. ( I've had the coins needed to fill the slots for quite a while but they keep getting pushed back.)
    Until next time, Happy Hunting and may the coins that grab your eye be in NGC slabs!

  19. 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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  20. jackson64
    the coin had the look and was only 50% of list--but there is no set fot it
    As I've matured and become more disciplined in my collecting my impulsive purchases have dropped considerably. Not that impulse buying is a sign of immaturity in general- but when I first started collecting seriously, I never saw a coin I didn't want. I lost a bit of money by building complete sets quickly-even #1 registry sets- and then selling the coins for less than I bought them. I don't even want to think of the money lost when I throw in buyers fees, sellers fees, shipping, and slabbing. I learned through the school of hard knocks to my wallet--buy what I plan on holding for a decade or longer or I'm gonna lose money overall.
    I do believe there actually ARE wrong ways to collect--just not wrong interests or coins to collect.
    Some people will say disparaging and mean things about ASE collectors and "they are just bullion, not coins". Well the design is beautiful, the coin has an annual dated issue and also several varieties and special issues-just like many series, so I think of ASE's as a coin first, that also happens to be of bullion purity.
    Others disparage the modern series collector. Usually the put-downs are about massive mintages, market saturation and over-priced for collectors who seek perfection. Some collectors will pay 5 to 10x more for a perfect 70 instead of a 69 at 1/10th of the cost. I would ask the naysayers, "since when did the pursuit of perfection or the highest quality set become a bad thing?" and Why is that different than a classic design collector who pays 10x the cost for an MS67 over an MS66?
    Some even crack down on those who collect proof coinage. I've heard more than one collector scoff at proof coinage as " not real coinage" since it was not minted for the purpose of tender but was solely printed for those who do collect.
    For others the eye-rolling comes at those who purchase mint products, or the Modern Commems ( again they mention the over-saturation of products by the mint). I would say, how is having an array of choices for young and/or future collectors who might enjoy the hobby years from now a bad thing? If all coin collectors are oldsters and no new, younger collectors are starting in our hobby then a MAJOR point comes up that they hadn't considered. Who would buy our collections when we sell them or leave them to family? With no new collectors then our coins turn into precious metals and nothing else.
    I could go on and on about how so many have an opinion about what and how is the right way for others to collect. All I know for me is that I've learned to only buy coins now that I know I'd like to own for years--maybe even never part with. This saves me a lot of money on impulse buying of a commemorative issue of a nickel, or a 4 coin Lincoln commem set. I'd enjoy these coins often when I bought them for a few days and then they would be relegated to a slab box in the safe. Not that these aren't great coins if those are the series you collect, but I don't collect those series and I just can't justify buying every special edition or commem that the mint produces. Eventually I usually would end up plucking out coins for quick sale from the slab boxes to buy one I "had to have" at a future date. I'd take 60% on that Ike proof69DCAM set so I could have some more cash for a higher bid on that coin I really was waiting for a year or 2 to come to auction. Nothing is more frustrating in the hobby than finally having a scarce issue come to auction that you've been waiting and hunting for but you just blew a chunk of money on a ho-hum impulse buy and can't make a really healthy bid to secure your prize.
    I have reduced my buying in the past 2 to 3 years to special coins that are unique and appeal to my specific tastes and eyes. Most often these will be a half dollar from 1839-1947 or a Mercury Dime that has color. I have bought a few "single coins" that I have no intention of completing the set or even adding to the registry. My 1917 MS65FH quarter is one of these--what a beautiful coin the TypeI SLQ is ! I also have a single high grade Peace Dollar of a very common date-1924- because it was exceptionally free of marks and highly lustrous. I like the design but only want one.
    I have 1 Morgan CC coin and my most recent impulse buying landed me another unique and distinct looking Morgan- an 1888-S Morgan. I was pleased to see also that it is a scarcer date-in fact the first Morgan struck with less than 700,000 mintage. So here is my prize..another addition that I will pull out over the years and enjoy studying the toning under 20x magnification. For now, that is the only "right" buy for me. Who knows, if I live long enough I might be like old Eliasberg and try and get one of each...Happy Hunting e1, whatever it is that you enjoy.

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  21. jackson64

    Focusing My Collection

    By jackson64,

    downsizing seems to be going around
    I was very pleased to read the journal entry by Boomer titled "Hard Decisions", mostly because I have been doing the same kind of thinking.
    Recently I was showing my wife a coin that I found on a website that would instantly become my favorite if I were to buy it. It is a true rarity from the 1800's, gorgeously toned and it has a sailing ship. I have been eyeing it for over 6 months but I've been unwilling to take the $2500 leap. My wife, in her pragmatic wisdom asked me, "why don't you sell some of the coins that you don't like as much or save your coin budget and then buy it?"
    That got me thinking ( I'm sure that I have mentioned before that" thinking" is not one of my strong suits) along the same lines as Boomer. I had to ask myself, Do I collect what I like?
    For the most part the answer is yes. However I fall into a rut of trying to finish sets when all I really wanted was a very nice example of the series.
    In the end I have decided to give up building sets.I won't spend money anymore to fill slots and worry myself over grades. I have deleted any sets that I was being competetive in--including one set that I had been "best in category" since 2004. I will finish my Walker short Set because I love Walkers--and I consider it non-competetive because I will never come close to the top 10 and don't care. When I finish that I think I'll just look for beautiful coins that grab me. I really enjoy the most hunting down and searching for coins to fit my signature set. It's more enjoyable to me than filling slots and trying to find room in my budget for the next 67 or 68..........
    I lost over 40,000 points today in registry rankings...however I have 27 coins being graded at NGC's value category to add to my sig set, and all 27 cost me less than I spent on many coins just to fill a slot. It's always hard for me to sell any of my coins, but I finally feel like my collecting is truly focused, because left to my own whims--I would try and buy 1 of each...
    Since we're on a Jefferson Nickel run, here's my favorite Jefferson...you guessed it..the Keelboat

  22. jackson64

    Forced to 'Settle"

    By jackson64,

    it's all about the coins
    I'm sure that I'm not the only one who does this, however since the journals are supposed to be about our personal collecting experience-- this is my story..and my personal quirk.
    When building a set, especially a set of classic coinage, I decide what grade/s I'd like to assemble the set in according to my price range. Most classic sets will have a key-date or two that either have to be purchased in a lower grade or money needs to be saved to purchase them in my target grade range. I look through the price guides and various auction's "prices realized" info to get an idea of what the highest grade I can fill the slot with according to my means.
    This helps in a few ways. First is that I'm very familiar with what each coin's particular price, value and cost should be if one becomes available. Secondly, it keeps me from over-paying out of impulse and assists in keeping me patient ( waiting for the right coin and also at the right price.) Thirdly, it keeps me from buying a coin to fill a slot and then upgrading it later for the grade I wanted in that slot in the first place.
    For my slow-growing Walking Liberty Half Mid-date set I have gone through and targeted grades and decided that I can fill a handfull with MS67's..most at MS66 and I'll have to settle on MS65's for 2-3 dates. In the end this will get me nowhere near a #1 registry ranking (which is never my goal anyhow), however it will be the best set that I can assemble with my modest means ( and maybe around the top-ten). NOTE: I hope I don't give the impression that I don't like being #1 or winning stuff, it's just that I am pragmatic and know that I can't even come close to competing with the big boys in a classic coin series.
    Last night I "settled" for a coin a grade lower than the target grade I aspired to for that date. Who knows, I may eventually buy an MS67 for the 1934 example for my set...but I don't think I'll ever part with the MS66 I bought last night. Oh well, in the end it is all about the coins and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to live with this one..

  23. 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
  24. jackson64
    I've been so busy lately with work, family, yard work and pre-Christmas activities I've barely had any time for hobbies. Even after I made a purchase last Sunday evening it took me 3 days before I even had time to swing by the post office box and pick up my new additions-- and this was because I had gifts for family out-of-state to mail.
    I've gotten into replacing some slots in my Washington album with mint state coins if the price is right and I found a nice 4-coin lot of all MS64 PCGS coins from the early 1940's at a recent auction. You know the drill--an early low-ball bid to get the items on my Bid list and then about a half hour before auction end I checked and the price was still pretty low. Someone had outbid me but not by a lot. I waited until 2 or 3 mins left and bid a moderate level with no expectations. Win or Lose I wasn't doing any chasing. There was one more bid under mine but I still won the 4 Washies for just $65 plus $8 buyer's fee-- a nice score. Out of curiosity I checked the Price Guides and the 4 coins combined have a $178 list value, so it seems I did well indeed.
    Three are nicely toned and the cheaper one ( 1942-P) is white--overall some sweet additions for my album. I haven't cracked them yet, all are solid for the grade so I'm not worried about cracking out over-graded coins which I never do.
    The Washington album is rounding out nicely with mostly 3 pages of AU sliders and BU coins. The first page which are the 1930's issues will remain problem-free circulated issues.
     
    Happy Hunting E1 and a very Merry Christmas to all.......





  25. jackson64
    maybe it's time to expand my collecting parameters
    My coin collecting mostly consists of buying as beautiful and eye-appealing coins as I can. I usually do this in the confines of some over-arching goal like assembling a whole set, short set, year set, thematic set etc. I say usually because some of my coin purchases are not for any set but just because I love the design. Examples of this would be coins like my Dolly Madison commem with her wonderful bust on the obv and the willow tree and gardened home on the reverese--another would be my 1917 T1 standing Liberty quarter. I have no desire to complete these series but I thouroughly enjoy having these coins in my collection.
     
    Each purchase generally gives me 3 moments of thrill. I always get a charge--possibly the biggest charge- from winning a desired coin at auction. The second thrill of course is when the coin arrives in the mail and I get it in hand with my loupe for the first time. My third thrill is adding the coin to my Registry and filling a slot in a set. I know many here are different and immediately register a coin upon winning it-even before being in possesion of it. Others here collect and have no interest in the registry. This is just how I enjoy the hobby.
    I'm starting to feel that maybe I'm missing one aspect of the collecting experience though.........
    That would be the photographing and sharing of images of my coins. I have outdated equipment but the zoom 10x is pretty good on my primary camera and a 20x zoom camcorder also can take stills so I do a servicable job. What is really lacking are my lighting set-up and also any photo editing or presentation skills.
    I've looked at other member's like Ghermann and his themed collage of veteran coins and I think on the fun it must be to pull out coins from his collection and image them and work with them.
    What really brought this to a head was my latest mercury dime. I continue to build and rebuild this set with the prettiest coins I can find. I just snagged a truly unbelievable coin and it arrived today. Even nicer than the list photos, I can say I think I got a steal evn though I paid 2x list value for it.True turquoise, aquamarines, violet magentas--just astounding with bold strike for an S mint and overall subtle golden tones--just fabulous ( can you tell I REALLY like this coin??)
    Anyhow, I can't get a decent picture of this little dime which shows the boldness of color, luster and strike details. I tried with a big outdoor bulb in a desk lamp--I tried outdoor soft evening sunlight--I tried my normal desk halogen I use for my Walker pics--I tried a plain old lightbulb and the stovetop lamp even. None truly capture everything well.
    A really good tilt gives me the colors...straight on gives the luster but washes out the color and lessens the FSB, etc etc..
    So I think it is time to expand my coin collecting to include some coin photography equipment made in the 21st century.
    For what it's worth--my 1943-S MS67 FSB Mercury obv ( the reverse is 10x even more astounding but my pics are horrible)..I only wish you all could see this coin in hand--what a treat..

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