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jackson64

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Journal Entries posted by jackson64

  1. jackson64
    not sure of grade range I'm shooting for
    As much as I enjoy the freedom I get with a signature set, I still love albums and building a registry set. I am still one coin shy of completing my Walking Liberty Half short set. The 1941-S, as I've mentioned before, is a bit pricey in the quality I want so that it matches the strike and luster of the other coins in the set. I get an annual residual payment/check every November which I've decided to earmark for my 41-S ( plus I'm hoping that I might get a good price during the slow period prior to Christmas).
    Well there is no way a numismaniac can wait 5 to 6 months without working on some kind of set. So I have decided to start a Mercury dime short set. The simple 15/16 coin set doesn't really have a "key date" that will cost me a bundle, but there still are some hard decisions.
    Full Bands or not to Full Bands is the question.
    The price difference is quite significant between the FB designation and those without. I am having a hard time convincing myself that a small nick on the fasces/bands can be the difference in 3 times or even 10 times the price. I'd like to build a nice set with some resale value--matching in whiteness, luster and cleaness....but I think I'm gonna pass on the FB's. This will mean that my set won't be very competetive points wise--but I believe ownership of a complete NGC MS67 Mercury Dime short set would be a super addition to my collection. Who knows, maybe I'll be picky and just pick the MS67's that have 99% full bands and get them for a fraction of the cost of those with the FB label.
    I do foresee myself getting stuck trying to find an MS67 1945 micro-s...oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...until I write again, happy hunting to all of my fellow collectors...
    This coin I got for a very good price..it is the 1892 Columbian Expo and a strike of this boldness ( especially the lines on the sails) usually gets a nice MS65/66...however with my luck it will end up as the nicest AU58 in existence...

  2. jackson64

    No Rules In Stone

    By jackson64,

    new guidelines
    Another great thing about the hobby is the liberty to collect what and how we like. I try and set a goal for each set I start--sometimes it's to build a #1 set, sometimes to just crack the top 25. Sometimes the only goal is to try and complete the nicest set possible with every coin at $100 or less. Some sets, like my sailing ship coin set, I have changed the rules as I go along, usually expanding the criteria to be more inclusive.
    Last night however I broke a rule/goal in the opposite direction. I wanted to slowly make a nice quality Mercury dime short set--all coins being grade MS67 or 67FB. I was going to be patient, waiting for high quality PQ coins for the grade. I have bypassed a few coins that were slabbed in this grade, even though they were very cheap, because they just weren't very nice coins (probably why they were cheap for the slab grade). Last night, after slowly filling the first 7 slots with 67's--I bought a MS66 1945-Micro-s. I probably would find a very nice MS67 if I were patient...but I really liked the "character" and look of this coin.
    So in the end, I exercised my liberty and freedom as a collector--I bought what I liked. I'm sure the set will look mix-matched to some if it is ultimately completed as 15 MS67's and 1 MS66...but I really liked this oddball coin and so it stays as a part of my little set. I may never break the top ten, however that was never a goal for this set anyhow....I think it's great to enjoy the hobby however I want
    PS: I recently purchased a coin that will fulfill one of my major goals, cracking the first page in the Walker sets (in fact it will jump me all the way to 16th place!!) I have a final payment on Nov. 3rd and she's mine--I'll post more on that when I finally have her in hand
    here's my oddball 1945 micro-s Mercury...I hope you can see why I broke my rules and bought it....as always, happy hunting everyone

  3. jackson64
    it's so easy to lose perspective
    This latest entry into my journal was going to be far different.
    I was going to ruminate on how dissapointing it can be to lose out on a coin that you really want at auction. In the past I have shared my frustrations and joys that I've had while enjoying our great hobby.
    I guess "hobby" is the operative word--defined as "fad,whim or pastime". These definitions put a better perspective on how little these shiny little disks matter in relation to the truly important things. In fact, I'd have to say that the truly lasting satisfactions within the hobby come from other things besides the coins. The friendships and people we interact with, how we treat one another, the wonderful chances we receive to do even small things for a fellow collector-expecting nothing in return, --these are the things that make me feel good for days and make me smile each time I think about it. A super coin find, winning an auction, finding a long sought coin--these things give thrills but all too quickly that prize ends up locked away in a safe, box or bank. The kindnesses and caring we do for eachother, on the other hand, seem to multiply.
    I woke up yesterday morning with a phone call. While still half asleep in bed, my sister informed me that my mother was getting a biopsy on a swollen lymph node in her neck.
    This morning I awoke and checked my favorite on-line sights and read Michael's journal entry. Words cannot express the depth of empathy I feel for my friend right now. The fact that I was mentioned in his heart-wrenching journal entry is one of the most humbling experiences of my life. All of my prayers go out to you and your family right now Michael. I pray that God's mercy and peace envelopes you and your family and helps with the healing of your hearts. I pray that your family can share in eachothers sense of grief and loss and make you all closer and stronger. Grief and sorrows shared are grief and sorrows lessened...
    I usually have to stop myself from rambling on and on in these journal entries...but there are just no words to suffice right now to express how sad I feel...
    May God keep you, your wife and all of the Cooper kids close to Him through this....
    One of my favorites, (Nike aside)..I like to think of this coin as an angel standing on the prow of a ship...guiding it to calm waters and a safe harbour...I'm sure Elijah's now in the safest of harbours--in the arms of the Lord....

  4. jackson64
    not all MS66's are equal
    If you've been collecting certified coins for any length of time I'm sure that you've noticed certain trends. For example, PCGS coins often sell for more than NGC coins.
    For modern coins this is understandable. NGC dominates the modern coin market. PCGS's only recourse is to create "condition rarities"-usually by limiting the number of perfect 70's or MS68 grade coins that they allow. This is just my opinion ( I have heard this from dozens of others also) however I think that they have created an artificial market by passing out just a few high grades to the "lottery winners" and the members of their ( PCGS-slab-only) registry pay thousands of dollars for common coins that are of the same quality as the NGC 70's that cost $100-200.
    This isn't what was on my mind though (especially since I don't collect any moderns). Recently my auction searching has been for nice examples for my Mercury dime set and the final piece for my Walker short set and possible walker upgrades. I have noticed distinct grading differences between the 2 big grading services in these series.
    For both series PCGS coins are more expensive. The strictness of grading for mercury dimes is far more stringent by PCGS than NGC ( although if you find a very nice NGC dime you can get it for about 60% of the price). With the steep price difference it really is worth it to be patient and wait for those NGC gems which cost sometimes only half.
    Walkers are a different story however. NGC has the stricter criteria for grading Walkers and their prices are still cheaper. After studying the Walking Liberty Half selections at various auctions--almost daily--for several years, I can boldly say that an NGC MS66 is easily a grade better than a PCGS 66 (there are exceptions of course). What this means for me is better coins at a cheaper price !!
    As a collector who hopes that I will be blessed enough to be able to leave my collection to my family and never need to sell them, I don't care which ones would get more money on reselling ( unless you hold them for at least 10 years, the auction houses seem to be eating up any profit anyhow).
    So I have no problem with slab bias, in fact I'd be happy if the prices on gem quality coins in NGC plastic always stayed cheaper...so here's a toast to all of those who buy only PCGS slabs...thank you and would you like a refill of your kool-aid?

  5. jackson64

    Too Many Coins?

    By jackson64,

    my "set" is too big
    It's hard to believe but I may have too many coins. My signature set called "High Seas" is a themed set with nthe only requirement being that the coin must depict a sailing ship. I currently have 148 coins in the set listing....3 coins that need to be added...and 51 coins that will be sent for slabbing/grading on November 1st.
    This will enable me to reach my goal for 2008, which was to break the 200 coin mark for this collection. Unfortunately, signature sets only allow for a maximum of 150 slots. I sent an email to Collectors' Society and Amy (joiseygirl) was most helpful as always--however my options at this point are limited to starting a new set ( High Seas Continued?...or High Seas Also??) or maybe I'll only display my 150 "favorites".
    The hard part with that is that I really like them all. Not that I'd sell the coins I couldn't display-but I feel that my on-line display would only be a partial collection. I'm still up in the air on my decision--I'm also waiting to see if Amy can talk someone into simply adjusting the maximum number of slots allowed in a set. ( I seem to be the first person to run into this conundrum of set size so there has never been an issue until now).
    November is always a big coin month for me--I get an annual residual payment every November for some work I did years ago and I usually use most of it to get my sets/collection in order. I'm going to submit about around 60 coins ( my largest submission ever by far) and I have my eye on 1 big purchase (big for me). It may not be the greatest time with our national economic situation a bit uncertain, but then again it may be the perfect time to purchase a key-date coin. Prices for collector quality coins seem to be dropping a bit as some people are selling off due to financial hardship and others don't have available funds to bid on coins right now.
    More coins on the market and less potential buyers means better deals can be found. This may be the perfect time to snag a $2000 coin for $1200 or less--we'll see.
    Here's the latest piece for my Mercury dime short set. I prefer a blast white/lustrous/flowlines dime...this one just jumped out at me however with her beautiful amber rim toning...1942-D MS67FB...

  6. jackson64

    My Free $3000 Coins !!

    By jackson64,

    now it's time to send them back
    I don't know if it is a fluke or whether this kind of thing just happens every once in a while---however I got a package recently that wasn't mine.
    This is the third time that I have gotten coins in the mail that belonged to someone else. (actually twice with coins and once with notes--and I don't collect notes).
    Before anyone gets the wrong idea---of course I sent them back, but each time it gets just a little harder. The first time was a note/bill that was sent to me out of the blue by Heri*****, this one was easy because my coin and this buyers note had been juxtaposed-his note in my envelope, my coin in his envelope....so I mailed it back to Heri**** insured (my costs/ their mistake) and it was fixed when I received my coin about 10 days later.
    The second time was a bit more tempting....again Heri**** mailed me someone else's purchase-only this time it was coins and they were untraceable !! Boy it is tempting when you know they can't trace it ! So this is what happened--I won a coin at auction and when the package came it had not only my coin but 4 other coins in the envelope. The other coins came with a seperate receipt (someone elses obviously) They consisted of 2 semi-key buffs and 2 semi-key standing liberty quarters in mid-grade---close to $1500 purchase price. It took me about 3 days this time to contact Heri**** because I really liked these coins and was enjoying studying/ogling them. So I called Heritage and told them what I had-this time they said I would be reimbursed my postage fees and even receive a coupon !! See, it pays to do the right thing !! For what it's worth however--I never got any reimbursement and I did get a $25 discount on my next consignment-which expired about a year ago.
    Well it has happened again. This time for 2 very nice coins whose value is just under $3000. I was expecting my newest coin in the mail and I got 2 seperate packages. I opened them in the parking lot at the post office to figure it out and discovered the error. I'd be dishonest if I told you that I didn't fatasize about scenarios where I might be able to keep them, however I knew inside that I'd be sending them back. It's especially easy to do the right thing when I think about my fellow collector anxiously awaiting the coins he paid for.
    I walked in my house and showed my wife what had happened (again)--and to her credit she said "make sure they pay you for insuring them for the full $3000 when you sernd them back". It makes me feel good to know, that she knows that I will always do the right thing. Anyhow, I sent an email this time--to make sure I'm contacted by the person in charge of these things.( the first time I was referred to the shipping department??!!??) I have not heard back from them yet--so I will call on Monday and see if I can talk to the right person--if not, I'll just send them back and eat the cost (again)...or better yet, maybe I'll get another consignment discount coupon that can expire in my filing cabinet like the last one....
    At least I got a week of enjoyment out of them.........
     
    A special thanks to BBB Sam (coindude)for helping me snipe this commemorative from Russia of their Arctic Exploration...very cool coin..and soon to be slabbed along with 37 other coins (by far my biggest submission ever)

  7. jackson64

    My New "WOW" Coin

    By jackson64,

    it took a while to arrive
    I finally received a coin from one of my favorite ebay sellers today. I ordered the coin about 2 weeks ago, but this ebay seller is in northwestern Canada and it usually takes a few weeks for my orders to arrive. This is just due to the postal services--this seller, along with my other top 10-12 favorite ebay sellers always sell fantastic coins and are reliable and trustworthy.
    It's a great coin for my High Seas signature set, which has been built almost exclusively through ebay sellers and other on-line sites. I always use money orders to pay--and since ebay is going to ban money orders and checks in October, I have contacted my favorite sellers to ask about their reaction. Every one of them said that I was free to continue to purchase anything in their stores or auctions and pay them via money orders....this is good because I only have 2 or 3 European sellers that I deal with and trust (it's not always the foreign sellers that are dishonest but the postal services of many foreign countries have a way of "losing" packages of value)
    Anyhow, I thought that I'd try to get the JOURNALS back on track---they are a place for us to record our collecting experience, not as a place for heated discussions, 10 part articles/summaries on the History of Series X etc etc....
    congrats to King of Eagles on completing your VAM set, I enjoyed reading your entry--the excitement you felt practically jumped off the page....
    here's a picture of my newest coin for my Signature Set--a $5 gold/silver, 5 sided coin from Bermuda celebrating their 500th year as a nation..

  8. jackson64

    A Lucky Nick On My Coin

    By jackson64,

    I never thought a contact mark could be a good thing
    Yes you read that right...I never thought that I could conceive of a scenario where a nick or contact mark on a coin would be good. Well, maybe not good for the coin but it works for me.
    As I mentioned in a journal entry several weeks ago, I have started a Mercury dime short set. It has been several months and I just picked up my 5th coin of the 15 coin set. My target grade was MS67 and I hoped to get FB's on the coins where the price difference was nominal.
    Which brings me back to the "tick". I had my eye on this super 1944-S. It had the basic criteria I'm searching for..minimum graded 67, clear face on "mercury" without any contact marks on the cheek, none of the splotchy brown coloring that some get, and of course I love the "flowlines" in the luster that is a trait of these little beauties.
    The reverse had a great strike and about 95% FSB's--the other 5% of the band that did not qualify was due to "the nick". I could easily lament of how much this coin would be worth had there been no nick---an MS68 lists at $230 and an MS68FB ( no "tick") lists for $5,500 !! However the truth is, that without the nick, I could have never afforded this coin. It would be sitting in the vault of some high end collector or gathering mucho registry points in a top ranked set here at Collectors Society.
    So as nuts as it sounds, cheers to my nick and my new addition to my collection which now has 5 coins---3 MS67's and 2 MS67FB's. I may never win the prize for #1 set...but if I continue with my patience, my standards and some frugality...I think I can assemble a superior set for the cost that will have similar quality/strike/luster and eye appeal...wish me luck, this may take a while....as always, happy hunting to e1

  9. jackson64
    package from Australia
    Is it strange to say that someone you've never met in person is a "trusted and true" friend? Maybe in our age of blogs and chat boards and on-line hobbies and communication it is not such an odd thing to think or feel.
    Since I've been collecting I've had some wonderfully generous acts of kindness done for me. On one website that I am a member of--tradingslabs.com----we do these kinds of things for eachother frequently. If any of us spy a coin that we know another collects--well we send them a link or heads up. Sometimes a member just buys it and sends it to another without warning. The same has been true of my friends here at Collectors Society and the NGC forums.
    Since many know of my interest in sailing ship themed coins I get many heads ups from friends. The most recent was Gavin--aka RareSov who gave me a link to a new commemorative from Australia. I checked the Australian mint and wasn't able to find one ( they did have some at the Perth mint but I was unaware of them at the time). I emailed Rare Sov and told him I thought they were sold out--he told me of the Perth Mint stock but told me to wait since he ordered several and had sent them for slabbing by NGC. I told him I'd take one--no matter the grade and he gave me a price--which was LESS than what it cost him raw!!
    I received my prize today from him in Australia..my beautiful new edition for my collection High Seas...just a wonderful act of kindness in that he under charged me, had it slabbed and paid nearly $10 to ship it secured Airmail. I hope this doesn't embarrass him that I mentioned it because I have found that often these random acts of kindness ( at the risk of sounding mushy) are not done for accolades but simply out of a good-heartedness.
    I could fill several pages mentioning the nice things that fellow collectors have done for me...but the point is that we have a wonderful community within our hobby..thanks to all of you who send me the occasional message and heads up on potential additions to my collection--and rest assured that I have and will continue to "pay Forward" these acts of generosity...to all of my friends here, a heartfelt thank you..
    Here's a quickie picture..2008P Australia S$25 the Australia II racing ship--NGC PF69UCAM...PS: Rare Sov even sent me the mint packaging which includes a piece of the sail from this ship and an extra bonus coin --a twelve sided 50c piece with the Australia II

  10. jackson64

    I'm Gonna Miss Ebay

    By jackson64,

    all good things must end
    A large part of my coin collecting experience has been perusing auction sites and finding hidden gems and obscure sailing ship coins for my sets. Ebay was always a fun place to search.
    Often I would use simple keyword searches ( "ship" has always been a bit of a pain because of the amount of listings that say Free Ship-because there was not enough space to type free shipping). Another way I use ebay and euro collections is by studying my Krause catalogs and then searching by country and date...this is why it has always been "collecting" to me and not just "purchasing"..because the hunt is a large part of the thrill and fun of it.
    Anyhow, ebay has decided on another set of policy changes. Due to the continuing decline in their revenue after the last round of poorly thought out changes they have hashed out another way to increase their money ( so they think)---they are not going to allow sellers to accept money orders or checks anymore. You read that right, I'm not making this up--you must either buy or sell with paypal or credit card only coming this October----and I will be making my last Ebay transactions in September.
    I will not go into the details of why I don't/won't use paypal ( the journals are not the place for it) but ebay is essentially shutting me and thousands and thousands of others out of their sight.
    Like I said, I will miss perusing ebay, but I still have about 20 other on-line sights that carry coins for me to search through---not to mention that there are almost 2 dozen I recently discovered on Eurocollections that I'd like---besides, it may give me a break from buying long enough to get some of my overdue slabbing taken care of.....

  11. jackson64

    Olympic Coinage

    By jackson64,

    worldwide Olympic commems available
    I have no interest in another "niche" within numismatics...but I always thought that Olympic coins from around the world (and the USA) would make a challenging and fun signature set to assemble.
    When I first started my signature set I wanted to do a themed set--and of something that I love. To be honest, my first thoughts were of a set called "Beautiful Women of Coinage". There are some absolutely dazzling coins with wonderful female figures---the St Gaudens, the 1917 T1 SLQ, France's Marianne coinage, Mexico's Onzas...etc etc...
    I also thought about an " Angelic Collection"..angels are depicted all over the world numismatic community and there would be no shortage of gorgeous designs to hunt down.....but in the end I chose ( as I'm sure many of you already know) Sailing Ships--because of the love I have for being on the water
    My set still has a few olympic coins and some with beautiful women, and even a few still have angels...but my High Seas set has over 200 coins (150 or so slabbed) and all have sailing ships...
    Here is one of my favorite Olympic sailing coins--it shows the Bermudan team with a slight lead on the Kiwis and Germany..

  12. jackson64

    HE SCORES !!!

    By jackson64,

    nice finds at the ANA World's Fair of Money
    This journal entry has the potential to turn into a loooong entry so I'm gonna cut to the highlights. I awoke this morning like a kid on Christmas--the reason being that I had planned the past month to attend the ANA World's Fair of Money up the road in Baltimore this weekend.
    I awoke early but had to wait to leave until 10AM because my younger daughter needed a ride to her summer job. I've been to numismatic events at the Baltimore Convention Center b4 but this was a cut above. I had an "itinerary" or list of things I wanted to do but that was shot in no time.
    I entered the massive area of table after table and looked off to my left to see the US Mint exhibit...primarily I wanted to see the pre-strikes of the 2009 Ultra High Relief Gold American Eagles--absolutely stunning coins with the 3-D design elements and the edge lettering being raised...all I can say is wow. Since they won't be released until later in 2009 I'll have plenty of time to save up for one !!...Also on display was a full set with all denominations of the new Indian/Buffalo gold coin series...I really like the smaller coins, not only are they more easily affordable for me but I think the design looks better on a closer to nickel sized coin. There was also a display case with a stack of gold bars from West Point--each bar worth almost $400,000 each...( did I mention that there were many armed men hanging around too)..
    Since it was the "World's" Fair there were also representatives and booths from many mints from all across the globe ( surprising how well reps from the Ukrain and Austria for example speak English-albeit with very strong accents). It was while looking at all of these mints 2008 releases that I happened across my first purchase. I bought a stunningly beautiful 10zy at the Poland table. The reverse has a fabulous rendition of a three mast sailing ship whose reflection is hologrammed into the high relief waves..superb ( not to mention $40 cheaper than my favorite ebay dealer offered me one for).
    I looked through many of the US coin tables/dealers--and all I can wonder is if they actually want to sell anything??? Besides some outrageous costs for coins I know are about 1/2 to 1/5th what they were asking--most seemed put upon to answer the slightest question or show you anything.
    Not letting these passion-less curmudgeons spoil my day, I went over and viewed the Collectors Exhibits and was amazed at some of the great themes and niches many of the collectors have assembled. The ribbons were already on the winning presentations and before I knew it another hour had gone.
    After a cup of coffee and a sit break I headed for the World and Ancient coins section. After a few tables I found my next purchase from another area of the world that can be hard to find coins from--a pearly finished coin from Nicaragua with the sailing ship "La Nautica". I flipped through a few bins and boxes of miscellaneous world coins at other tables and decided to call it a day...on the way out though...
    I kept perusing as I headed toward the exit and WHAM !! there was a gorgeously toned 1963 Israeli 5 Lirot coin. I had passed up chances to buy one of these before because $250-300 seemed steep ( even though Krause list is about $300) I stood and looked and then the man at this table lured me in with the words "would you like to see it?"
    I was already sold but he didn't know that, when I held the coin and looked at the label on the flip--this coin was of the rarer Proof variety--and only $200 !! I took a breath and sat it down on the glass case, before I spoke again he said" I can offer it to you for $150 if you'd like it". I don't think it took me more than a split second to pull out the old wallet and snake out 3 fifties...and that quickly the deal was done.
    When I got home I yanked out my Krause to confirm my prize--yep, the 1963 proof with a mintage of 4,495 it was...
    All in all a great coin day--I can't wait until next years event.
    Here's a quickie picture of my prizes..notice that the ANA souvenir medal I got for $3 also has the sailing ship the Pride of BaltimoreII on it also...

  13. jackson64

    What's The Rush?

    By jackson64,

    worth the wait
    I may have mentioned in previous entries that I struggle with patience. I am getting better though at recognizing when I get obsessive and/or impatient--and consequently I am becoming a better and more selective numismatist.
    I recently started my Mercury dime short set and immediately found dozens of opportunities to fill the slots in my target grade range--MS67. After one quick impulse buy, a 99% FB 1945-S for only $65 ( I got reallly lucky on this one) I decided to do a bit more study before diving in full force.
    I have found out some interesting info that will influence my buying and provide me with more insight into bargain hunting. First; most high quality MS67's can be bought for under $100-especially with some patience. Secondly; judging by the population #'s of Full Band examples in ratio with non-FB coins, the Philly mint are scarce in FB designation, the Denver mint %has a vast majority of FB vs non FB; and the San Fran mint is about 1 outta 4 FB's for most dates in the short set.
    So I have decided to eat my words on some dates--mostly the D mint coins of this short set. I will probably fill these slots with FB coins. An extra $20/30 seems reasonable to me for a superiorly struck and detailed coin. Several of the S mints I'll pay extra for the FB also since the extra cost won't be too high..but for the P mint coins there won't be many-if any-that have FB in my set. I was stunned by how RARE ( and I don't use the word lightly) the 1945 FB is in any grade-especially the upper grades.
    Well, to cut to the chase, I now have 2 Mercury's in my set out of 16..and I have passed on a few that had great prices for the FB and grade because they either lacked luster (flow lines) or had splotchy brown tones. This is not a race. I plan on being a coin collector for the rest of my life and hopefully that will be another 40 years of enjoying the hobby. It makes no sense to me to build debt in credit cards or neglect life's other pleasures because I spent all of my money on coins.--Plus, when I space out my purchases I find myself spending more time studying and appreciating each coin after they arrive...anyhow, I'm not usually this wordy but I wanted to write down the thought process I went through in preparing to start a new set...as always my numismatic brethren, happy hunting...
    My first coin for my set--a 1945-S with shimmery luster and so close to FB..

  14. jackson64
    feeling my collecting roots...
    One of my favorite gifts at Christmas are always gift cards. I know that a well thought out personal gift is supposed to mean more, but for those who know about my thirst for knowledge in so many subjects--a gift card to a bookstore is a great gift for me.
    Today I had a "date" with my wife. We went to Annapolis Mall and enjoyed a peaceful lunch together (no kids). Later we went shopping with some of our gift cards. I stopped in the Borders and went straight to the hobby section to look at coin books. I wasn't intending to, but one of the items I selected was a Presidential Dollar album with both the P & D mints.
    As I've mentioned before I still enjoy albums. It always keeps me a bit grounded in this sometimes crazy hobby--where I can get caught up in the chase for points and rankings just like anybody else. I have a complete (so far)collection of BU statehood quarters. These are in an album and I'm proud to say that every quarter was plucked from change. I have gotten a handful of prez dollars at my bank at each release and I have a friend who lives in the Western USA whom I send 1 or 2 to him in exchange for my P mint coins he sends me 1 or 2 D mint coins..
    I really like collecting like this in addition to the registry...like I said, it keeps me grounded and focused on the coins themselves...but it will always be a tie to my collecting roots and my early "fold up" albums.
    I'd also like to congratulate all of the registry winners this year--and although I got completely skunked I can live vicariously through many of you. I was very pleased to see the journal awards go to the "newer" collectors who add so much to my collecting experience with the contageous enthusiasm and genuine love of the hobby. I was also glad that all 4 of the winners are on my friends list and have talked to me over the year via emails too.
    It's wonderful that we have become a true community in that we all share a common passion for our hobby...I look forward to this next year reading and sharing our experiences...and to all of you, Happy Hunting..
    Here's a coin that I received today...a beautiful $10 coin from Barbados with Poseiden--I want to thank my friend Ant who included this coin as a Free Surprise in a trade we recently made...Ant, awesome coin, thank you-I love it !!

  15. jackson64
    I'm low in the rankings
    I just received 8 new coins that I will be entering into my registry. Two were from recent auction wins and 6 were returned from NGC slabbing/submission. ** A quick note: my Modern coin submission took exactly 10 business days just as NGC lists--always great service even if I had hoped for better grades***
    Anyhow, these 8 coins will be going into my signature set-High Seas with my sailing ship themed coins. I now have over 200 coins in my registry but only about 40 of them are worth points. I guess I won't be moving up in any rankings or winning any awards--but there are upsides.
    I never pay extra for higher grades like a 10X premium for a 70 over a 69 ( I can't tell the difference anyhow) I always buy what I like, I set my own criteria and guidelines and NGC offers a great area in the Signature Sets for us to be creative and unique in our collecting interests. Thanks NGC/CS for a great way to show our collecting interests/sets that can't be found at the other, lesser registry.
    I know the signature sets must be a popular feature since the "views" of my set alone recently went over the 3,000 mark ( and my viewing of the set is not counted).
    Thanks to all at NGC for providing great service and recognizing that there are many ways to collect coins.
    here's a picture of my latest 8-no points coins...
    PS: Clay, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family in hope that you will have a speedy recovery my friend...

  16. jackson64

    Rarity !!!!

    By jackson64,

    loosely used term
    As I become more of an experienced numismatist I am constantly learning and reading on the hobby. One topic or word that continues to get under my skin is the use of the word "RARE".
    This word has come particularly into light recently with the SAE variety of the 2008 with the 2007 reverse. The coin has a reported mintage of 47,000 pieces...to put this into perspective let's look at a few US coin series. A mintage of 47,000 would place a coin 15th out of 27th most common in the 3 cent nickel series, ..it would be one of the most common of the Early commems also. The Sheldon rarity scale would place the mintage at Rarity 17 on a 25 scale (with rarity 1 being a one of a kind and a rarity of 25 being a billion+)...not exactly rare--or even scarce for that matter. I'm not saying that the rocketing prices are not justified or will continue to rise--the SAE's are hugely popular/beautiful and 47,000 divided among all the collectors of the series is not enough for e1 to have one.
    I looked up some of the mintages of my world coins in my High Seas signature set and was surprised to find that about 60% are of a lower mintage...many with less than 1000 and a few even less than 100 !!!
    I think two things drive this mania...one being a psychological aspect--not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to "get in early" on what may be a windfall--( I've done this myself by hoarding away 5 of the 1995 W proofs in my safe deposit box)..primarily I believe it's about demand.
    My low mintage world coins just don't have a huge market. I may someday sell and would never get the money for some of these 500 mintage coins that my 30,000+ minted 1995 SAE's will command.
    Surfing on ebay if I typed in "rare" for a keyword search I could find anything from 1881-S morgans to multi-million struck coins of almost any series. I guess the reason it bugs me is because as a true hobbyist I believe that the terms that are unique to our hobby have a particular meaning and shouldn't be used arbitrarily.--Another one that bugs me is "gem" which is supposed to be MS65 or better..but I'll leave that rant for another day.
    My personal collecting is out of balance..I can't seem to stop buying during this little downturn in prices...and consequently I now have about 200 coins that I'd like to get encapsulated..I'm thinking of applying for a dealer membership so I can submit them all at once at the reduced dealer submission rate...or seeing if any of my local dealers will submit them for me at a slight discount.
    I can't believe I still haven't gotten my tax return or stimulus checks from the IRS..I wonder how they would respond if I sent them a notice with calculated interest and a penalty for late payment...hehehehe..I don't think that would go over too well..anyhow, no returns means that my hunt for my final Walker--the 41-S --is still on hold...
    here's a picture of another of my favorites..a pretty, little gold coin with a sloop from Bermuda..mintage of this "rare" variety is less than 500...there were 10,000 minted with a "chi" mintmark but a small handful had none..a lucky find..NGC PF69UCAM-finest known

  17. jackson64
    takes time and lotsa discipline
    Well it's been almost a whole month since I last logged my collectors experience into a journal entry. I continue to read every new post/entry by my fellow members and have sent a few words to some of you, but I really haven't had any coin news to report.
    The primary reason is that I'm "trying" to save for a 1941-S Walking Liberty Half. I want a 41-S that matches the strike quality of the rest of my set and it appears as though it's gonna have to be an MS66 ( and probably a PQ one at that). A well struck Half of this date and mint are just plain scarce--if not rare--many 66's still are weak---so I have a plan....!!!
    I have set a goal of $3000 in the coin kitty before I even start searching for my prize--I don't wanna be tempted to compromise on a lesser coin as the last piece of this set.
    I have this "Stimulus" check coming for $600..and although my taxes were mailed on the 15th, I'm actually expecting a nice return. That leaves me with just a few hundred to set aside---that's where the problem comes in. Discipline.
    I bought this limited edition of the 2008 Canada Proof set that has the Loon Dollar, a gold and silver $2Coin and a super Bi-Mettalic Commemorative coin celebrating explorer Samuel Champlain ( also has his Sailing Ship--duh)..so that wasn't too bad but these Canadian Proof Sets are just housed so beautifully in padded faux leather, book style, with velvet lining, great display, and even a replaceable laminate peal to keep the plastic from scratching. ( they are a lot like the US Prestige Sets were) Anyhow, so I got the bug and now own 8 of these Deluxe Canadian Proof Sets with the Silver $5 commem and the 6 or 7 other proof coins...not conducive to saving for a $3000 coin.
    Well, this has gone on for way long enough...here's a picture of my 2008 Proof Set..still waiting for the 2008 Tall Ships $20 coin addition to that series ( the 2005,06 and 07 can be seen in my High Seas set--first 3 coins)...PS: also struggling with wanting them certified and loving the set as is...

  18. jackson64
    Not an April Folls joke
    I've heard just about every corny April fools reference you can imagine. It comes with the territory when your b-day falls on April 1st.....I guess there is an upside-people tend to always remember my birthday and I get plenty of phone calls and well wishing emails.
    I'm not a curmudgeon about birthdays like some...they are not a huge deal but I do like to use them as a day of reflection, and to take a moment to acknowledge the wonderful graciousness of God who has allowed me another year. It's a good day to do a bit of a gratitude list...
    I never really ask for any birthday gifts...just a nice dinner with my family is great. Besides, what I really want--a 1941-S Walker in MS66 grade (with full skirt lines)..might be a little much to ask for...
    I did get a nice birthday package from NGC today....the return of my last submission. I finally have my 1927A Bremerhaven/Germany/Weimar Republic coin in a slab and in my possesion !! I also have added a total of 9 new coins to my High Seas signature set...this will leave me plenty of work with imaging, researching descriptions etc...this is a nice part of the hobby for me also and it doesn't drive the bank balance down either..
    This is a bit of a slow time in the year for my numismatic pursuits...It is spring and my other hobbies have been taking away a lot of my free time. I need to clean out the tackle box and put new line on my fishing rods. The boat needs a few screws replaced, caulking touched up, some wood re-stained and varnished..etc etc...I also have a tiny greenhouse attached to my shed. I seed a bunch of flats of vegetables for my veggie garden. I have turned the dirt in the garden-mixing in my winters compost, some decayed leaves from the fall and raked it all out. When it's warm consistently I'll put my little seedlings in the garden and have another of my hobby/pastimes in place for summer...
    So although I am a year older, I look forward to every new year and each new season and the wonderful hobbies that I enjoy that partially make up who I am. Well enough from me for now--it's a beautiful 60 degree day out and I've promised my wife that I would rake out the flower beds for her....
    Here's a picture of one of my new slabs..from the Seychelles..a tribute to the Seychelles Olympic Sailing Team...a neat coin..

  19. jackson64
    local soap opera of eagles
    For those who have bought or love the "skinny cheickens"..this one's for you.
    The Eagle family that is shown on the new coins live in the Washington DC area--believe it or not there are lotsa bald eagles here.
     
    Construction workers building the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge that spans from Maryland to Virginia on the Capital Beltway first noticed them. The 2 adult birds..nicknamed George and Martha...lived on Rosalie Island on the Maryland side of the river. Word got around to artist Susan Gamble (the SG on the coins) who lives in Arlington. She had already been commisioned with the job of designing the coins by the mint and used actual photos for her designs.
    The eaglets (skinny chickens) pictured are just 2 of the sixteen sired by George with Martha...I say by George and Martha because there was a bit of a love triangle and infidelity going on...gotta love this Washington DC dirty laundry...
    As it turns out another younger female..nicknamed by the construction workers Angelina (after Angelina Jolie who stole Brad Pitt from his former wife)..had designs on George. Angelina attacked Martha injuring her. Martha was taken to a wildlife healing sanctuary in Delaware, meanwhile George was hitting it off with Angelina.....
    Amazingly, after Martha healed and was set free, she flew back down to Maryland and chased Angelina off !! The 2 eaglets on the coin are of questionable parenthood. Martha continued to reside with George until her recent demise...now Angelina is back...but rumor has it that a new younger female has been seen with George that the construction workers ( also known as Eagle paparrazi) have yet to give a moniker to.
    Stay tuned for future updates on.."The Bold and the Beautiful"...who will George be with next???...here's a picture of the Dashing George..

  20. 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 !!!

  21. 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)..

  22. jackson64

    Too Good To Be True !!!

    By jackson64,

    there are still boxes of coins in old ladies attics...
    I have been collecting for almost 30 years...with some down time for many years in the middle...I've now been seriously collecting again for almost 10 years. Most of my friends and acquaintances know that I collect coins. Word gets around---and about once a month (at least) someone says to me "I have some old coins that ( insert: grandma, Aunt, father etc etc ) left to me--will you take a look?"
    I usually ask a few feeler questions--then I'll either offer to meet them, have them bring them by or--if it sounds promising--go to look at them in their home. Most of the time it is a common Silver Dollar or 2, some nearly dateless buffs, a few mercs from the 1940's and a small hoard of wheats....Once in a while it's a little better and there are a few that might deserve a slab.....
    On Monday I was off for the holiday and had arranged to meet an older gentleman from my church. He was getting rid of some old boxes --donating any worthwhile stuff to the church missionary rummage sale/fundraiser. Some of the boxes were from his sister who had passed on and he had never even opened them.
    To cut to the chase, two of these boxes were loaded to the gills with coins !!! WOW--the dream scenario...I spent a large portion of the day just separating the various bags, little metal tins, rolls..etc etc..into denominations. I picked out a few that just grabbed my eye (without really going through them yet--just a few that stood out)...and set them aside
    I told him that he had way more than I could afford to buy at that time...so we struck a deal...I took 300 of the silver dollars with me and gave him a promissory note for $3,000 to be paid in one week....(I also gave him a check for $500 for some of the others I had set aside while sorting them)
    I sold most of the silver dollars very cheap to friends of mine at a coin trading website...and will have the gentlemans money for him by this Monday. I made a little profit on the 240 I sold and still have 60 left that I might slowly sell on ebay for funds for my upcoming 1941-S Walker hunt ( for my registry set)...I also plan on picking up the rest of the box's contents when I drop off the check to him....I'll write more about the rest of the contents when I get them in hand and really get a chance to look through it....
    The older gentleman is happy because it's a windfall he was unaware of and he had no idea how to liquidate them. My friends at the trading website are happy because they got rolls of silver dollars at around melt value ( lots of High end BU's in these) and I'm happy because the profit was enough to pay Heritage the money I owe them for my 1943-S MS66 Walker I won at their last auction...
    I'm down to needing just 2 Walkers to finish my set...and I've moved up to the 28th spot (my goal is a first page/top 25 spot)
    Here's a picture of my dining room table Monday night....

  23. jackson64

    One Step Closer

    By jackson64,

    only 3 slots until completion
    I'll keep this short because it's late and I'm tired but I wanted to keep track of my set progress in my journal. I just got my latest Walker for my short set in the mail today. It's the 1945-D---sometimes it takes a month or more between additions to this set because of the strike quality I'm looking for but this coin comes at only 10 days since my last addition to the set.
    In just the 10 days since my last addition I dropped 2 more notches/ranks. It seems that we keep getting more PCGS defectors. Both of the sets that forced my drop were brand new sets to the registry and entered in the top 15.( composed of only PCGS slabbed coins).
    Ironically, the coin I purchased --an NGC MS66--was on sale at the same time as an MS67 PCGS of the same date. This NGC coin is nicer than the PCGS higher grade coin was....and the bidding showed it. This coin sold above the book value after heavy bidding (which I won !!!) and the MS67 PCGS 45-D was priced below book and got no bids....
    I won't make a blanket statement and say all NGC Walkers are nicer than all PCGS walkers of the same grade...but NGC definately has much more stringent standards for this series than PCGS overall.
    Anyhow, this leaves me with just 3 slots to finish my registry set---and moves me to rank 31 !!..My goal is a top-25 set, and since I still need the 1941-S (worth mucho points)..I have a good shot at my goal if the 25th place set doesn't keep going up..
    here's a pic of my latest lady...

  24. jackson64
    any gripes or complaints just melt away
    It's almost as if there is something in the air or water. There has been a negative vein running through almost all of the discussion boards and it even filtered to the journals.
    I was severely tempted to jump into the rfar/Heritage discussion but decided against it( I sent a PM instead about my experience)--I hope it is not immodest, but I sincerely believe that my posts last year showed my frustration at times, and that negativity is why I did not win a best journal award. I re-read last years journaling and saw 2 things: first is that I AVERAGED over 300 reads per entry (over 100 more than the second most read poster) secondly however, my entries became increasingly negative/critical of the "system"..and consequently the average of readers dropped.
    In the end nobody is forcing me to invest my time and money in this hobby. I simply love coins--for whatever chemical process that occurs in my brain when I acquire a beautiful coin--they give me pleasure.
    What brought all of this out is a package I received today. I had purchased this coin about a week ago. Every once in a while a coin arrives and is simply much more beautiful than the image at auction. I have tried half a dozen times to photo this coin already and can't do the intense luster justice.( I'll have to settle for showing off the strike)
    This is NOT a proof....just the most well struck Walker I have ever held and the most lustrous also..I believe I have a new favorite coin, she will sit next to me on my desk all day, if someone tosses it in my casket that would be fine with me !! This is why I collect !!!
    an NGC 1942 MS67 Walker 50c

  25. jackson64

    My New Registry Goal

    By jackson64,

    going straight to the top!!
    well, maybe not the top--but hopefully the first page.
    When I started my Walker short set I had a simple goal (so I thought) just finish the set with coins that met a certain strike criteria and not be concerned with the grades or points. I love a fully struck Walker, it is my favorite coin design. In fact, the use of the design on the SAE is what re-energized my interest in coin collecting.
    My criteria was: full skirt lines on the left leg ( a must),seperately defined face/hair/cap, a thumb and forefinger(semi optional) and nice breast feathers on the reverse.
    The whole hunt and experience has been very educational. For example: I have learned that different dates are graded differently than others--at first I thought it was inconsistent grading, but as I've studied the series it is evident that the "S" mint coins are mostly weakly struck. The grading services understand that certain dates are almost uniformly poorly struck and have adjusted the grading for those dates.
    Anyhow, to get coins that fit my criteria I have had to buy some pretty high graded coins for some of these dates. I have also had to be very patient and uncompromising. Without really trying to I had climbed into the top 50 !!! Then my last 2 coins..a 1946-S MS66 jumped me from 48 to 38...and this Saturday I bought a 1942 MS67 that jumped me from 38 to 33 !!! now I'm nearing the big boys...I don't delude myself, I will never crack the top 10--but my goal of making the first page, the top 25 is a possibility.
    My original goal of simply completing the set is shot. I've regained registry fever for the moment. I have decided to "upgrade" some of the lower graded coins--even though they fit my criteria and are beautiful, the points are too low. It may take me longer than just the end of the year, because I still will buy the coin first and not the grade on the slab--but that is my new goal.
    It's great to have goals in my collecting--it adds the excitement of the challenge........I hope that all of you reach your goals this year and keep the excitement in your collecting...
    Here's a new addition to my never-ending set, the High Seas signature collection. I also have a goal that someday this set might win the Best Overall Sig Set..I can always dream..