General "Hello" ....

[RI AL]

Hi, Guys.

 

Finally getting back to normal after all the company has left (came as far away as Poland) for my son's wedding. Totally beautiful wedding, and all I had to pay for was 2 nights in the Inn and the "rehersal dinner". Moral of the story...HAVE BOYS!

 

My music collection is on a tear. I must have added 40 new pieces in the past 2 months, all Unc or Proof...best I could find...and there is a stack of printouts on my desk with other coins I need. I'll never finish this set, but it certainly is taking shape and I'm very pleased with it in its Eagle holders (except those that are mint packaged). I DID finally find the $100 gold coin from Jamaica with Robert Marley. I think I'll be sending that one in for a grade...it's gorgeous. Someone out there several month ago posted a Proof 70 here. I think mine might be competition. I also found and bought the Beethoven and Schubert music coins from the "Granzing District" in Austria that I had been hunting for for a long time. They were a challenge to locate...and are in "Unusual World Coins". Not real money...but they meet my "requirements" of a country of origin, date and denomination on a musical topic.

 

A question. Did Benin issue any circulating coins in 2001 or later? There is no listing in the "2001 to Date" Standard Catalog for Benin coins, though I found a lot of funky pieces on E-Bay that I don't think circulate.

 

I am still pulling my hair out looking for a Tonga 1 pa'anga KM 160 1993 Proof with Richard Wagner. Can anyone offer any suggestions? I have contacted the Central Bank in Tonga with no luck. Anyone know who deals in Tonga coins? This isn't a rare piece but it's been impossible to find one. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Hope everyone is well and your collections are thriving. I have a bid in on an 1873 arrows quarter PCGS so I haven't given up the U.S. type set by any means...Music coins are so much more affordable (though there are some real pricy ones out there too) and many are really beautiful. I'm not nuts about "The World's Smallest Gold Coins" series, don't know who mints them, but many are music coins listed in the "Standard Catalog".

 

As usual :blahblah:

 

Have a great evening, all. RI AL

[physics-fan3.14]

Congrats on a successful wedding and all that! I'm sure there was plenty of "chaos", but I'm sure it was all worth it.

[RI AL]

Hi, Physics. Nice hearing from you.

 

Yes, the wedding was beautiful, couldn't have gone better. MY bank account is slowly recovering from the damage and permitting delving at a frantic pace back into the music coin collection. Some wonderful deals out there.

 

Interesting how the "older stuff " from the 1970-1990's roughly is dropping in price, but the very low mintage recent better coins from places like Transnistria (had to look that up), Russia, Ukraine and the like are skyrocketing. I'm waiting those out. Found a music gold coin I needed from 1993 at just above melt and silver is running a close second. Good shopping just now...and "best offer" on E-Bay has been working very well. The mailman and I have gotten quite friendly as he comes to the door almost daily with something for me to sign for. Great fun and very nice fguy. Gave him some brownies.

 

I haven't been in the U.S. market for a while now, still licking my wounds from the 1795 dollar issue, and type material that I need is just out of budget. So holding on to what I have and someday, will resume. Was outbid on an au 1873 quarter from a Heritage auction a week or so ago so the bug is still there...just in hibernation.

 

Hope you have been well.

 

RI AL