Tragedy Narrowly Averted by JAA USA/Philippines Collection

[CSJournals-migration]

EXTREMELY RARE Proof Coins from the Dr. Greg Pineda Philippine Collection almost lost due to USPS foul-up.

 

I was elated last month when I won four gorgeous lots of Proof coins at the Dr. Greg Pineda Philippine Collection Auction. The highlights of my winnings were a 1905 Five Centavos PR65, 1906 Ten Centavos PR66, and two truly irreplaceable coins a 1903 PR66 RD Half Centavo, and 1903 PR66 One Centavo.

 

My check cleared some time ago so I have been anxiously waiting for my treasures to arrive. Lyn Knight Currency Auctions, the auction house that conducted the Dr. Greg Pineda Philippine Collection Auction, ships through the USPS (via Priority Mail with Signature Confirmation) and insures their shipments with a third party insurance carrier.

 

Supposedly packages sent with signature confirmation are only delivered to the person authorized to sign for them and they are never just left in a mailbox or on a doorstep.

 

The mailman came and left yesterday and no coins. Then late yesterday afternoon a neighbor rang my doorbell and handed me a package that he found on the ground in front of his house. Yes it was my irreplaceable Philippine proof coins!

 

Although I am very relieved that my coins arrived safely I am really shaken by how close they came to being lost to me forever. Although the package was insured and Lyn Knight would have refunded my purchase price there is no way that money could replace these rare treasures especially the EXTREMELY RARE 1903 PR66 RD Half Centavo, and 1903 PR66 RD One Centavo.

 

I definitely plan to have a little talk with my local postmaster Thursday morning. According to the USPS "Track & Confirm" web site my package was "Out for Delivery on July 02, 2012, 7:36 am" and "Delivery status not updated July 02, 2012, 9:46 pm". I'm anxious to hear his explanation for how the package was found lying on the ground in front of a neighbor's house.

 

On a more positive note all of the coins were stunning. The pictures on the Lyn Knight Auctions and PCGS Certification Verification web sites do not do justice to these beauties. The 1903 PR66 RD Half Centavo and 1903 PR66 RD One Centavo are fabulous with brilliant fiery red mirror surfaces. Conservatively graded by PCGS they could easily have graded PR66 RD + or higher.

 

The attached picture of the reverse of my 1903 PR66 RD Half Centavo is from the PCGS Certification Verification web site. I definitely plan to send all of my Pineda collection proofs to PCGS for high resolution True-View Photos which should do a much better job of capturing their beauty.

 

For the story behind my 1903 PR66 RD Half Centavo and picture of the obverse click here:

http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=11642

 

See more journals by JAA USA/Philippines Collection

[Six Mile Rick]

Thank God for GOOD NEIGHBORS!!!

 

That sure could have been a travesty. Glad you got them.

 

Later---Rick

[jayman1970]

Beautiful coin,sounds like somebody deserves a thank you note and a six pack at the very least!!!

[mkman123]

please reward the neighbor!

[nunfa0]

Just as well your neighbour is honest!! Beautiful coin by the way!!

 

[The Fielding Collection]

YOU SIR ARE A VERY LUCKY MAN...THE COIN PICTURED IS NOTHING SHORT OF PURE ART. AND TO HAVE A VERY HONEST NEIGHBOR IN THESE DAYS AND TIMES IS A TRUE BLESSING.

I AM A RETIRED 20 YEAR POSTAL EMPLOYEE AND WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOUR FORGIVENESS FOR YOUR CARRIERS THOUGHTLESSNESS. ( I WORKED IN MAINTENANCE ) HOWEVER I CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOUR LOCAL POSTMASTER WILL TELL YOU TODAY. HE WILL SAY HOW VERY SORRY HE IS AND THAT HE WILL TALK TO YOUR CARRIER (IF YOUR LUCKY AND THE CARRIER IS STILL IN THE OFFICE HE MAY CALL HIM OR HER TO THE OFFICE WHILE YOUR THERE NOT LIKELY) OK TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT AT THE LEAST THE CARRIER WILL GET A KISS ON THE CHEEK AT WORST A FEW DAYS OFF TO REMEMBER THE RULES AGAIN HIGHLY UNLIKELY. BUT NOTHING LONG TERM WILL COME OF THIS MOSTLY BECAUSE YOUR NEIGHBOR WAS SO VERY KIND TO BRING YOU THE PACKAGE. IF YOU CAN IN THE FUTURE HAVE ALL YOUR COINS SENT TO YOU REGISTERED MAIL YOU MUST SIGN FOR THIS AS YOU KNOW THATS THE WAY NGC RETURNS GRADED COINS.

I VERY HAPPY YOU RECEIVED YOUR COINS AND IF IT WERE ME A DINNER WITH THE NEIGHBORS AT A FANCY JOINT WOULD BE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE..........GOD BLESS AND HAPPY COLLECTING

WM FIELDING

[mailman1959]

You should contact the Auction House as they can go to the Post Office where it was shipped and verify "if" and "who" signed for it. If no one signed for it they can get a refund for the signature cost. Signature Confirmation does not have any restrictions on who signs for it. To control who signs for it a person has to request "Restricted" Delivery. Only the person to whom is listed on the address may sign for the package. At the end of the day you have 100,000(guess) lettercarriers that get their imformation uploaded on a computer. That would be at least 1,000,000 bits of imformation that has to be downloaded before the imformation for each package is updated on the Track & Confirm website. I am sorry to hear about your bad experience and wish more carriers would take the time to make sure they do their job correctly. Have a great day! MAILMAN