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Entries in this journal

SPECIAL FATHERS DAY

Love And Care For Each Other. It is once again Fathers Day, so I pulled out your favorite coins. I have been feeling your presence quite strongly of late. This year is special because you are now with the centerpiece of my life. The daughter-in-law whom you loved so much is now with you. I feel both of your spirits watching over me. You are not alone this Fathers Day, Dad. Diana is with you, and you are both in my heart. Love and care for each other. Happy Fathers Day, Dad!!! I love y

COLLECTING SOLO

Missing My WING WOMAN My wife and life partner of 41 years has passed away. She was my second set of eyes and best consul in coin purchases. Diana was always enthusiastic about MY hobby and attended shows with me. She enjoyed looking at the collection with me, and after her illness, it was one of the fun activities that we still shared. After 13 years of illness and disability, she is now with her Mom and my Dad. I will miss her in numismatics; I will miss her more in my life. God has
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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APPRECIATION BREAK!!!

A Pause To Cure My Acquisition Fever. Stop And Appreciate The Roses In My Numismatic Garden.From time to time, I find myself buying coins; viewing them briefly; placing them in the safe deposit box; and immediately searching for the next purchase. The search and acquisition becomes more important than the coin itself. Recently, I have begun to recognize signs of this behavior coming on with me, again.So, I go into a forced slow-down mode:-I search for coins as usual.-Write out a list of all th

THE TOES ARE IN A LITTLE DEEPER

I Added The 1909-S This Week. My venture into the Indian Cent series continued this week as I found a nice MS-61 Bn example in a dealer's inventory. It arrrived today, and I am more than pleased. The coin is a nice even reddish tan color with smooth surfaces and a nice strike. I really like the look of my mini-collection, and have enjoyed the search. However, I have not yet been bitten by the BUG. So I will stick with the plan to stay ankle deep before making a collecting commitment to

DIPPING A TOE INTO NEW WATERS...

Can Be Intimidating! Every collector begins collecting a new series, at least once. As I approach uncharted waters, I feel the concern of making mistakes due to unfamiliarity, as well as the usual cautions related to adding new coins to my collection. These questions race through my head: -Is this a series for me? -Do I really like these coins? -Does their history/ reason for minting excite me? -Are the coins readily available, and affordable to me? -And on and on. I am now exper
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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THE REPLACEMENTS ARE COMING!

What Took You So Long? I completed my set of Barber Quarters on January 18, 2007, and wrote a journal entry about it. In June, 2008, I sold my 1915-S MS-63 NGC quarter. It was a lustrous, well-struck, white coin with light gold tint. So why sell it, you ask? The coin had a small spot on the obverse that just bothered me. Whenever I viewed the coin, my eye always focused on the spot. So, I sold it and began looking for a replacement. 15-S is not a rare date, so I thought, this should be a
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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MEMORABLE COIN SHOW MOMENT

A Walter Breen Encounter I was reading the PCGS coin forum, and ran across a thread entitled, OUTSIDE THE ROPES Coin Show Moment. That started me thinking (always a dangerous thing). I recalled attending a show sometime in the late 1970/ early 1980 time period. And I do not recall the exact location; either Cincinnati, Philadelphia, or New York. My memory is really vague on both time and location. I got in a hotel elevator to go to the show site, and as the door was closing, a very large
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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COIN PRIORITIES

Mother Nature Has A Way Of Clarifying One's Life Priorities! As Hurricane Sandy approached the Northeast, my focus was on gathering emergency supplies; insuring the safety of my wife and myself; securing our home; and praying a lot! Coins never entered my thoughts. In the aftermath of SANDY, I focused on checking property damage (we were both safe); contacting my insurance agent; and checking on friends; and offering up prayers of thanks for us, and concern for those less fortunate. I had
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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A FUNNY THING HAPPENED DURING A COIN PURCHASE

I Talked My Way Out Of A Discount! This morning, I called a dealer about two coins that I saw on his website. This is a dealer from whom I purchase regularly, but not at a volume that would rank me as one of his favorite customers. I do not trust internet pictures, so I ask for detailed in-hand descriptions, and compare the words to what I see on my monitor. My standard format is to review strike, luster, marks, color, and finally, overall eye appeal. As we reviewed the first coin, he com
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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MY LOST OPPORTUNITY SHOWS UP IN ANOTHER'S REGISTRY SET

The Price I Must Pay For Being The Underbidder. Have you ever missed out on a "great" coin at auction? For most collectors, the answer is "Of course I have!". Have you ever had that same coin show up in another registry set? Well, I just did! I was browsing through another collector's Seated Liberty Half Dime Registry. As I brought up the picture of his 1840 WD specimen, I froze in disbelief. Staring back at me was a coin that I had drooled over, and bid for on April 4, 2007! Here is m

MY FIRST "POST-ANA SHOW" PRIZE IS ON THE WAY!

But Hurricane Irene... Is likely to delay the arrival. As soon as dealer inventories began to update, following the ANA Show, I started my frantic scanning for new "baubles" to thrill and delight. After viewing some nice treats; but nothing heart-stopping, I finally found it! - An 1885 Liberty 5 cent, PCGS MS-62. A quick call for description and some negotiating, and she's mine! The coin has a nice strike with strong frosty luster, and light gold toning. The mint frost is what grabbed m
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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ANA COIN SHOW JITTERS...

And I'm Not Even Attending. As show time approaches, I notice a building of anticipation and excited tension. Somewhat like the pre-game jitters in high school football. Although, my only action was pre-game calesthenics, and some excellent "bench-riding", but I digress. I've not attended an ANA since 2003, in Baltimore, but none the less, I experience this great anticipation every year. So, it's not the auction. (I don't generally bid with the "Big Boys"!) It's not the multitude of d
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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NOW THIS IS JUST TAUNTING!!!

Again, I'm Underbidder: Again, the Coin Pops Up... This time in a dealer's on-line inventory. On June 2, 2011, I bid on an 1844-O Half Dime, AU58 PCGS/CAC. I engaged a trusted dealer who viewed the coin in-hand. After his "thumbs up", we set our bidding limit. I placed my max bid and waited. I was outbid by one increment. I accepted my fate, since in this instance, I'd bid the max determined by my advisor and me. That's the way it goes. So today, I was flipping through the website of a

STATEHOOD QUARTER COLLECTING AND FAMILY TIME

Creating a "Family Heirloom" A few days ago, I was looking through the few rolls of Statehood Quarters that I put away before losing interest. Obviously,this is not a prime collecting area for me. I began thinking about how many rolls and partial sets of these coins are tucked away in households all over the country. What a shame- All of the government money and effort that has gone into promoting these coins, and it appears that we are not going to reach "escape velocity". My thoughts t
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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A CALL TO LIBERTY!

A Formerly Rejected Series Calls Me Back. I lost interest in Liberty Head Nickels, years ago. In fact, I even wrote about it in a journal article in 2005 (No Accounting For Taste). I sold the few examples that I owned, including a couple of rolls of well-worn coins. However, I've begun experiencing an all too familiar itch of late. NO, not athlete's foot! But that itch of growing interest in another coin series. In recent months, I've re-read Peters and Mohon's, Shield and Liberty Head Nic

HAPPY FATHERS DAY, HERMAN!!!

Break Out The Gold Coins As I've stated in previous journals, Dad was not a numismatist; nor did he have an interest in coins. Dad had an interest in MY coins. He would sit with me and view coins that I brought home, for hours on end. He was genuinely interested because his son was interested. Whenever I shared my gold coins with him, Dad's eyes would light up. He loved the look of gold. Being a child of the depression, Dad didn't have much contact with the precious metal. I could tell t

TO REVEAL, OR NOT TO REVEAL?

That Is The Question. Last year, I joined a bridge club at the local Senior Citizen Center. Over time, the group has dwindled to just 4 people. We play weekly, and have become friends. Our conversations are filled with talk of past careers, families, health issues, politics, and hobbies. Often, I've been asked, "What do you do for fun besides Bridge?". I mention an interest in golf, and various sports, but have always steered the conversation away from any mention of coins. I like thes

A FORGOTTEN BOX OF COINS PROVIDES A TRIP THROUGH ASIA

But, Where Did They Come From? Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a long forgotten box of non- US coins. There's nothing valuable here, but the box did contain a nice cross section of the world. They are primarily 20th century coins,1960's and 70's, with a few from the 1940-50 era. The coins, organized by country included: Hong Kong (maybe they will be valuable in the future since these are the obsolete British coinage), Maylasia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The kicker is, "I have absolute

DOES THE REGISTRY DRIVE YOUR COLLECTION, OR TRACK IT?

Just Curious Those who had reasonably developed collections prior to joining the registry had some pre-determined direction to their collecting endeavors. We enter our coins into various regisry categories, then admire or view sorrowfully the results. Those who are starting their collections as they join the registry have a greater challenge to select the "right" or most meaningful collecting categories for themselves: -What do I like? -What registry category can I complete quickly/ eas

GRANDMA'S WALKERS

"Clown" Soda Syrup Bottles In The Back Of The Closet. My mind is beginning to function in some strange ways as I flirt with old age! A few days ago, I suddenly awoke from a sound sleep, with a vivid recall of a childhood experience. I was having a flashback to around 8 or 9 years of age- THE ICE CREAM TRUCK!!! I was transported back to when that truck, and it's bell brought every kid running from every nook and cranny throughout the neighborhood. The cherry bomb pop was my target of choic

THE NUMISMATIC EMBERS ARE STARTING TO GLOW

The Second Purchase Of The Year Is A Rarity That Has Long Been On My Want List. After 18 months of numismatic abstinance, I've now made coin purchases in March and April. I found the right 1912-S Five Cent to fit my collection, after searching for a number of years. Typically, I stumble across either circulated examples or pricey MS65's, or problem coins. This is also my first CAC coin. It is an MS-63 with a great strike, minimal marks, and muted luster under gray/brown toning, which give

START OVER

The Eye Appeal said "You Can Do Better"! Sometime around 2000, I completed a 24 coin Peace Dollar collection, but just didn't like the "look". So, a couple of years later, I sold the set, keeping 5 coins. 2 of those five were purchased in 1976/77. The other 3 were added from 1996-98. The Peace Dollars were/are not an overwhelmingly popular set, and I was clearly not enthused about my collection of these large silver discs. However, I found myself constantly being drawn to these coins. By

DELAWARE COMMEMORATIVE- COME FORWARD!

Football and Coins Once More The University of Delaware is once again playing for the 1AA National Football Championship this year! Just as in 2007, I have placed my Delaware 50 Cent in a place of prominence on my desk. On January 7th, I'll be in front of the TV clutching my half dollar. Thank goodness for plastic encasement. Your holders are "sweaty palm proof", aren't they NGC? GO BLUE HENS!!! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added belo
Wissahickon Collection

Wissahickon Collection

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COLOR CODING COPPER COINAGE

When does BN become RB; become RED? Over the years, I've become fairly comfortable with my grading skills. This confidence has generally been confirmed by results from certification or sale. Reliance on TPG's has made me a bit lazy and my grading skills a bit "rusty". But, one issue that has always given me a degree of discomfort is assessing the color designation of copper coinage. Sure, solid BROWN and bright RED are easy, but when does BN transition to RB? And what is the demarcation

SPENDING THE DAY WITH HERMAN'S COIN

Happy Fathers Day, Dad!!! I've been struggling with a waning passion and enthusiasm for coin collecting for 2 years, now. I've only purchased 3 coins in the last 2 years. I still check dealer web sites, review auction listings, and bring coins home from the safe deposit box, occasionally. However, some of the excitement is missing. Today, in honor of the 10th Fathers Day that I don't have Dad with me, I brought out Dad's beat up old Morgan Dollar- "Herman's Coin". We watched the US Open
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