CoinsbyGary

A journal by coinsbygary

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About this journal

When I was a young boy, my cousin introduced me to the hobby of coin collecting. Because I was also interested in photography, I used to frequent a local camera store. Along with camera supplies, this store had a rotating display case full of coins that I enjoyed scrolling through. My very first coin purchase was an 1881-S Morgan Dollar in BU PL condition; this coin was old, shiny, and inexpensive at just $12! Now 35 years later, I still own that 1881-S Morgan Dollar, even though it is still worth less than $100. I loved looking through the Red Book dreaming of the coins I would buy if I had the money, especially the coins in the back of the book where the gold listings are. As a teenager, I was beginning to show signs of gold fever.

Working through high school, I spent the bulk of the money I did not save on coin purchases. My first gold purchase as a teenager was an 1881 BU Half Eagle for $105 from a mail order ad in "Coins" magazine. Since then I have had this coin graded, and it resides in my Gold Liberty type collection graded at PCGS MS-62.

My next gold purchase as a youth stretched my resources. I purchased an 1858-C VF Half Eagle for $350, and my attraction to this coin was that it had a low mintage from an obscure branch mint. I also enjoy the comradely among fellow coin enthusiasts, and once I invited a kid to attend a coin show with me who was much younger than I was. As fate would have it, this kid happened to be the son of my mother’s boss. This boss always said to my mother how impressed he was with me taking his son to that show. As for me, I enjoy the company of fellow coin collectors, whoever they may be.

Two other purchases I made as a teen were an 1876 20-cent piece and an 1885-CC Morgan Dollar from the Lavere Redfield hoard. Since then my collecting has been sporadic, depending on my life situation. However, the passion has always been there. Gold has still not lost its luster with me, and today I am a very active collector. The cousin that introduced me to coin collecting years ago no longer collects. For a different twist on my collection, visit my website at: coinsbygary.com

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Entries in this journal

What an Incredible Run!

Six consecutive First Spouse coins purchased from the mint, six PF-70 Ultra Cameos! As a series, the current First Spouse gold coins have a small, but committed following, of which I am one. There are many reasons few people collect these coins; the primary being the cost to assemble a complete set is prohibitive, especially with the current price of gold. In fact, if the price of gold continues to rise, I foresee the Mint discontinuing the series or continuing it with a different base metal.
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Coin of Immense Sentimental Value

The story of this coin starts at work on a summer afternoon in Wisconsin. Working at various cell sites throughout the region, I occasionally have the opportunity to observe different kinds of wildlife. On one of those occasions, I heard what I though to be a hummingbird fly by my ear only to find that it was a large praying mantis. Immediately, I had noticed that the praying mantis had landed on the chain link fence surrounding the cell site. I have seen praying mantis's before but this bug w
coinsbygary

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Numismatic Dog Days of Summer

Gearing up for an exciting fall season! Late August, or the dog days of summer, signify an upcoming change of season. This time of year finds many of us preparing for another year of school. Some of us have kindergartners getting ready for their first year of school, whilst I have a son entering his senior year of college and a daughter finishing graduate school. Summer with its long days keeps most of us busy outdoors either working around the yard or partaking in some form of outdoor recreat
coinsbygary

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PCGS, NGC, or Both??????????

Should I play the population reports to get the highest grade on my coins? I have often wondered whether it would be in my best interest to be a member of both NGC?s Collectors Society and PCGS?s Collectors Club. With submission privileges for both services, I wonder if I could use the large samplings in both population reports to predict which service might give the highest grade on a particular coin. Case in point, I have written in the past of the tendency of PCGS to grade Queen Wilhelmina
coinsbygary

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Recent Purchases and Other Musings

Cool coins that enhance my collection! By limiting my coin collection to type collecting, themes, select series, and upgrades, I have found purchasing and selling coins to be systematic and focused. Conscience of my collecting goals, I made several purchases over the last couple of weeks. With one of my purchases I upgraded a 1913 Netherlands Queen Wilhelmina 10 Gulden gold coin from MS-63 to MS-64. Graded coins in this series are scarce, therefore even a meager step in my quest for a MS-65 or
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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I Guess We?ve all had our Postal Moments

What I can do to ensure that people have fewer "Postal Moments"! I think we have all had our own ?postal moments? at one time or another, and I am no exception. Some time ago, I bought a Britannia on E-Bay and the parcel arrived at my house in a timely manner. The only problem is it arrived empty! Stamped on the empty packaging was the following, ?received unsealed and received empty?. Whether my parcel was damaged on the post offices? sorting machines or the coin was stolen, I could only conj
coinsbygary

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2008 Registry Award Winners

Amazed my set won the 2008 Signature Set award for "Most Creative" I had just returned from a short term mission trip to Brazil on January 13, on January 14 I linked up to my signature set "Inspirational Ladies" for the first time in about two weeks. To my surprise, I saw the "2008 Most Creative Signature Set" icon on my set listing. A sudden rush of joy, surprise, pride, and a bit of disbelief overcame me. I still look at my set listing and the judges comments next to the award icon on the wi
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Never a Dull Moment!

How the diversity of collecting brings richness to our hobby! What is it in the mind and heart of the individual collector that causes them to collect one variety of coin over another? What is it that draws some people to this year?s Lincoln cents and others to choose First Spouse gold coins? Of course, value and cost have something to do with it, but I would argue that what motivates the individual collector most are their individual tastes regardless of cost. In my case, I?d go head over hee
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Recent Submissions to NCS

After Conservation my coins are returned NGC graded Recently I submitted several coins to NCS for conservation. The Silver and nickel coins had PVC residue on them and the copper coins had carbon spots. One of the copper coins a 1911 Italian 10 centismo I purchased raw for $26.00. I knew of the carbon spotting, but I noticed the coin had a particularly strong strike with no noticeable wear on the high spots of the coin's relief. To see what level of spotting was gradable I sent the coin to NGC
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Coming changes at NGC

September 1, 2009 brings details grading to NGC September 1, 2009 NGC, will details grade all problem coins and allow 50% points in the registry. This news comes to me with mixed emotions. If my registry goal is to compete, then having problem coins in my set is not for me. However, if my goal is to complete my set, the picture changes dramatically for me. Now for the first time, all the expensive problem gold coins I own in ANACS holders will cross into NGC registry sets. For instance, I h
coinsbygary

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Good Lighting and Cameras are only part of the Equation!

Good editing between photographing your coins and posting your coins is an important part of the process. With a fair degree of frequency, I have noticed a number of journal posts on the subject of coin photography. Most of the posts I have read seem to focus on lighting and cameras. These issues are very important, and I agree to be central to good coin photography. More often than not, I have had to take a picture up to a dozen times to get the effect I desire. Issues I contend with are hold
coinsbygary

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What an incredible coin collecting weekend!

It just does not get any better than this! What an incredible coin-collecting weekend! NGC and Collector?s Society are the best. I sent three submissions to NGC for grading. They posted on the web site as received on Feb 16. I made one world submission and two US submissions. The world submission posted finalized/shipped Feb 20 and the US submissions posted finalized/shipped today. The turnaround time at NGC is incredible! To top that off, I am delighted with the grades my coins receive
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Type Collector at Heart

How did I change from one collecting goal to another? I remember the first registry set I established when I joined Collector?s Society about a year and a half ago. At that time, I wanted to start a complete collection of uncirculated Silver American Eagles because I liked the design and could acquire the coins for a reasonable amount of money. In other words, completing a set of primarily MS-69 coins was a very achievable goal. With that in mind, I created the set and began purchasing the coi
coinsbygary

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RE: Dishonest Dealers...(and collectors?)

Honesty is the best policy In my experience, I have found people who collect coins to be among the most honest people I have met. It is in part, this sense of honesty and comradely that attracts me to this hobby. I to have made foolish purchases on EBay, I purchased a double eagle and a 3 dollar gold piece that turned up being counterfeit. These two coins would have meant a significant loss to me had those people I purchased them from not been honest and refunded my money. Since then,
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Submission, a View, and a Purchase

My latest submission, my view on the NGC/PCGS registry debate, and a recent purchase. Wow! Nine days from received to finalized shipped! My NGC world submission received Feb 2, 2009 shipped today Feb 11, 2009. My only wish is that my UHR double eagle order from the mint could be half as fast! As with any submission, there are surprises and disappointments. The disappointment, a 2006 silver Britannia, returned as a MS-62. I bought the coin on EBay and should have returned it, knowing there wa
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Be careful, you may not have to sign for your UHR when it arrives

The only fly in the ointment to an enjoyable day when my UHR arrived. Yesterday evening I received an email from the mint stating that my UHR is on the way. Typically, I receive my items the day after notification. As fate would have it, I worked the graveyard shift last night, assuring I would be home to sign for my delivery. Returning home, I slept on the couch to make sure I would hear the doorbell. Early this morning I heard a heavy truck approach my house and the UPS man (brown really did
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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My First Multi-coin Holder submission

Multi-coin holders are a great way to present coin sets that have sentimental meaning. Several years ago, I thought to buy proof sets to mark my children?s birth years. As a result, I purchased a 1984 set corresponding to my daughter?s birth year and a 1988 set for my son. As far as cost, I do not remember how much I spent for the sets, but it could not have been more than $15.00 each. However, to get them into the NGC registry, I would need to submit them for grading. When I started submit
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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The Type 1 Liberty Double Eagle

To me there is nothing more beautiful than a strongly struck, mint-state or almost-uncirculated, Type 1 Liberty double eagle with a minimal number of contact marks. Conversely, there is nothing uglier than a heavily worn Type 1 double eagle or a highly graded coin with numerous contact marks. Thus, as a type collector, my challenge is to find a double eagle that meets both my criteria, AND more importantly, is affordable. Fortunately, I had a wide range of dates that I could choose from. Examp
coinsbygary

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Thank You Veterans

A Numismatic tribute to our veterans. On this Veterans Day, I want to take the opportunity to thank the men and women of our armed forces who have both served and are currently serving our nation. We all can be very proud of these fine Americans. I especially wish to thank those who have served in times of war. I am a veteran of the United States Navy and feel blessed that I never received the call to take up arms for our country. However, I was prepared, and in a position to go. Thank you
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Rethinking the detail grading issue

After sleeping on it and reading other opinions on the issue of NGC detail grading, I can see the bigger picture. Thank you Society members for chiming in on the issue of details grading. After reading up on the issue and sleeping on it, I am thinking clearer on the subject. Our coins are national treasures and an important part of our nation?s history. As hobbyists, whether we realize it or not, we are entrusted with continuing a legacy for future generations by ensuring our coins are pres
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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What Gives?

I don't understand how the US mint operates or in this case doesn't What gives with the US Mint? My UHR double eagle order status was listed as "in process" and the coin listed as "in stock and reserved" with an expected ship date of 2/6/09. Today 2/6/09, I get an e-mail from the mint stating my order is "back ordered" with an expected ship date of 2/21/09. Which is it? I thought in stock and reserved meant they have my coin and need to ship it and back ordered means they do not have my coin ,
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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NGC waves 5 coin Modern Special tier minimum order for UHR Double Eagle Submissions!

The hard part now is waiting for my coin to arrive from the mint. When NGC announced how they were accepting submissions for the new UHR Double Eagles I wondered how I would submit mine as an early release knowing I do not have 4 other coins to meet the 5 coin submission minimum. I decided to inquire about this using the link service@ngccoin.com . Good news! For this coin NGC is waving the 5 coin minimum! I got mine ordered 7 minutes after it went on sale! Now the anticipation of waiting to ga
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Never taking collecting for granted

Thanksgiving and my most recent collecting experiences. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays to stop and take stock of your life. Nobody can really say that they are self-made; each of us needs other people in our lives in order to prosper. The term thanksgiving implies that we give thanks TO the ones who have contributed so much to our lives. I give thanks to my parents for raising me, to my doctors for keeping me alive after a life threatening illness, to my employer for giving me a job
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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My UHR Double Eagle

Looks as if the earliest ship date is Feb. 6 The order for my UHR Double Eagle chimed in at 7 minutes after the hour, meaning that mine should be amongst the earliest ship dates. I have an expected ship date for the coin and book of Feb 6. I will post a new journal when it arrives at which time I will send it off to NGC for grading and early release designation. It may be a blessing in disguise that mine has not been shipped yet. If my coin ships on Feb 6 it will fall into a much more convenie
coinsbygary

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My response:

Re:Buy coins for love, not as an investment The following is my line-by-line reply to Augustus, but first I wish to preface my response by saying that I buy coins because of my passion and love for the hobby and I only buy coins that fit into my collecting goals. I also recognize that coins as an investment are highly speculative. However, I am comforted to know that for the most part my collection is not a depreciating asset like my car. 1) Technically speaking coin collecting or for that m
coinsbygary

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