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

Award Medals

The Awards & Honors for My LGF Collection Keep Piling Up

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! Nothing I collect has drawn more attention from outside interests than my Laura Gardin Fraser collection of coins and medals. For instance, my set entitled “The Coins and Medals of Laura Gardin Fraser” won NGC’s “2016 Most Creative Custom Set” award. Additionally, I’ve had numerous requests relating to this set, from permission to publish my pictures to a request to repatriate an awarded medal back to the recipient’s family. I’ve also had solicitation
coinsbygary

coinsbygary in Award Medals

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World Coins

Destination: Iceland

Whenever I visit a foreign country, I make it my practice to cherry-pick examples of that country’s coins from circulation. For an expensive visit to a foreign country, coins make an inexpensive souvenir that only costs you the exchange rate of your dollars. They also make a memorable keepsake of your visit and interesting conversation pieces with your numismatic buddies back home! Sometimes I save examples of the circulating paper money when I travel. However, paper money is convertible back to
coinsbygary

coinsbygary in World Coins

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Sometimes You Just Have to Trust Your Gut

In a recent blog post, I mused over having to fill out one of those dreaded NGC submission forms. As with most things I procrastinate over, I eventually got around to it. I have also written about The American Bar Association medallion I bought from a seller on E-Bay who thought it was a fake. Well, today is the moment of truth. That medallion finally made it to NGC, and the grade was released today.  If you remember, I wrote in my blog post on April 4, 2020, that I purchased an American Ba
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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In the Mean Time...

Well it’s been a long time since I last wrote. Retirement has kept me pretty busy at my church having delivered the morning sermon last Sunday and again tomorrow. With all that I am doing, I have a whole new appreciation of pastors. However, I’m not writing about my outside exploits today but my numismatic ones.   You see while I have been busy with church activities, I have been amassing several new purchases along the way including a new book! I also served as kind of a consultan
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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One of the More Intricate & Beautiful Coins I Have Ever Seen

When I read Jackson64’s journal, “Added coins 4 and 5 to my Jersey 1/12 shilling set” I got stoked because there was much about what he was saying about his style of collecting that matches my own. For instance, I like to manage 4 or 5 sets at a time like he does. Currently, I am working on a US type set, along with my custom sets Inspirational Ladies, The Use of Seated Imagery in Numismatics, and The Coins and Medals of Laura Gardin Fraser. Still, there is a bit of a twist to my collecting
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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The Mighty Peseta

Here I go again, just as I got started on a new collection with a narrow scope, things began to get out of hand and now I am now faced with a giant. Is there a cure for my collecting obsession? Do I want to be cured? Probably not and hence my dilemma as the scope and of necessity, the expense expands. Oh, how I love it! As I previously wrote I intended to start a new set based on the 1869-70 coins of the Spanish Provisional Government. I thought this would be easy because I already owned mo
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Collectors Society Mothers. Some years ago I may have posted this coin but I don't remember. That said the message of this coin is always appropriate and I dedicate it to mothers everywhere. Therefore, I am posting this coin and its story now. The 2008 Latvian 20-Lats gold coin commemorates the 15th anniversary of the renewal of the Lats currency following Latvian independence from the old Soviet Union. Though this coin commemorates Latvian Independence, it also
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Most Excellent Provenance and a Good Friend

Because of my Laura Gardin Fraser collection an article in the June 2018 issue of The Numismatist entitled, “Fraser Finds”, aroused my interest. The author of that article went on to describe his pure joy at the Fraser finds comparable to that of discovering lost treasure. For my part I found this article fascinating. Never could I have imagined that Tom Rochovansky and his wife Nancy were preserving so much of the Fraser’s work as a legacy to them. Normally for me this is where the story e
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Shifting Gears and a Different Direction

One might think that shifting gears and a different direction are synonymous. However, the truth is that though related, they are two separate actions. A different direction in that I will be liquidating a portion of my current collection to focus on another and shifting gears in that I will be buying fewer but higher quality coins to upgrade the remaining sets. All this started with my losing interest in collecting Morgan Dollars. A year or two into collecting Morgans, I got bored with them.
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Golden Opportunity

Over the last several years I have been feverishly working to upgrade the gold coins in my collection since the spot price of gold has fallen from its peak valuation in the fall of 2011.   In the last two years or so I have been able to upgrade several of the MS-62 and lower graded gold coins in my collection to 63 and 64. To date, I have been happy with the quality of the MS-63 and 64 gold coins I bought and I consider them to be the final upgrades for my gold type set. With the spot
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Garys June Coin of the Month

Featured in this months edition (Volume 2 Number 10) of The Coin of the Month is an NGC MS-65, 1903 Danish 2 Kroner coin (KM-802) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reign of Christian outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed This coin is 31 mm in diameter and weighs 15 grams with a mintage of 103,392. It has a silver fineness of .8000 and an actual silver weight of .3858 oz. The obverse of this coin features a right facing bust of Christian IX, King of Denmark. The dates of his reign, 15 Novemb
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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The NYU Hall of Fame for Great Americans Medals

The New York University Hall of Fame for Great Americans is a 630 foot outdoor colonnade featuring the sculpted busts of 98 out of the 102 honorees elected into it. The Hall of Fame was conceived by Dr. Henry Mitchell MacCracken, (Chancellor of New York University from 1891 to 1910) and was formally dedicated on May 30, 1901. The Hall of Fame for Great Americans currently stands on the campus of the Bronx Community College. (New York University closed due to financial difficulties in 1973). [1]
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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The Who, What, Where, When, and Whys of Researching Coins

When I first look at a coin, I often ask myself, "What's this coin trying to tell me about itself?" Sometimes that coin's story is in its date, mintage, mintmark, die variety, and metallic composition, to name a few. However, I almost always find my coins' design features far more interesting than its technical characteristics. If they say a picture is worth a thousand words, I want to know what my coins' allegorical images intend to communicate. To help me research and understand the symbo
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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My Best Submission Yet

It’s been a while since I posted about a submission I dreaded to send but finally mailed to NGC in June. As of August, NGC posted the grades of the last two coins of a nine-coin submission. This submission may have been the best I have ever sent. I divided the submission into four parts. The first is the WORLD-MODERN tier with three coins, followed by the WORLD-ECONOMY tier with two coins. Next is a single medal under the TOKEN-WORLD-VALUE tier, and finally, a three medal TOKEN-EARLY-BIRD t
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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My Alternative to the 2019-S Enhanced Proof ASE

Let me preface my post by stating that I was not interested in purchasing the recently sold out enhanced reverse proof ASE. That said, I think the finish on the ASE is exquisite. As such it is a remarkably beautiful coin that I would be proud to own. Still, ASE’s are not among the coins I regularly collect.  However, there are a few comparisons I’d like to make between the 2019-S enhanced reverse proof ASE and the British 2019 proof 5-pound “Great Engravers” two-ounce silver coin that I now
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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A Coin May Have Saved the Isabelline Line of Spanish Succession

When I research the coins in my collection I often pour through websites like “Numista” that list dates, mintages, and basic data about world coins. As I have previously posted, I am assembling a Spanish peseta collection. While I was going through the copper issues of the 1870 1, 2, 5, and 10-centimos coins I noticed some anomalies in the years these coins were minted. Interestingly, sometimes you learn more from the questions you ask than you do by the information you absorb. Below are some of
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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How Did I Get Here?

Numismatics has always been an obsession with me. It’s either all in or all out. While I have been able to maintain an even keel on almost all my sets, it has not been easy as she goes with my new custom set, “The Beginning, Dependability, and End of the Spanish Peseta.” This year most of my custom sets have seen some activity including my Inspirational Ladies set with a new French coin commemorating Joan of Arc and a Fantasy Crown featuring, “The Three Graces.” All my sets have had aesthe
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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An Opportunity to Upgrade!

Upgrading from NCS UNC details cleaned to NGC MS-64 One of the features I like about the Signature Series registry sets is the option to populate slots with NCS slabbed coins. Not that I want to fill my slots with these coins, but I sparingly fill slots with expensive coins that I can purchase for less. When I do populate slots with these coins, it is with an eye to upgrade them at a future date. From time to time I comb e-bay for these coins to see; 1. What prices are my coins bringing on e-b
coinsbygary

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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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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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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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

coinsbygary

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Type Collecting and Registry sets

The joy and focus in assembling a registry set One of my favorite categories of collecting is type coins. I put together a set of major designs (no die varieties) that fit into a picture frame size Capital Holder. I can remember my joy when I purchased a 1799 Bust dollar to fill that last hole (a single hole in a set drives me crazy, kind of like a 1916-d Mercury dime hole in a Whitman folder). Since then I have discovered the registry set. One of the cool advantages of registry sets is tha
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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