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

My Collector Profile

The definition of profile is to describe, write about, give an account of, portray, depict, sketch, and outline. That said, could someone easily write about, give an account of, portray, depict, sketch, or outline my collector profile by the coins currently in my collection? This is exactly the question I am asking of myself as I examine the state of my collection. More specifically, which coins in my collection represent my core passion as opposed to those I bought on a whim? If I were to be
coinsbygary

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A Flurry of Collecting activity

It has only been two short months since I returned from a short-term mission trip to Thailand. However, in that time I have been as busy as ever adding coins to my collection, and more specifically my 7070 type set. The highlight of my work year is the payout of my annual bonus the last payday in February. With my bonus I usually buy at least one high ticket coin for my collection. Of course my wife had other ideas on how to spend the money and consequently we will be getting a new couch. Wi
coinsbygary

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A Worthy Addition to my 7070 Type Set

A very attractive 1855 MS-63 BN half-cent has found a home in my collection. The NGC Collectors Society Dansco 7070 Type Set has slots for the Draped Bust Half-Cent (1800-1808), the Classic Head Half-Cent (1809-1835), and the Coronet Half-Cent (1849-1857). Since I already own the Draped Bust and Classic Head Half-Cents, all I needed was the Coronet Half-Cent to complete my set. That was until yesterday when the piece pictured in this post arrived in the mail. With the half-cent portion of my c
coinsbygary

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40+ Years in the Making

...Finally after more than 40 years, a youthful fascination becomes reality. As long as I can remember, I have been interested in numismatics. Working odd jobs as a youth I recall spending a large portion of my paycheck on coins. Some of those coins I still own today. I also enjoyed reading about my hobby in Coins Magazine. I loved that magazine and I couldnt wait until the next months edition arrived in the mail. I often read it from cover to cover. As a youth, I discovered that reading is
coinsbygary

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Beauty is in the Eye of the Camera Lens

...Or is it rather in the skill of the photographer. About two years ago, I spent a goodly sum of money to upgrade my photography equipment. If they say replication is the highest form of flattery, then Brandon of BRG Collection fame has spent a lot of time blushing. That being since he has helped countless persons, including myself, to take higher quality pictures of their coins. Now I dont quite consider myself in his league, but in two years time I have come a long way and I have the pictur
coinsbygary

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I Feel Your Pain

Jackson I'm sorry about the loss of that very attractive 1947-D Walker, I know how you feel. I just recently fell prey to the "snooze ya loose" syndrome. I was eying an AU-53 1830 large cent for my type collection on a dealer's web site. The coin had great surfaces, a very strong strike, and for the life of me, I couldn't identify the rub that warranted an AU-53 grade. There was one draw back though and I hesitated. Asking for clarification to a small mark on the coins obverse I sent an e-mail
coinsbygary

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A Coin-Related, Non-Coin Purchase

For several months I had been toying with the idea of buying a Morgan Dollar coin clock offered by a seller named CoinClocks. Just recently, I finally broke down and pulled the trigger on it. As a collector of Morgan Dollars and an admirer of the design, I was naturally drawn to this clock that features the obverse of the coin as its face. Furthermore, this clock has an "Old West" look and feel to it much as the coin did 122+ years ago. (The date on the clock is 1893). Encircling the image of
coinsbygary

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It Took 9 Cents to Finally Rid My Type Set of No-Grades

Yes, I was finally able to rid my 7070 Type set of no-grades with three coins totaling 9 cents in face value. Those coins are an Eric P Newman pedigreed 1859 AU-58 Indian Head Cent, an 1853 MS-62 half-dime with arrows, and a 1861 MS-64 silver three-cent piece. For the better part of 2014, my 7070 typeset has been the primary focus of my new coin purchases. Of the 13 coins I purchased, there are seven new coins, two upgrades, and four details upgrades. Of course I made other purchases of note i
coinsbygary

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Worth the Wait

My most recent acquisition is worth the wait. Especially sweet is that I could of bought a nice example of this same coin at any time during the last eight or nine months. I have an interest in collecting the entire series of 1870 Spanish Provisional Government coins. The copper coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10 Centimos. The silver coins come in denominations of 50 Centimos, 1, 2, and 5 Pesetas. There is also a gold 100 pesetas that is very rare. Needless to say I probably wont b
coinsbygary

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An Unlikely Purchase

My latest NEWP is an XF-45 1860-O Seated Liberty Dollar to upgrade a VF-35 1842 dollar from my collection. What makes this purchase unlikely is that I was not looking to add a new Seated Liberty Dollar to my collection nor was I looking to upgrade the one that I currently own. However, while I was browsing a dealers listing looking for other coins, this coin kind of swept me away.       What struck me about this coin was its clean original surfaces, the boldness of its devices, and light
coinsbygary

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Garys August Coin of the Month

The Coin of the Month for August 2014 (Volume 3, Number 12) is an NGC MS-62, 1846 Bavarian 2 Thaler commemorating the completion of Ludwigs Canal connecting the Main and Danube Rivers. This coin (KM #822) with an unknown mintage is 38mm in diameter and weighs 37.12 grams. It has a silver fineness of .900 with an ASW of 1.0740 oz. The edge inscription signifies a monetary equivalency of 3 ½ Guldens (Drey-Einhalb Gulden) and a weight of 1/7 fine silver Cologne Mark (**VII E F M**). The Cologne M
coinsbygary

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A Pre-ANA Show NEWP for my 7070 Type Set

This coin is the one I didn't want to get away by waiting until I arrived at the ANA show on Friday. Back in April I scoped out a 1877 MS-62 proof-like quarter at the Central States show that I really liked. At the time I did not have the funds to purchase it and I bought a MS-63 1863 Indian Head Cent instead. With that, I followed the dealers web page hoping the quarter wouldn't sell before I had the chance to buy it and to this date the coin had not sold.       In the mean time the deal
coinsbygary

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An Unusual Find

Over the years, I have retrieved Indian Head Cents, Buffalo Nickels, and War Nickels from circulation. Adding to those finds are hundreds of wheaties and an occasional silver coin. However, I have never found a proof coin in circulation... That is until now. Summer is a great time for day tripping and occasional stops along the way for fuel and refreshments. If you pay cash for your purchases, more often than not by the time the trip is over, you come home with a pocketful of change. Now my
coinsbygary

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Garys July Coin of the Month

For most of my collecting life, I have collected nothing but US type coins. Then in 2008, I expanded my collecting objectives to include world coins. Later I began collecting tokens and medals that fit a specific narrative I wanted to pursue. Today my collection is going places I never could have imagined as I have recently added a handful of ancient coins to my collection. The featured coin this month (Volume 3, Number 11) is a NGC choice AU Roman Empire Double Denarius dating AD 244-249. The
coinsbygary

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If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try, Again!

The day I stop learning or wanting to learn is the day I need to do something else. I have enjoyed the many responses to my last post about an 1870 half-dime I recently purchased. I particularly liked the comments concerning the photographs I took of the coin. That said, I want to personally thank users wdrop, Walkerfan, and RWB for their input. There are many people on these boards whose opinions and experience I greatly respect. If they say people listen when EF Hutton speaks, I listen whe
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My Latest NEWP and Shes a Dandy!

I believe that this half-dime combines both eye appeal and value. As such it is a perfect candidate for my 7070 type set. Most of you that follow me know that among other things Im a type coin collector. Well My latest new purchase for that set is a single year 1837 no-stars/small-date PCGS AU-55 half-dime. With this coin I believe that I balance eye appeal and value which are now the prime objective for this set. Furthermore, this coin is as close to a Gobrecht Dollar as I am likely to come e
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Garys June Coin of the Month

Just a month ago, I had no clue I would be featuring a coin from the Saddle Ridge Hoard as the Coin of the Month. Nevertheless, here I sit today as an improbable owner of a coin recovered from the greatest buried treasure find in the history of the United States. When I first heard the news of the Saddle Ridge Hoard, I found myself spellbound by many of the storys elements. Adding to my fascination is the incredible odds against anyone uncovering buried treasure of this enormity and value. The
coinsbygary

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Garys May Coin of the Month

This months Coin of the Month (Volume 3, Number 9) is my first column featuring a coin I do not own. Instead, it is an NGC MS-66+ 1951-S Washington Quarter from the personal collection of NGC Collectors Society member Yankeejose. I am featuring Yankeejoses coin for reasons that shall become apparent in the body of this months post. Therefore, I am blending a narration on the Washington Quarter with a show report of the recently concluded 75th Central States Numismatic Society convention. Our
coinsbygary

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My Latest NEWP from the CSNS Show for my Type Set

I will have more to say on this very different show experience later but I couldnt wait to display the newest addition to my 7070 basic type set. I have always loved Indian Head Cents and this one charmed me from the git-go. I had spied out this particular cent from Gary Adkins and Associates website but felt I needed to see it in the hand before I bought it. When I got to the show I went to his table where he had a very nice MS-61 example and I asked him if he brought the coin from his websit
coinsbygary

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So Long IKE, its Been Fun

After a long and cordial run collecting Eisenhower Dollars, it is time for me to part ways to pursue other interests. Several Years ago I started on a quest to complete a set of circulation grade Eisenhower Dollars. I set a goal for this set to have the best-graded coins I could afford after which I aggressively bought the coins necessary to complete the set. Along the way, I discovered that high-grade non-silver MS-66 and 67 Eisenhower Dollars were scarce and focused on buying one MS-67 Eis
coinsbygary

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Garys April coin of the Month

This month my Coin of the Month feature (Volume 3 Number 8) will touch on three events. The first event relates to the coins origin in the Ukraine and represents my hope for an acceptable and peaceful resolution to Ukraines ongoing conflict with Russia. Next, this coin commemorates the 2009 International Year of Astronomy and corresponds to my fascination with space exploration. Finally, there will be a lunar eclipse on the night of April 14/15, 2014 that directly correlates to the person depict
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Garys March Coin of the Month

Garys March Coin of the Month (Volume 3 Number 7) features a copper NGC AU-58 1790s 1/2 penny Conder Token (D and H-36D). During the late 18th Century, the widespread use of merchant tokens in the United Kingdom filled a void left by the government's failure to mint enough coins for commerce. These tokens provided an effective means for merchants to advertise their wares or in the case of this token, propagate a political cause.   Now lets say that you owed a debt you could not pay. The wor
coinsbygary

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Cold Hard Cash...

My post today is more of a light humored stab at this ridiculous winter. I know this post doesnt feature a coin but bear with me, I think you will enjoy it nevertheless. Cold hard cash is exactly how you would describe my featured five dollar British Antarctic Territory note. This note represents a few of the things I dislike (winter) and some that I love (Britannia). I dont like the cold, especially this current winter. You see, I work outside for a living which makes my job a breeze in the
coinsbygary

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Garys February Coin of the Month

Februarys Coin of the Month is not rare; it has a mintage of 664,833,000. It is not made of silver or gold; it has a bi-metallic composition of stainless steel with an outer ring of bronze plated steel. This coin is not old; it has a date of 2008. This coin is not valuable; you can buy one on EBay for a dollar. In fact, it is unlikely this coin will ever be more valuable than the cost of NGC encapsulation. Nevertheless, I consider this coin priceless for the memories it represents. Februarys
coinsbygary

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I Am Honored

Before I get started, I want to congratulate all the winners of this years awards. That said I also want to thank all those who have congratulated me for the Most Informative Custom Set. Your kind comments mean more to me than you know. I also wish to thank the judges for recognizing my set among the 72,000 other sets in the Collectors Society Registry. The last time I won a major NGC award other than a journal award was a best-presented set award four years ago. At that time, I wrote a post e
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