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

The Libertas Americana Medal and its Influence on our Earliest Coins

How our early coins show our passion to be free! The end of the Revolutionary War came about when the British Commons, weary of the war, voted in April of 1782 to end the war in America. On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the Revolutionary War. About that time, Benjamin Franklin with an idea for a medal, commissioned French Engraver Augustin Dupre to prepare the dies for the Paris Mint to strike the ?Libertas Americana? medal in 1783. The reverse design on
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

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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
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I Am Honored

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is not a dream! It is hard for me to find the right words with which to express how I feel after discovering that I won the award for number 2 ?Best Presented Set? and the ?Journal Award? for 2009. Just imagine that, a ?Journal Award? winner at a loss for words as I am now, preposterous! The only thing that I can say is that I am honored and humbled. I am honored that ?Gary?s 20th Century Type Set? is counted as one of the five ?Best Presen
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Reflections

Reviewing my journal entries of the past year showing how far I have come. Early this morning with everyone else quietly asleep, I took time to read many of my journal posts of the past year and reflect. January 1 is a good time for reflection, because it is the end of one year and the beginning of the next. For those of you contemplating journaling in 2010, journals are a wonderful way to chronicle your collecting journey. In them, you store your thoughts, feelings, accomplishments, and impre
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Absolutely Stunning!!!!!!!

See if you agree with me on this one! For much of my collecting life my focus has been on coinage issues of the 19th century. I so loved the various renditions of Liberty on 19th century coins that I often neglected those of the 20th century. That was until I started a 20th century typeset in the registry last summer. This is when I discovered anew the artistry, beauty, and symbolism of the ?American Renaissance coins? issued early in the century. Indeed, there are no coins like them anywhere,
coinsbygary

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Looking Forward to 2010!

2009 in review and my goals for 2010. 2009 has been a banner year for my collection. I have spent more money on coins this year than during any other year prior. My first full year in the registry is part of the reason for my increased spending. After establishing the sets I wanted to collect, I feverishly went about populating them. With the focus of filling slots and my proclivity to compulsiveness, I very nearly completed a 20th century type set and completed a Wilhelmina 10 Gulden gold set
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
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My most recent purchase

Just came in the mail today! I love collecting firsts and lasts, whether the first or last year of issue, a new composition or variety, or a new mint. Today I received my latest purchase, and a first to the newly opened Denver Mint; a UNC details 1906-D half-eagle. This coin is a nice addendum to WKF's recent journals concerning the Denver Mint. The coin has scratches that are apparent, but in my opinion, does not distract from the overall look of the coin. Enjoy my photo, and as always, happy
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A Virtual Christmas Card for NGC and my Fellow Society Members

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year! Shortly before I graduated from high school in 1976, I bought an 1858-C Half Eagle through a mail order ad in Coins Magazine. Up until that time, this coin was the most expensive coin I had bought at $350.00. Today I still own this coin even though it is details graded VF-30 in an ANACS holder. That following Christmas the dealer with whom I purchased the coin from, sent me a Christmas card that I would like to share with you, my collecting communit
coinsbygary

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Building a Registry Set I can be Proud of

With my "Magnum Opus" type set ready, let the judging begin! I have come a long way since April 3, 2009. On that day, I posted a journal about the joy of building a signature set and said that registry sets were ?mechanical and non-flexible?. That statement could not be any further from the truth, and it took building a registry set that I can be proud of to discover just how wrong I was. The big drawing card in signature sets for me is that I define the theme and the coins within the set ba
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The Coin that Almost Was

A lot has happened at the US Mint since 1979 On my post, dated 11/14/09, I established how the ?Libertas Americana? medal influenced the ?Liberty Cap? design on our earliest coinage. However, the ?Liberty Cap? design very nearly found its way onto our circulating dollar coin in 1979. Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro, himself influenced by the ?Libertas Americana? had a ?Liberty Cap? dollar ready for minting in 1979 to replace the Eisenhower Dollar. However, due to political considerations, Pre
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
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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
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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

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Helpful and Interesting Books

Good books that enhance your coin collecting experience. As I wrote last week, the previous month was an active one for coin purchases. However, last month I made a few other numismatic purchases that often fall under the radar screen. The internet is an invaluable source of information with which to research your coins, and I have used it to find a wealth of information. Nevertheless, for some things there is no substitute for a good library as I still enjoy thumbing through my old Red Books.
coinsbygary

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Lots of Treats with a Few Tricks!

I made several good purchases in October, but absolutely need to get spending under control! October has been a banner month for me in terms of collecting, as I upgraded one coin, purchased three outright, and added the Lincoln Chronicles set to my collection. The funny thing is that I told myself two coins ago that I would temporarily freeze my purchases. Now throw in a new camera and October gets very expensive. I guess all this proves that I am addicted to this hobby. However, there is a ra
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Fond Memories

Getting back to my roots and remembering why it is I collect coins. The recent post ?HEY BUDS----- YA GOT ANY PICS?? by Six Mile Rick is refreshing in that Rick exhibits his true heart and passion for collecting coins. Part of what I find refreshing is Ricks collecting passion for Morgan Dollars. One thing I can always count on is Rick attaching a photograph of one of his Morgan Dollars to each of his posts. The aforementioned post, while short on information, is loaded with passion. It?s Rick
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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
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Disparity between NGC and PCGS slabs

An interesting comparison between two population reports. Many of you are aware that I collect the Netherlands ?Queen Wilhelmina I? 10 Gulden gold coins issued between 1897 and 1933. This past week I upgraded my 1917 NGC MS-66 coin with a PCGS MS-67 coin. Naturally, since this coin is in the registry, I spend a significant amount of time studying the population reports and fortunately, PCGS allows free access to their world coin population report. While comparing the two reports, I found a dis
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Eating My Words

How other Society members help me to become a better collector and enjoy coin collecting all the more. In an April 4, 2009 post, I talked about the joys of building a signature set. Now six months later as my collecting interests are developing I am finding that I have to eat a few of my words from that post. It is not that I enjoy building signature sets any less, but it is more about expanding my horizons and discovering by experience the joys of collecting in other areas. Today I stand by
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Collecting small European gold coins!

My experience building a Netherlands 10 Gulden registry set. First, I wish to offer my thanks and kudos to NGC and Collector?s Society for introducing new registry sets featuring small European gold coins. Collecting small European gold coins can offer real value as the demand for these coins in contrast to their US counterparts is significantly lower. My interest in small European gold coins started when I added several examples of them to my ?Inspirational Ladies? signature set. Then early
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Recent Cross-Over Results

The results of an NTC experiment and ANACS & ICG cross-overs. This past spring, in a journal post (?My worst Numismatic Nightmare? 3/21/09) I put forth a plan for an experiment to cross over the coins in my collection certified by NTC (Numistrust Corp). In this experiment, I would submit half the coins in their holders and the other half cracked out of their holders. Now I can report with some finality the results of that experiment and show a clear trend. I suspected that many
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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
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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
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