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

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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Buying and Selling Part 1

Not long ago I posted My Collector Profile and expressed my affinity towards type collecting. Subsequently, I reviewed my entire collection for coins I could sell, and with the proceeds I bought several coins that I am really excited about. As a part of that review, I looked to upgrade a few circulated gold coins to mint-state condition. The first was an Indian eagle from XF-40 to MS-63 and the other an Indian Head half-eagle from AU-55 to MS-62. Finally, I upgraded a type-2 gold dollar from A
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Walking a Tight Rope

Purchasing coins on a strict budget and the balance between registry points, grade, and eye appeal. Greetings all, buying coins for my New Orleans, Morgan Dollar registry set, ?Born on the Bayou? has been a challenge. In the past, whether I could reasonably afford a particular coin or not, if I liked the coin, I bought it. All too often, to buy the coin I wanted, I pushed back other priorities. The problem with pushing back other priorities though is that they eventually come back to nip you i
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Unbelievable, or Rather Should I Say, BELIEVABLE!

It is not often that I talk about my Christian faith on a coin forum, but in this instance, the two are intricately entwined and inseparable. So follow along with me as I chronicle an improbable journey culminating with three new coins for my collection. Oftentimes the lines between the important and the most important things in life become blurred and the important overtakes the most important. Moreover, that transition can be so subtle that we are often not aware of it. Every Year in the m
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
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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

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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Garys December Set of the Month

Greetings all, Decembers Coin of the Month centers on my Netherlands 10 Gulden, Wilhelmina I, 1897-1933, Circulation Issue registry set. That set entitled, Garys Golden Wilhelmina Guldens is currently the top set in NGCs registry. Instead of focusing on the individual coins, I intend to contrast this sets progress with where it was three years ago. To peruse Queen Wilhelminas biography, important information pertinent to all the coins, and an account of each upgrade, I direct you to Garys Gold
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Three Point Wonders

If there is anything that rubs me the wrong way, its paying $300 for a classic coin thats worth a paltry three registry points. When it comes to points, I am not as much interested in total points or competing with other collectors as I am competing with myself. It is this sense of competition and pure absurdity that I just cannot tolerate one-point slaps in the face or three-point wonders. In a manner of speaking, I am also competing against the points themselves. For instance, I have an M
coinsbygary

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Here I Go Again!

Is there any cure for this disease? I hope not! Just the other night, while I was reading the owner description on my 1907-O Barber Quarter, I thought (thinking can be dangerous) wouldn?t it be nice to start a complete set of Morgan Dollars based on the New Orleans Mint? There has always been an attraction for me in the New Orleans mint ever since I learned of its history. Discovering that the New Orleans Mint may not have reopened after the Civil War had it not been for the Bland-Allison Act
coinsbygary

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Numismatic Potpourri

A number of collecting irons in my fire. Greetings everyone, I pray that summer is going well for you as you plug away at your collecting goals. For me the summer of 2010 is a decidedly slower one than 2009. For the fun of it, I applied several filters to my collecting spreadsheet to discover a few eye-opening statistics. From May 1, 2009 to August 15, 2009, I bought a whopping 36 coins. During the same period this year, I bought 6 coins spending 42% less than last year. Sticking with my 2010
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

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<a href="http://coinsbygary.com">coinsbygary.com</a> is online

A web site where I make the rules is on line. Now I have the prerogative of putting raw coins in my sets if I so desire! Greetings all, when NGC issued eviction notices to all the PCGS world coins in the competitive registry, I had wished that I had my own web page so that I could display my coins as complete sets. Its not the loss of points that annoys me as much as its the structure of my sets where one coin description is dependent on another. When I wrote of my dilemma in a post, I got a
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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Questionable Grade

Judge for yourselves, 70 or something less. NGC defines MS or PF-70 as having no post-production imperfections at 5-X magnification. I understand what imperfections at 5-X means, but I have always had a question as to what post-production means. By this definition, it seems that most any coin should be a 70 when it first comes off the dies and that imperfections come in the form of contact marks and hairlines as the coins are bagged and rolled. I also understand that collector coins receive sp
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Addendum to my Coin of the Month

Britannia and the Falkland Islands Nations that commemorate events of national significance through their coins are oftentimes able inspire their citizenry. For instance, the United States through the imagery of its bicentennial coinage reminds us of our nations greatness (dollar), its permanence and values(half dollar), and its struggle for freedom and liberty (quarter). The two-dollar bill (a favorite of mine) inspired us with a portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (I s
coinsbygary

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My day at the Central States Numismatic Society Show

A wonderful day with my with my wife culminated with the addition of an 1834 Bust Dime to my 7070 type set. Going to a major coin show is a treat that occurs all too infrequently for me. The last time I went to a major show was the August 2011 ANA show, so I was particularly eager to attend the Central States Numismatic Society show on Thursday April 25. Typically, I like to attend major shows on either a Thursday or Friday because I find that the crowds are much smaller, and the selection of
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Breaking Up is Hard to Do!

To sell, not to sell, or trade is one of the toughest decisions a collector can make. For me, decisions about buying coins are relatively easy, since there are few coins I see that I do not want. However, financial constraints more often than not take those decisions out of my hands. The real decision comes when I have the resources, and I have to decide on whether a coin fits into my collection, and whether it is worth what the seller is asking. Furthermore, it is always exciting to add new c
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A Sentimental Journey

In a story that has all the elements of a good drama; follow the journey of my lowly 20-cent piece from the time I purchased it until its crowning glory! To lay a little groundwork to this story, misfit coins have always intrigued me. You know the type, the half-cent, two-cent, three-cent, and 20 cent pieces. Moreover, coins minted at out of date branch mints such as New Orleans, Charlotte, Dahlonega, and Carson City captivates my imagination. At my very first coin show as a youth in the mid
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coinsbygary

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1876 US Centennial Exposition Medal

Just a short post this time, but I had to share my latest acquisition. Greetings all, I just wanted to share a cool medal I came across on E-Bay. This medal was engraved by William Barber, and minted by the US Mint to finance the 1876 US Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. I will have much more to say about the medal later, but from the first time I saw it, I had to have it. Naturally this medal is destined for my Inspirational Ladies custom set. This medal is struck in white metal and as
coinsbygary

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Why Garys Coin of the Month?

The Full Library of Garys Coin of the Month Journals represents much of what I enjoy about numismatics and coin collecting. Together with collecting coins, I also enjoy history, writing, and photography. All of these aspects combine into what has become Garys Coin of the Month. More than merely collecting coins into sets, I want to know the who, what, where, when, and whys of the particular coins that I collect. Concisely, I have a desire to know who designed or commissioned the minting of my
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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It?s All About Passion!

The definition of passion is, ?The object of somebody?s intense interest or enthusiasm?, and suitably applies to my love for coin collecting among other things. Greetings all, my father always told me, ?If something is worth doing, to do it right the first time.? Consequently, whenever I put my mind to do something, I do it with passion. This applies to all areas of my life, up to, and including coin collecting. How else can I explain the expenditures and time I spend on this hobby? As an extr
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Liberty to return to US coinage?

As a lover of classic coins this news gives me something to cheer about! I know that a lot of collectors are partial to collecting our currently circulating coins which feature busts of Presidents Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington, and Kennedy. However, with the exception of type coins, I am not among them. I have often bemoaned the the passing of what I think were fabulously artistic coins featuring various renditions of Lady Liberty. Now for people like me there is a glimmer of hope
coinsbygary

coinsbygary

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Turning Disappointment into Satisfaction

The following is my response to the thread, Last Straw, by SPHanson. I too was a little disappointed when my Wilhelmina set made of up of the best coins available to me didnt win an award for best world. After all I poured my heart into this set to make it the best I could complete with photos, upgrade history, and great coin descriptions. When I looked at the winning sets to see what I could possibly do to take my set to the next level, I found four of the five sets without full descriptions
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
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