coin928's Journal

A journal by coin928

0
  • entries
    41
  • comments
    14
  • views
    1,840

Entries in this journal

Time to Eat Crow

In light of a document I recently discovered, I must amend a journal I wrote nearly three years ago. On November 27, 2011 I wrote the Journal entry entitled "Obverse or Reverse?" (http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=9876) in which I came to the conclusion that contrary to conventional wisdom, the shield/date side of the coins in the US/Philippine series should be designated as the obverse and the figure/denomination side should be the reverse. This was a
coin928

coin928

0

Be careful what you ask for...

You may get more than you expected. A little over a year ago, I acquired a 1908S US/Philippines 50 Centavo piece that appeared to be uncirculated. Last November, I finally found the courage to send it off to NGC to see if I was right. Sadly, NGC saw my "uncirculated" coin as an AU58. It was not what I had hoped for, but there was no ?body bag,? or details grade involved, so I consider myself lucky. That however is another story, and not the point of this journal entry. It simply sets the
coin928

coin928

0

You don’t always have to buy another coin to upgrade your set.

Every year around this time, I review my sets and pick one to focus on for documentation.  This year, the choice was pretty easy. I completed my U.S/Philippines Ten Centavos set in 2016 with a very low grade 1915S that I had purchased as a raw coin ten years earlier.  At the time, a total of just ten 1915S 10 centavos had been graded by NGC, with only two of those grading above AU58.  The odds of obtaining an NGC graded 1915S were virtually zero, and raw coins didn't come up for auction ver
coin928

coin928

11

Something old, Something new, Something Borrowed, Something blue,...

...And a lucky sixpence in her shoe.   We've all heard this before, but did you ever wonder what it means and where it came from?The something old and something new pay homage to the past and to the present. Something borrowed is a reminder to appreciate family and friends in times of need, and blue is the color representing fidelity. The sixpence is intended to bring good luck and financial prosperity to the marriage.This little poem was born in Victorian England and migrated across the Atla
coin928

coin928

0

The passing of an iconic numismatist.

Lyman L. Allen passed away on June 10, 2016 at the age of 75. It is with heavy heart that I write today to inform you of the passing of noted numismatist Lyman L. Allen. His obituary can be found on the web site of the Nevada Appeal at: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/obituaries/22481921-113/lyman-allen The text is short though, so I am including it here: ------------------------------------- Jan. 25, 1941 ~ June 10, 2016 Lyman L. Allen, 75, passed away at home June 10, 2016. He wa
coin928

coin928

0

The red ink flowed over the World Coin Registry last night.

The word "UPDATED" should be changed to "DECIMATED" I wanted to see if the statement "Most NGC Registry World coin sets are already NGC-exclusive, so this change will affect relatively few users." was accurate, so I checked out a couple of categories that I participate in. "Cuba - First Republic, Complete Set, MS" All 14 sets that had coins in them were hit, some very substantially. Nothing but red in that Score Change column. It looks like two other sets were cleaned out by their owner ea
coin928

coin928

0

My Daughter Is Getting Married.

Time to sell a few coins! Weddings are expensive propositions, and the father of the bride gets to foot the majority of the bill. It's time to clean up the sets a bit anyway, so this has given me a little added incentive. I created a custom set titled "On the Auction Block" (coins.www.collectors-society.com/wcm/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=15005) for the certified coins I'm willing to part with. Please PM me or send an email to coin928(at)live(dot)com if you see something you're interested in.
coin928

coin928

0

Variety is the spice of life.

High mintage figures often imply common coins, but also provide the opportunity for some highly collectable varieties! Lyman L. Allen literally wrote the book on U.S. Philippine Coinage. Entitled "U.S./Philippine Coins," it is now in it's 7th edition. It is a guide book to the entire series and major die varieties as well as a price guide. Mr. Allen self published his book every other year to keep the prices and population reports relatively fresh. My earliest copy is an autographed 4th Ed
coin928

coin928

0

High Grade MacArthur Commemoratives

Probably not the ones you're expecting though. Both of these coins were designed by famed sculptor Laura Gardin Frasier and were struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1947. The "S" mintmark appears just below the date on the reverse. They were struck in very shallow relief and can be extremely difficult to obtain in high grades. These coins represent several firsts. - First coins minted for the newly independent "Republic of the Philippines." - First commemorative coins honoring General D
coin928

coin928

0

Obverse or Reverse?

It's not always obvious. Which side are you on? For most U.S. coins, it's fairly easy to determine which side of the coin is the obverse. For others though, this designation isn't quite so obvious. This is particularly true for the entire U.S./Philippine series minted from 1903 through 1945. Which is the obverse, the date side or the figure side? This has long been a hot topic of discussion in this niche collecting community. A very interesting paper on this topic was presented by Kennet
coin928

coin928

0

New Variety

But what to call it? A few years ago, I acquired several 1944S US/Philippines 50 Centavo pieces that have a slightly different reverse (figure side) than normal. I wish I could claim to have discovered this difference myself, but they were actually listed on eBay by a dealer in the Philippines as having the "Reverse of 1921." This reverse is most easily identified by the shape and lines of the Mt. Mayon volcano. The earlier volcano has very prominent lines spreading down the slope from the
coin928

coin928

0

One coin, six different mints!

How is that possible? I recently acquired this 1977FM 50 Piso coin on eBay for a very reasonable price. With a mintage of 6,704 pieces, proof specimens are not rare, but with only two certified by NGC this one seemed too good to pass up. I find this commemorative coin particularly interesting in that it is directly or indirectly associated with no less than six different mints. 1. The obverse inscription "INAUGURATION OF THE SECURITY PRINTING PLANT AND MINT COMPLEX" refers to the 1977 ope
coin928

coin928

0

My Latest USA/Philippines Acquisition

... and a little more history. I've been planning to post this journal entry ever since I submitted my Bronze "So-Called" Wilson Dollar in late November of last year. I just got it back last week and I can only guess that it was delayed by massive quantities of Silver 25th Anniversary ASE's making their way through the system.   By sheer coincidence, "JAA USA/Philippines Collection" posted an excellent and highly related journal entry last night titled "The Mint and U.S. Military History"
coin928

coin928

0

NCIS (That's not a typo)

Don't you just hate it when TV shows get their facts wrong? Especially when it's critical to the story line. Gibbs needs to give Abby a serious reprimand, or at least hire a new fact checker. I've been petty busy for the past month and I'm finally getting caught up on the shows I recorded on my DVR, so I apologize for not posting this at the time this show first aired. If you're an NCIS fan, I hope you appreciate my presentation, and even if you're not, I'm sure you will appreciate the messa
coin928

coin928

0

My first ANA World's Fair of Money

And it certainly won't be my last. I'm already planning for next year. As a member of the Philippine Collectors Forum (PCF), I've wanted to attend the annual ANA show for many years since this is where the PCF holds its annual meeting. The stars aligned, and this year I was finally able to make everything work out. I spent two and a half days at the show and could easily have added another day. Surprisingly, the highlight for me was not the coins. It was the people!       I planned i
coin928

coin928

0

Wow! I gained SEVEN more #1* ranked sets over night by doing virtually** nothing.

*"Obscured sets are not eligible for awards and will not receive a rank. They are placed according to their score." Check out the news story at http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/news/ViewArticle.aspx?IDArticle=4055&Obscured-Sets-in-the-NGC-Registry. I've now got the highest rank in seven more competitive sets, but other sets with higher scores are still listed above mine. I appreciate what NGC has done, and I think they're on the right track, but it does taint one's improved ra
coin928

coin928

0

Very Timely Article

An article just published in the February 13, 2012 issue of Coin World is a very timely follow up to three recent journal entries. The new article is titled "'Wilson Dollar' medal obverse die surfaces" and can be be found at http://www.coinworld.com/articles/wilson-dollar-medal-obverse-die-surfaces I don't know how long it will be available on line for non-subscribers though, so check it out soon. All of the information seems pretty good except for the description of the reverse and what it
coin928

coin928

0

eBay bans the sale of ALL Cuban coins ...

... according to the COIN World front page article in the June 17, 2013 edition. eBay had provided quite a vibrant marketplace for certified First Republic Cuban coinage and the vast majority of my Collectors Society registered coins were obtained there. Cuban coins minted between 1915 and 1961 inclusive are identified as being from the "First Republic," and the Collectors Society designates each Cuban registry set as such. These coins were all minted by the US Mint in the USA and are not em
coin928

coin928

0

My exercise in minutia ...

... may be complete. I recently sent eight coins to NGC for grading and while waiting for their return, I decided to do some research. The coins are all from the same set, and I've only handled a few of them, so virtually all of my information has come from books, magazine articles, and the internet (mainly pictures, and eBay listings). I was getting close to completion and with books and papers piled all around me I was sitting at the computer writing the set and coin descriptions when my w
coin928

coin928

0

Collecting my final reward for having a 2012 Best Presented Registry Set.

My thanks to NGC for the five Deluxe Photo Proofs! On January 12, 2013, I received a Best Presented Set award for my US/Philippines One Centavo set. In addition to recognition in the registry and a nice wooden wall plaque, I also received a coupon for my choice of NGC Coin Imaging Services for five NGC certified coins. One can choose from either NGC Photo Vision Coin Imaging (http://www.ngccoin.com/imaging-services/photo-vision.aspx) or NGC PHOTO PROOF Coin Imaging (http://www.ngccoin.com/im
coin928

coin928

0

YIKES!

I need to get another coin. Quick! I added three coins that I just had graded and noticed that my overall rank has improved to 666! That's not all though, check the picture. I clicked on the "Total Coin Registry Points" link and not only is my rank 666, so is my average coin score. YIKES! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
coin928

coin928

0

Have you ever bid on a coin, expecting to be outbid ...

... only to discover the next day that you won! This happened to me on March 31st. A number of certified US/Philippine proof coins of all denominations and years were listed for sale on eBay by a very reputable, long time dealer on March 24th. All were listed at what I considered to be a fair market price, and I thoroughly expected for most of them to sell for much more. I would have loved to bid on them all, but my budget would have to stretch a bit just to obtain one, so I set about decid
coin928

coin928

0

A Member of The Family

After owning it for 16 years, it was time to have it graded. I can't believe it's been over a year since I last posted a journal entry. I hope to be a little more prolific in the future. This 1895 Liberty Head five dollar gold coin pictured below has been in my family for many years. I don't know exactly how many, but I'm reasonably certain that my paternal Grandfather acquired it before 1933, and probably sometime in the 1920's. He was not a collector, but rather a hoarder of silver and go
coin928

coin928

0

It's been a while.

Sometimes life just gets in the way of what's really important. Numismatics! I haven't written any journals lately, but I hope to be a little more prolific later this year. I received my wooden plaque from NGC a few weeks ago, and I realized that it's been almost two months since the Registry Awards were announced. I know I'm very late, but I'd like to thank NGC for the Best Presented Set Award and the five Photo Proofs that come with it. (I've already selected ten candidates that I now n
coin928

coin928

0

Minted in the U.S.A.

Another unexpected acquisition. In April of this year I wrote a journal entry about bidding on a coin, fully expecting to lose, only to be pleasantly surprised at the end to find myself the high bidder. This acquisition is the result of another such auction. Certified El Salvadoran C.A.M. Pesos are almost always available on eBay as a "Buy It Now." These are generally offered well above FMV, so when a true auction comes along, it's time to step up. When this one appeared, I registered a bid
coin928

coin928

0
0