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Met Another Society Member and Other Updates

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Revenant

Entry posted by Revenant ·

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I met another Collector’s Society member face-to-face over lunch today. The other collector and I recently realized that we live in the same city and our offices are only about 5 miles apart from each other – Houston is big, so, in relative terms, that’s pretty close. But I put out there what (geographically and population-wise very large) city I live in and he doesn’t so I ‘m not going to name names.

The discussion and the plans to meet kicked-off when he realized that we both have Chemical Engineering degrees, and we both live and work along the Energy Corridor in Houston. It’s a rare and unique meeting when you can meet up with someone that shares some of your educational experience, is involved in different aspects of the same industry, and with whom you share a hobby and an online community.

He had brought some of his favorite coins to show me and talk about. I didn’t do so this time because I was on the fence about bringing them out “into the wild” but the more I think about it the more I think it’s mostly worrying about nothing as long as you don’t broadcast what you have. We were in a nice part of town in broad daylight so the odds of a random mugging seem low in retrospect.

This is the first time I’ve met another society member since I randomly met Pennyman about 10 years ago at a coin show with my step-father.

Continuing a couple of threads from other posts…

I decided not to go for the 2012 Koala (or a 2016 MS70 that was also ending that same day) for now. It wasn’t going for a good price (it sold for $42, lower than you can usually get them as a BIN but it still would been the most expensive of the three) but for now I’m going to try to convince myself to knuckle down and go for that French 20 Franc coin. I’ve been eyeing the French “Angels” since November (my research into the coin is finally bearing fruit and suggests that it’s not actually an angel, which was cool to learn, but more on that later).

My wife received a response back on Tuesday of last week that we will be able to return that Zimbabwe note. The process of getting the note returned was delayed slightly by her spam folder on her email account and its repeated attempts to eat / hide the shipping label they were sending us. So that went back in the mail today.

While working on that on Friday I saw that the PMG-graded 20 Billion notes they had listed on eBay, which I’ve been watching for over a year at $30 (half of what that they charged for that ungraded 20 Trillion note) went out of stock… but then I saw they had listed some 20 Billon notes graded 67EPQ… for $20! I was all over that.

I messaged my wife about and was like, “I know we haven’t gotten the money back from the other one and I know this is what you were originally aiming to get me and I know we were going to place the new order together but… you mind if I grab this while the getting is good?”

They marked down all three of the notes I was looking at getting but I’m not going to order them all right now – even though I kind of want to. I’m still a little worried that we might get store credit instead of a straight refund. I don’t want to order a bunch of stuff and then wind up with store credit on my hands. Saving those for later will let me sit down with her so she can share that part of it with me like she wanted.

I’m excited at the prospect of the other notes as well but I’m pretty darn excited to be picking up that 20 Billion note after it has sat on my watch / wish list for so long. I could just never convince myself to get it – there was always something else I wanted to put the money towards but now it’s coming, I’ll only lack the 50 Billion to have all the “Billions” notes, and I think I got a pretty darn nice deal on it.

I promise I’ll try to keep these mostly about coins though… and just sneak in the bits about collecting notes. Lol

The annual reviews and related activities at work are being held up until February, which I’m told happens a lot because the end-of-year wrap-up always seems to take longer than everyone would wish. This is consistent with what my supervisor said a year ago so it’s not too surprising and yet it’s still disappointing. So, I’m still waiting to see how things are going to go (3-5 more weeks maybe - really hoping it’s closer to three) and if I’m going to get to do more than window shop for that 1924 double eagle.

In the meantime, the window shopping is fun.

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Just Bob

"I could just never convince myself to get it – there was always something else I wanted to put the money towards ..."

I can't tell you how many times I have watched a coin or token, debating on whether or not to buy it, or waiting to see if I was going to be the high bidder on something else that I was wanting, only to see it get sold just as I was about to pull the trigger. Every time it happens, I vow never to do it again, but that doesn't seem to work.:(

Edited by Just Bob
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thisistheshow

That's pretty neat-meeting up face to face. I just joined here, but I have been on other forums for a short while. I have not yet done that. But I would like to in the future. 

I am in the DFW area. I have been to Houston a few times to go to the Brazilian embassy, but never had a chance to check out the city. 

I have been perusing the older journal entries. It seems like a great feature of this site, and one I might just have to take advantage of soon. I see that you are quite active writing. I have enjoyed your few entries I read. Looking forward to more. 

Take care. 

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Revenant
3 hours ago, thisistheshow said:

That's pretty neat-meeting up face to face. I just joined here, but I have been on other forums for a short while. I have not yet done that. But I would like to in the future. 

I am in the DFW area. I have been to Houston a few times to go to the Brazilian embassy, but never had a chance to check out the city. 

I have been perusing the older journal entries. It seems like a great feature of this site, and one I might just have to take advantage of soon. I see that you are quite active writing. I have enjoyed your few entries I read. Looking forward to more. 

Take care. 

Are you from Brazil originally then? If so, I wonder what brought you to Texas? In grad school most of our South American students were from Columbia because of a relationship that our school and our center had with some universities there. Texas is a very big place (albeit still less than 1/10th the size of Brazil), and the trip between Houston and DFW is quite a drive, but it's too short to make flying worth the effort.

The Journals have been one of my favorite aspects of the site since I joined in 2007, but I've been mostly away from the community for the last 8 or 9 years while I've gone through some changes in life. Especially as I've gotten older, I try to write only when I feel like I have something to say that others might find interesting. So thank you - it's always nice to hear that people like what I share. Hopefully you'll find you have something to share in that regard.

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Mohawk

That sounds like an interesting experience Revenant.  I've never actually met anyone from the boards in person, but I'd definitely be open to it if the opportunity arose and it was someone I liked talking to on here (there haven't been many, but there have been a couple of people on here that I didn't click with.  The funny thing is that everyone I didn't click with doesn't seem to post here any longer).  I think it would be a fun time as it's always fun to meet up with a fellow collector and talk coins....at least it is for me!  And I don't blame you for not bringing any coins either.  I may have brought some more common pieces to share, but I certainly would not bring my 1327/7 20 Para or my 1336/2 5 Kurush (2 major Ottoman rarities that I'm fortunate to own) out to a restaurant even in broad daylight.

It sounds like you've made some good decisions with what to pursue next as well.  I'm not a fan of the French Angel coin or anything that contains angels or anything else religious. Which is likely unsurprising for a guy who built a Custom Set that's basically about bird evolution and whose major collecting pursuits aside from that are coins of the Young Turk Era of the Ottoman Empire and East Germany.  However, it's not a bad decision at all to focus on your European gold.  I think many European gold pieces are great buys right now, and it's a great time to pick them up if you can swing it.  And, as you said above, it may not be an angel.  Maybe my thoughts on the coin will change once I read your upcoming journal on it!

I'm also glad to hear that your wife will be able to get her money back on that note she was overcharged for and that you were able to get the note that you needed for your collection!  It's great when things work out well in life, and I really did find it upsetting that the original seller basically took advantage of a non-collector trying to do something nice for her husband.  That didn't sit well with me at all. 

I'm looking forward to your next entry!

Cheers!

~Tom

Edited by Mohawk
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Revenant
16 minutes ago, Mohawk said:

It sounds like you've made some good decisions with what to pursue next as well.  I'm not a fan of the French Angel coin or anything that contains angels or anything else religious.

Normally, I'm not either, but that coin has really intrigued me ever since I saw it. Small spoiler: the designer was inspired by neo-classical art and was around during the French revolution. Neo-classical artists often depicted "freedom" as a winged male figure.

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thisistheshow
15 hours ago, Revenant said:

Are you from Brazil originally then? If so, I wonder what brought you to Texas? In grad school most of our South American students were from Columbia because of a relationship that our school and our center had with some universities there. Texas is a very big place (albeit still less than 1/10th the size of Brazil), and the trip between Houston and DFW is quite a drive, but it's too short to make flying worth the effort.

The Journals have been one of my favorite aspects of the site since I joined in 2007, but I've been mostly away from the community for the last 8 or 9 years while I've gone through some changes in life. Especially as I've gotten older, I try to write only when I feel like I have something to say that others might find interesting. So thank you - it's always nice to hear that people like what I share. Hopefully you'll find you have something to share in that regard.

My wife is from Brazil. I am from Massachusetts. We met while both living in New York and we moved to Texas about 15 years ago. 

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Mohawk
14 hours ago, Revenant said:

Normally, I'm not either, but that coin has really intrigued me ever since I saw it. Small spoiler: the designer was inspired by neo-classical art and was around during the French revolution. Neo-classical artists often depicted "freedom" as a winged male figure.

Now that's interesting and altogether different.  If the coin depicts an allegorical representation of freedom, then that's definitely something I can get on board with.  We should try to rename the coin the Freedom instead of the Angel and reclaim the coin's true identity.  Knowing that the French Revolution was a part of the influence for the coin further confirms the Freedom identity in my mind.......many of the French Revolutionaries didn't like religion any more than the Young Turks did. 

Edited by Mohawk
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MIKE BYRNE

I would love to meet up with just one person. I am homebound to go a a very far disability. Now I live in a city with 250,000 to 300,000 people living here. No I can't get out anyway but there is not one club I checked with the ANA. A few stores far away. So there is no shows. It's like I'm all alone. I crave human contact just to sit and have a cup of coffee and pick each other's brains on this great hobby. Maybe someday. If my Doc ever gives me the ok to fly again which I don't see happining.. I believe I will see my fellow collectors at an ANA So Now or any show. Take care thanks for sharing that. Mike

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