It just does not get any better than this!

What an incredible coin-collecting weekend! NGC and Collector?s Society are the best. I sent three submissions to NGC for grading. They posted on the web site as received on Feb 16. I made one world submission and two US submissions. The world submission posted finalized/shipped Feb 20 and the US submissions posted finalized/shipped today. The turnaround time at NGC is incredible!

To top that off, I am delighted with the grades my coins received. My world submission consisted of 4 proof coins and 4 MS coins. All the proof coins graded PF-69, two of them being gold coins from Canada! The MS coins returned three 67?s and a 68. Of the eight combined coins on the US submissions, two returned as PF-70 and one returned a grade of MS-70! The two proofs were a 2008-w Van Buren?s Liberty and a 1999-p SBA dollar. The MS-70 was a 2008-s 50-cent Bald Eagle commemorative. I could not wait to enter these coins into my registry and signature sets. Only a fellow coin collector understands that kind of excitement.

If that was not enough, I received my plaque for the 2008 ?Most Creative Signature Set, Inspirational Ladies? on Saturday. The plaque now proudly hangs in my living room. I still find it hard to believe that I won this award because my peers are the best collectors in the world! This also serves to humble me in that my registry and signature sets were considered for awards, being among some of the finest sets in the world. Winning this award encourages me to keep building and improving my sets. My dilemma now is which five coins from my winning Signature Set to send for photo proofing.

The only blight in an otherwise perfect weekend is my UHR double eagle order. People have already received and had their coins graded. My order, just 7 minutes after they went on sale is still not here. The last I heard is that it expected to ship Feb 22. I do not know what is wrong with the mint?s website, but the feature that tracks orders is not working. I called the mint and they verified my order, but gave me the pat answer of possibly 6-9 months for them to complete the order. I get this sinking feeling that something is wrong and see my ?early releases? designation in jeopardy. I still have a little time though and now hope for the elusive MS-70 grade. I have a hard time believing in the mint?s policy of first in, first out. The next time I get one of them pop up surveys from the mint, they will get an ear full.

All told, it does not get much better than this! I am posting a photo of my four world proof coins from my submission. They will make a fine addition to my ?Inspirational Ladies? signature set. Isn?t coin collecting the best hobby there is?