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Wow, twenty years.

I joined here shortly after finding a small cache (hence my moniker) of U.S. coins that my parents had left behind. Not knowing a thing about coins, I searched online and found this site where I began pestering the U.S. coin forum about everything a newbie can ask about. It didn’t take long to learn that the cache was of little value but it piqued my interest in further investigations of coins and potential collecting. There was an additional small inheritance to split among my siblings and I. My brother took a family vacation to the Islands, my sister, a newer car. Their experiences are mere memories now. Me? I invested mine in coins and medals and continue to do so, although I was ready to throw in the towel in the first year or two.

The parents had a couple dozen Morgan dollars stashed away so I started collecting Morgan’s, a newbie practice I now understand. Thankfully this didn’t go on for long however. It was amazing to me how quickly prices multiplied with grade. Dealers were sending me slabbed MS-66’s to me ‘on approval’ hoping I would bite but while I bought lesser grades, I quickly learned how prevalent Morgan’s were on the marketplace, especially on EBAY where, when I looked, there were 16K listings!!! While I loved the large size and heft of this silver coin, I said ‘no’ to further investments and sold what I had acquired.

I began sniffing around the World Coins Forum shortly thereafter. My archaeological background allowed me to experience a far closer kindred spirit among the collectors here. History is ‘where it’s at’ in my book.

Because I liked large silver coins, I became attracted to British crowns and BoE dollars. As some of you might remember, I once had a grading set (MS64,65, and 66) of Gothic Crowns at one point. Man, that 66 was a beauty and while I still miss owning it, I was able to parley its sale into an eventual six figure windfall.

I moved on to German Cityview Talers after the British foray and did okay with those too but there just seemed to be something still lacking. I needed more history, a story, something I could ‘dig’ into more as I had done in my profession.

I was then exposed to Goetz material and it’s been a don’t look back scenario ever since. I will spare everyone the Goetz story as it’s been spread across the forum for many years and while most of the threads have been lost through time you and find info elsewhere. I also have a WWI Ludwig Gies collection of great rarity that I have built.

If interested, I believe the most read Goetz thread I ever posted was probably related to my acquiring Karl Goetz’ personal coin/medal cabinet directly from the Goetz family and subsequent posts showing its travels and arrival to here in Oregon and, the discovery of a hidden cache behind one of the bottom drawers.

I don’t post here much anymore as my remaining time is mostly dedicated to getting a new Goetz catalog published. Collector interests have changed here over the years anyway and while I miss the historical discussions, I can live with the change. It is what it is.

I do, without exception, still check this board every night and will continue to do so until I can’t any longer.

Comments

  • BSmithBSmith Posts: 138 ✭✭✭

    I remember the Gothic Crowns and Cityview Talers.

  • JohnnyCacheJohnnyCache Posts: 1,664 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That was a really wonderful story and you told it well, thank you.

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,528 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It has been wonderful to follow the evolution of your numismatic journey over the years! Here's to 20 more!

  • Bob13Bob13 Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for the post - this line caught my eye:
    "was able to parley its sale into an eventual six figure windfall"

    Well done! I have to look for your Goetz cabinet thread. @WildIdea has been into his medals lately.

    My current "Box of 20"

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 23, 2022 4:23PM

    Congrats on the double decades. And I thought the Goetz estate/cabinet thread was one of the most interesting I've seen in my 20 years on the forum :)

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • PillarDollarCollectorPillarDollarCollector Posts: 4,662 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Great story thanks for sharing!!

    Collecting interests: Mexico & Peru early milled 1 reales + 1796-1891 US dimes

    Sports: NHL & NFL

    Thank you Lord for another beautiful day!!!

  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 22,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Congrats... You have posted some excellent images over the years. I always look forward to your posts

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • neildrobertsonneildrobertson Posts: 1,179 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think Goetz is a wonderful area to specialize in. I've particularly enjoyed reading your posts even though I don't have a lot to contribute myself on the subject. Have you started branching out to other medalists, or maybe his contemporaries?

    IG: DeCourcyCoinsEbay: neilrobertson
    "Numismatic categorizations, if left unconstrained, will increase spontaneously over time." -me

  • bigmarty58bigmarty58 Posts: 1,998 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Love to read about and see your German treasures, congratulations on your 20 years here, you are a gem!

    Enthusiastic collector of British pre-decimal and Canadian decimal circulation coins.
  • WildIdeaWildIdea Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Congratulations @cacheman! 20 years invested. It’s what you’ve done with the time that counts! It’s obvious you have not let a moment go to waste in your research and collecting. Here is to many more!

    Meeting you here on the forum several years ago opened my mind and then some doors. Flipping the switch to medals has become one of the best things to happen to me in collecting. You have become one of my leading influences in upleveling my topics of interest and collecting strategies. Simply put, I treasure our conversations and dealings more than the material itself.

    I’ll never forget my first Goetz medal purchase from you with a hand written “welcome to the club” note on the receipt. The bite was strong. Soon to follow was a BAM the Medal publication out of know where with the nudge “there is a vibrant contemporary medals making scene…” which has lead to me casting my own material. These events have almost certainly changed the coarse of my life for the better, if at a minimum, simply made it more enjoyable and interesting as life goes on.

    Thank for meeting me where I was at and investing in me,
    WildIdea

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,624 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for laying out your journey. Where can I read about the coin cabinet secret compartment? Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,528 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Namvet69 said:
    Thanks for laying out your journey. Where can I read about the coin cabinet secret compartment? Peace Roy

    Unfortunately all photo links are now broken. Perhaps @cacheman still has them around?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/7709286#Comment_7709286

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,624 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I used the above link to appreciate the palpable excitement of the cabinet, even though the pics are not there. Fun. Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,307 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It's good to see you're still around.

    I'm coming up on 20 years as well.

    Tempus fugit.
  • Becky7474Becky7474 Posts: 103 ✭✭✭

    I always loved your posts.

  • carabonnaircarabonnair Posts: 1,387 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for your posts. I am a big fan of Gies. It would be great if the images were still available for the archives.

  • SYRACUSIANSYRACUSIAN Posts: 6,445 ✭✭✭✭

    This was a great post Scott. And a great journey for sure.

    While I were never interested in Goetz material from a collecting point of view, it was a fun experience to discover little by little, medal after medal, Goetz’ own perception of the War to end all Wars, his country’s choices at the time , that he commented on like a cartoonist ,and his gradual disgust from it all.

    It was a unique set of posts and your own personal knowledge on it was obviously getting more and more complete, trying to pass at times a certain minimum to us. The problem with that forum is that it was not counting the views. There was a disproportionate number of viewers I believe to those who commented.

    And your own acerbic sense of humor was as unique as your collecting route. At times I wondered if you had exposed yourself too much, in such an esoteric collecting journey, that you were risking the trap of having a tough time to resell them at some point. Even if you were deciding to simply take a different route.

    But with the connection of Goetz’ grandson and the purchases that followed you have actually become the absolute authority on Goetz, his works included. An exceptional feat. Congrats. I still have two years to hit that time milestone.

    Dimitri



    myEbay



    DPOTD 3
  • I always looked forward to your Goetz medal posts, cacheman.
    Wishing you well, and all the other posters out there I've known for the past two decades.

    -Darkhorse.

    Radiant Collection: Numismatics and Exonumia of the Atomic Age.
    https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/3232

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