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Greetings from a Newbie

Hi, I’m new here and I want to introduce myself. I’m a shameless newbie in the hobby, although I’m in my 40s. The story goes like this. My dad, who is quite old, gave me a small hoard of gold coins he accumulated over the years. They are in a candy tin. I had read something about the grading and slabbing business, so I decided to have the (few) American coins graded and slabbed before putting them into the safe deposit box at the bank. That led me to investigating NGC and PCGS, and then here, where I’ve been lurking for a few weeks. In a process that I’m sure is familiar to you folks, I fell in love with the $3 gold pieces in the hoard, and now all I want to do is to figure out how to get more of them. I joined the PCGS club to get the “free” submissions, and I’m on my way.
ReefGeek

Comments

  • Awesome! Love the icon too, image Welcome to the forums! image Do you have pictures of the gold?
    -George
    42/92
  • I'm going to take some pictures this weekend, at least of the $3s and the St Gaudenses. They aren't perfect, but they're pretty good. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much. At least by investigating first I avoided cleaning them, which I was quite ready to do.
    ReefGeek
  • welcome to the boards. Have fun and stay long image
    -Aaron
  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    Welcome to the boards, ReefGeek!

    Good for you that you did a little research first before messing with your coins. I'll bet it was a big relief to learn you shouldn't clean them, when you had been prepared to do it.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • LucyBopLucyBop Posts: 14,001 ✭✭✭
    Be Bop A Lula!!!
    imageBe Bop A Lula!!
    "Senorita HepKitty"
    "I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
  • XpipedreamRXpipedreamR Posts: 8,059 ✭✭
    Hey Geek!


    image







    You may want to try to post some pics or mention the dates you want to get slabbed. It may not be worth the $$$ to get them slabbed, unless you just want it because you want itimage
  • bearcavebearcave Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image
    Ken
  • Welcome, Geek!!!

    image

    Enjoy!!!
    image
    You're now official, Bubba 4/24/04
  • You want a list of what's in my candy tin? I didn't want to run off at the mouth, but I can post it if you want.
    I'm pretty sure that the $3s and Saints will grade AU, at least I hope. The rest ranges from perfect to kind of worn out.
    ReefGeek
  • ms71ms71 Posts: 1,537 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Welcome! It's a great idea to have the gold slabbed by a top-tier service, primarily to assure that they're genuine (especially true with $3s). Hope you enjoy the forum, there are quite a few of us here who specialize in US gold.
    Successful BST transactions: EagleEye, Christos, Proofmorgan,
    Coinlearner, Ahrensdad, Nolawyer, RG, coinlieutenant, Yorkshireman, lordmarcovan, Soldi, masscrew, JimTyler, Relaxn, jclovescoins

    Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't an optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.

    My mind reader refuses to charge me....
  • Here's what I've got:
    $3 1855
    $3 1854
    $20 St Gaudens 1910s with motto
    $20 St Gaudens 1911 with motto
    1892 British Sovereign (a worn coin in a holder marked RARE COIN!, so I'm pretty sure it's worth scrap value)
    1907 Sovereign
    1925 Sovereign
    Mexican 50 Pesos 1947, a nice coin but huge!
    Nicaragua 1967 50 Cordobas "Ruben Cordoba", looks proof
    Swiss 20fr 1922, bust of Helvetia
    Cayman Is. 1972 $25, weighs 12g
    Chile 1916 viente pesos, weighs 10g
    Uraguay "7.0g Oro"
    Croatia, 1969, 986 Hoek? Can't read my own handwriting
    There's also a stack of dime sized coins with Arabic writing on them, they look modern. No idea.
    And there's a 1896 Morgan in a little plastic box, very well preserved.

    ReefGeek
  • Welcome, rather new at the site myself. Alot of good people here, and tons of advice! Stick around, you'll beome addicted, and your safe deposit box will grow!
    certifiedsilverdollar.com
    A site dedicated to the sale of rare and high MS grade Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars. All coins are graded by ICG, PCGS, NGC, or Anacs, and are priced well below PCGS values.
  • Hey there! Welcom from another noob.

    Can't wait to see the pics of the coins when you get them.image
  • I was at the same place as you a couple months ago.I joined the Gold club, sent in my first submission, and did very well. Posting pictures here will help you decide what to send in first.
    Welcome to the boards.
    John
    Check out my coin site
    myurl
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,529 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wow- sounds like a reeeeallly sweet candy tin! image

    You might be a newbie, but dem ain't no newbie-level coins! image

    Heck, I've been in the hobby for 28 years, and have only owned one $3 gold piece- and that's on my "Holey Gold Hat". It would frighten small children, and will give many a numismatist nightmares! image

    imageimage

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • WWWWWW Posts: 2,609 ✭✭✭
    Welcome aboard ReefGeek. Interesting moniker. Do you like saltwater aquariums or is it the other thing?
  • Welcome to the boards ReefGeek,

    Have a blast bro.

    Dave
    Dave
    In Laurel
    MD

    Just a fist full of Dollars
  • Welcome to our (full) band of merry colloctors!
  • FragmentumFragmentum Posts: 174 ✭✭
    Welcome from another 'sorta' newbie!image
    Collecting ASE's, Disney Dollars, high end for type set and other shiny objects with crayola colors...
  • mgoodm3mgoodm3 Posts: 17,497 ✭✭✭
    Sounds like a nice stash. Welcome.
    coinimaging.com/my photography articles Check out the new macro lens testing section


  • << <i>Welcome aboard ReefGeek. Interesting moniker. Do you like saltwater aquariums or is it the other thing? >>



    Well, I do have a room with a lot of high-wattage metal halide lights, to help stuff grow.

    It's coral. image

    I have 90 gallon and 58 gallon reef tanks. I've had reefs for about 5 years, and other saltwater tanks going way back. It's a great hobby, but after 5 years it's starting to feel more like a chore. A series of pests have infested my reefs, and they cannot be eliminated without starting over. That has sapped a lot of my enjoyment. image

    We have our own local clubs and our own on-line communities. Over time, trends come and go. Political and religious debates erupt over different methods of reefing. Experts rise and are discredited. An endless stream of new people come and ask the same beginner questions over and over. I guess all hobbies have that in common.

    It's great to be discovering something new right here!
    ReefGeek
  • labloverlablover Posts: 3,632 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Welcome, enjoy the flight.
    "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Will Rogers
  • prooflikeprooflike Posts: 3,879 ✭✭
    Welcome & congrats on pursuing this hobby further!

    image
  • chiefbobchiefbob Posts: 1,077 ✭✭✭
    Welcome, ReefGeek and all the other newbs that posted! This is the first I've heard of coral growing.

    There's a hobby for everything out there. image

    Bob



    In Memory of BigIndie (Big Mike) 1974-2004
    Retired Air Force 1965-2000
    Vietnam Vet 1968-1969
  • LAWMANLAWMAN Posts: 1,274 ✭✭
    New blood is always welcome here. Lurkers, come out, come out, wherever you are!
    DSW
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,631 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Welcome aboard.

    Most of us are very familiar with the process that got you hooked. It starts
    by noticing little differences on coins and before long you want to have one
    of everything. It's a wonderful sickness.image
    Tempus fugit.
  • JohnZJohnZ Posts: 1,732
    Welcome from another marine aquarium enthusiast.

    I have a 100 gallon tank, although I've resisted collecting coral. Too fussy for me.

    We ARE watching you.

    image
  • ibzman350ibzman350 Posts: 5,315



    image
    Remember it's not how you pick your nose that matters, it's where you put the boogers.
    imageimageimage
  • I put a photo of my best $3 in a separate post.
    Bizarre little postscript: I took all the coins out of the candy tin to photograph them today. In the bottom was a note my dad wrote to himself. His idea (like, 20-30 years ago) was to have all the coins cast into a decorative acrylic bowl. He never got around to it. Casting nice coins in plexiglas is probably a no-no, right?
    ReefGeek
  • Welcome RG. I know you'll enjoy the forum.image
    Constellatio Collector sevenoften@hotmail.com
    ---------------------------------
    "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!"
    "If it don't make $"
    "It don't make cents""
  • Ciao, and welcome to CU! image
    J.Kriek
    Morgan Dollar Aficionado & Vammer
    Current Set: Morgan Hit List 40 VAM Set
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,625 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Reefer-

    Yah, plexiglass is not known as a good way to preserve coins image

    Best of luck with your submissions & congrats on finding your way to a pretty good source of info (namely the collective knowledge of the boards here).

    I have to caution you on the $3 coins, there are just scads of these that are counterfeit. Hopefully you will not be a victim.
  • razorface1027razorface1027 Posts: 4,242 ✭✭
    Hey Reef...Yo AYE..Welcome!image
    What is money, in reality, but dirty pieces of paper and metal upon which privilege is stamped?


  • << <i>
    I have to caution you on the $3 coins, there are just scads of these that are counterfeit. Hopefully you will not be a victim. >>



    Well, I hope not. My dad showed them to me when I was kid, so if they're counterfeit they're OLD counterfeit. I'm sending them in to be slabbed, then I'll know for sure.
    ReefGeek
  • If any of them look like they have been cleaned or damaged, send them in to ANACS for net-grading.


  • Welcome ReefGeek!!
    Analog Rules! Knobs and Switches are cool!
    imageimage
  • FatManFatMan Posts: 8,977
    Here's a Big Fat Welcome to Ya!image
  • Welcome to the boards image.
    image

    image
  • MadMartyMadMarty Posts: 16,697 ✭✭✭
    Welcome to the zoo, hang on tight the ride get rough here once in a while!
    It is not exactly cheating, I prefer to consider it creative problem solving!!!

  • FC57CoinsFC57Coins Posts: 9,140
    Welcome to the forums Reef image
  • mdwoodsmdwoods Posts: 5,546 ✭✭✭
    Welcome to the boards Reefer!! image
    National Register Of Big Trees

    We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
  • richbeatrichbeat Posts: 2,288
    Welcome aboard! image
  • image
    JoeCool
    image
  • image
    coconut
    image

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