When between sets....
tradedollarnut
Posts: 20,162 ✭✭✭✭✭
...... what do you do to keep the numismatic juices flowing?
I've pretty much completed what I set out to do: Gobrechts, Seated and Trade dollars. Sure, there's a few upgrades out there that come along once in a blue moon, but that's not often enough to satisfy me by any means. What to do in the meantime until another series strikes my fancy?
Anybody have experience in this?
I've pretty much completed what I set out to do: Gobrechts, Seated and Trade dollars. Sure, there's a few upgrades out there that come along once in a blue moon, but that's not often enough to satisfy me by any means. What to do in the meantime until another series strikes my fancy?
Anybody have experience in this?
0
Comments
Al
Yesterday I spent the day at Goldberg and Superior looking at lots..mostly ones I have no interest in buying.
I have a real passion to be as educated as possible about coins.
This keeps the juices flowing for me,
Larry
POB 854
Temecula CA 92593
310-541-7222 office
310-710-2869 cell
www.LSRarecoins.com
Larry@LSRarecoins.com
PCGS Las Vegas June 24-26
Baltimore July 14-17
Chicago August 11-15
Ken
Bruce Scher
I too am at an end of several series. No more upgrades for the Barber halves in MS and Proof, Lib nickels in MS and proof, Early quarters, Early and bust halves(almost).
So I re-started 2 projects that will make me continue to look at many coins in more than 1 series.
1. Proof set 1864, every denomination, including gold.
2. Early dollars by date only(no varieties)
Each will be tough to acquire in the grades desired, and I will need to view hundreds of coins to find the right ones. And there is an end in sight (no more 75 plus coins in a series for me).
And as I am exposed to every catalog, and look at the images protrayed, I'm sure another idea will emerge. Show me an original and highly lusterous classic, and it may be the first of a series I had overlooked.
All I can say for sure is that the search will continue for original examples of rare(by mintage and pop) coins. They are in my blood.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Besides, I am in a rotten mood as I submitted my entire $10 set and only got a couple of small upgrades.
My $10 Indian Gold Registry Set
$20 Saint Gaudens Registry Set
Bruce Scher
Focused, detailed, studying !!!
Especially when the sets are The Anderson, Electra, or Banks Pedigree.
But, I've also kind of taken a shine to these things and have been filling time looking for nice examples:
Russ, NCNE
Your a collector at heart - buy another business! You would fit right in over here in the liberal part of the state....
Oh come on! You ran out of ideas?
Here are some ideas:
(1) make sure you own every book published on Gobrechts, Seated and Trade dollars.
(2) make sure you own every Red Book published since 1947 (they are price guides on those dollars so it is an extension to your set).
(3)Did you ever locate the GSA packaged Trade silver dollars?? They do exist!!
(4)Pattern silver dollars to complete your sets of the same time era.
(5)Canadian silver dollars issued before WWII.
(6)Buy the entire Cardinal Collection of silver dollars == but that would not solve your problem since that would be another almost complete set.
(7)Be smart and hang onto your money and save it.
Hang out with Laura if your so bored.I'm surew she'll find something for you to do
Stewart
myCCset
I wouldn't want to take away from your quality time together.
Great coin, and good deals in 65-66 FB.
Thank you, Trade Dollar Nut, that's exactly where I am now.
The sets I've actively collected, including my favorite, the US Philippines, are all at a point where hole-fills and up-grades are few and far between. But I've collected enough of these series that even the occasional one-here, one there up-grades are keeping me reasonably busy.
So I've been rolling around just this issue in my mind ... should I just cool it for a year; pick up a dozen upgrades (I figure one a month), and goose up my existing collections a bit
... Or should I do what Mr. Scher suggests, which is exactly what I've done in the past, when I've been in the "between" situation: "Learn a new series and start at it again"?
I'm not sure and am thinking about a whole bunch of things, including thoughts of mortality, which are inevitable when you see family and friends beginning to pass away
... And then a really, really close associate/friend recently married a beautiful, young Thai woman and retired happily to a home in Hua Hin, a small town in Thailand with a spectacular beach. There he enjoys his wife, new daughter, three motorcycles, labrador, mynah (sp?) bird, and the beach, in about that order. That's not a bad existence, is it?
I don't see myself retiring like he did, but do I want to keep working as hard as I've been working? Ten hours a day, six or seven days a week? Because that's the only way I can afford even the upgrades, to say nothing of starting a new series. What would semi-retirement be like? Say if I worked three weeks at a whack and then vacationed for three?
Meanwhile, I've been sorting through possible new series to collect ...
-- Barber dime proofs? Maybe.
-- Buffalo Nickels -- I love 'em but they're too expensive. No
-- Ditto for the Mercury Dimes.
-- What about Half Dimes? I have good collections of the Shield Nickels, Liberty Heads, and Jefferson Full-Steppers; wouldn't half dimes go just great with that?
-- Or a favorite dealer recently suggested the Bust halves, another interesting series.
I'd love to do something with the Thai coinage, but I'd have to learn to read and write Thai to do it right and if you ever saw their alphabet written out, in strange calligraphy, with I think it's 44 vowels and 12 consonants, you'd be discouraged too.
Anyway, I've been mulling all this over and I still haven't decided. Mr. Wondercoin will be visiting soon and I hope to discuss this with him. Ditto for Warren Mills who isn't on these message boards but who is a wise and wonderful dealer anyway.
Warm regards,
Just Having Fun
JHF, the retiring to a beach in Thailand sounds appealing.....It really does!!!!
Bruce, unfortunately I had to BUY the Rolled Edge in MS67, I didn't make it!
Hanging out with Laura idea? Like I said, this is a great thread with great collectors and successful individual......
My $10 Indian Gold Registry Set
$20 Saint Gaudens Registry Set
<< <i>"When between sets ...."
-- What about Half Dimes? I have good collections of the Shield Nickels, Liberty Heads, and Jefferson Full-Steppers; wouldn't half dimes go just great with that?
>>
Cool Idea, have the complete run, it has always been my dream.
I use to not like type sets until I started one. It is really cool to have a beautiful example of each type.
Unfortunately the top Half Dimes are with one,two or three players with very strong collections.Check out the NGC set registry.
Perhaps you could assemble a set of Red Copper from 1793 to date ?
Stay away from Proof Barber dimes because Velveeta buys all the Best ones at any price.
Have you ever considered Colonial Coins ?
Perhaps a set of dimes or quarters 1796 to date ?
I am considering collecting Beanie Babies or Swatch watches.They have not as yet been slabbed.
TradeDollarNut - Perhaps you and I could assemble a set together.We could certainly confuse alot of people.
Stewart
<< <i>
I am considering collecting Beanie Babies or Swatch watches.They have not as yet been slabbed.
>>
The top beenie babies are tightly held by the top trailer park mogul. Tight, tight hands, I would advise against collecting them.
The Ludlow Brilliant Collection (1938-64)
One cool project would be to do a Harry X. Boosel collection of all the issues of 1873 - a MOST fascinating year (closed 3's and open 3's, arrow, no arrows, large & small arrows, some great rarities, some cool patterns). In all, a complete 1873 set would be well over 100 coins. A copy of Boosel's book is essential.
How about proof only issues, or all coins with business strike mintages of less than 1000, or all coins with fewer than 50 examples known or graded. How about a colonial type set? I decided to do colorfully toned Morgan dollars ... which becomes extremely challenging once you get past the common dates. I loathe the endless parade of "blast white" Morgans. Most people think dealers only like to buy what they can sell. The truth is, dealers only only to sell what they can buy !!! There's no use pushing a collector into a series or type if there is no supply available. That's why most dealers prefer white Morgans. But take a look at a few monster-toned coins with natural vivid rainbow bag toning, and you'll be hooked.
Another project I did was shield nickels by Cherrypicker variety. Wow, those have the coolest doubled and tripled dies, repunched dates, etc. Everyone in the Mint was either incompetent or on drugs back then. Well, OK, the new alloy was tough to strike, and metallurgy had not advanced to where it was 20 years later.
The point is, you're a FREE MAN !!! You can collect ANYTHING !!!! I hope you're loving your freedom !!!
Best,
Sunnywood
Sunnywood's Rainbow-Toned Morgans (Retired)
Sunnywood's Barber Quarters (Retired)
I think another area of seated material might be worthy. How about something I could never do but with your resources and contacts:
choice/gem "O" mint quarter set 1840 to 1891-0. My favorite set.
And actually a great sleeper set. Gets 2nd banana to all the other
mints of that era. If I had the money and means this would be
the first one I would go after.
choice gem "S" mint quarter set 1855 to 1873. Or break it down to no motto or with motto. The WM set is completeable in gem.
I don't know of anyone who has put together a majority of these coins. CC's have been done or close to it. But there are too many well reconginzed rarities here. I love sleepers.
roadrunner
No trade dollar set is EVER complete without this slab. This will hopefully keep you grounded and consider some of my lower cost suggestions.
I am considering collecting Beanie Babies or Swatch watches.They have not as yet been slabbed.
>>
Maybe Cabbage Bitc* Dolls?
Since I am limited by available funding I don't have the problem of what to do between sets or between acquisitions within a set. I daydream to keep the juices flowing.
How about writing a book on Trade and/or Seated Dollars for the ANR Pedigree series? That should keep you quite busy for a while.
The book idea is the best answer. With image plates, and history /provenance, the results would be fantastic, not to mention a feather in his cap.
I'm trying to get the Barber half collectors together on a new book on the best MS barbers, with population and provenance. Same with the Lib Nickels in MS. With several complete sets intact, the time is right, and will pass as soon as a few sets get broken up.
So, TDN and JHF, get your Microsoft Word skills up to date, and get going.
No way. Then, he would have to collect Morgans.
It's time more people started collecting attractive naturally toned examples of Morgans, just as they do in other series. Who would want all their seated Liberty coinage to be "blast white" ??
Sunnywood's Rainbow-Toned Morgans (Retired)
Sunnywood's Barber Quarters (Retired)
"The complete run has always been my dream"
Hi Clackamas: The half dimes is a long, tough series. My guess is that I could spend the next 10 years on it, and probably never finish it. And that's when I would have to start the Buffalo Nickels? No, I don't think I'll ever have a complete date run of the five centers. Which is sad, because that would be really neato.
If only my son were interested coins, then it would be do-able. But alas, he has more pressing things on his mind -- like making money, not spending it.
"Unfortunately the top Half Dimes are with one,two or three players with very strong collections
Thank you Stewart Blay for the warning. I'll take that into account as a factor, but not a determinative one; instead one of many. When I go after a series, I'm patient -- and my experience is that the great coins do eventually come on the market.
Red coppers are tough for me because of the hot, muggy climate here in Bangkok. They would turn.
The Colonials -- especially the Colonial paper -- are interesting because they trace a series of renounced, repudiated currencies from the early dates of the united States. Most of the paper currencies were mortally wounded by runaway inflations, like Germany after World War I.
Indeed, the grim winter we all read about in Valley Forge was actually a rather mild winter. But the Continential Dollar was hideously inflated and almost nobody was willing to accept it as payment for food or clothing. Whence, the frostbite and deaths that were unfortunately so common during that winter. By the way, that's where the expression "Not worth a Continental" comes from. But I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know.
Hello RGL ! That is one gorgeous Jefferson nickel you have there! Gosh. Wow. That tempts me to start collecting Jefferson Proofs to go along with the full-steppers
Dear SunnyWood Your idea to collect Cherry-Picker's varieties is a great one. I'm actually doing something different but along those lines -- I'm trying to nail down a date run of Liberty Nickels on penny and dime planchets. You can't believe what a thrill it is to find a 1950-D nickel, full-steps RED!
Nitey nite guys. I'm pooped and Memorial Day weekend or not, I still gotta head in to the office first thing in the a.m.
Enjoy
Just Having Fun
I think the idea of writing a book (preferably available in electronic form) is the best idea. You have some collections for the ages and that would be a great way to preserve them and some of the knowledge you have acquired during your "hunt". With high quality digital images of course
As for my "between" set activities, I think date sets (circulation or proof strikes) are a great way to go. Choose a year that has signficance to you - I have chosen my parents' birth years, but any year of interest to you is a good choice. It's a small number of coins so you can be very picky about which ones you acquire. The set can introduce you to new series or two to study and evaluate. If you find something that interests you, then go with it. If not, you still have a "set" that is of significance to you. Choose another year. Either way you win
Coolkarma
MS Buffalo
MS 1951
What may be doable for TDN is to do an e-book in small sections/chapters. Once he has enough "heft" to his e-book, he can compile it into something suitable for publication.
EVP
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
Sounds like you might be the appropriate co-author.
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Yes, they have...
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