UPDATED ON 4/8/06 - Where We are with the SemperFi (Matt) Coins

fantasiize

PCGS Members,

First, let me apologize for posting, what I hope to be a slight bend to this forum's rules, but I wanted to get maximum exposure, for an item that got my attention on the BS&T board. This is not my thread, nor is there any personal gain for me in anyway, I just want to help out here, and coordinate this item.

Link to BS&T thread

Regardless of your stand/position, ideology, opinion, or political affiliation, with regards to the situation in Iraq, I just see this as support for real men and women, who have been supporting us, with their committment and lives PLUS the ability to also help a fellow PCGS board member.

Please let me know if anyone wants to help in any way, with this item. I plan on providing a full accounting on this item, right here on this thread, to keep everyone informed, and me honest.

Please post to this thread, on the original BS&T thread, PM me, or e-Mail me at fantasiize@hotmail.com, and I will summarize all activity on this thread, with everyone's name, and with whatever assistance they have provided (however small or large, it does not matter, it will all help).

Appreciate everyone assistance and apologies for hopefully, bending, not breaking the rules, on this forum,
Chris

fantasiize

Accounting Thread:
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Chris (fantasiize)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Robert (RYK)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Al (Grip)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Mark (Wingsrule)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - (Koindawg)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - (AU58Walkers)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul (Stooge)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - ANONYMOUS
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Carl (CarlWohlforth)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul (LastExitInNY)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Randy (Bgman)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Todd (CullenBryant)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Brian (Gandyjai)

1 PCGS Box to ship ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)

Insured shipping for the ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)


All activities/donations will be tracked here on this sub-thread, at least once per day, until all 15 ASEs are obtained.

fantasiize

Have sent a couple messages to bulk buy 15 of these, and other members may be looking to send me one (versus sending $$).

Please specify if you are sending me one or if I need to purchase one (or purchase a portion of one) for you, so I can keep the accounting accurate.

My address is:
Chris Serdenes
P.O. Box 77
Brookeville MD 20833

Thanks again for all the positive support/interest regarding this item!!!

grip

PM sent.
Al

fc

is the fact you want them slabbed holding up the process?
i am sure if you wanted raw, people would gladly send you
tubes of them?

i am afriad i do not have any. i like your idea. the kind of goodwill
that can change hearts.

fantasiize

All,

Nice results thus far (please see 2nd post in this thread, which contains all the current updates).

Need to head out now for a bit, but will follow-up some more tonight ... have 8 out of 15 committed already, with a few more pending ... more to follow ...



fc,

Actually, the process is moving VERY fast, given good generosity from members thus far.

eBay is also an option (have placed a couple bids myself on eBay, as well as looking to bulk buy a few from some dealers on this board).

fantasiize

More updates ... thank you all for quick responses/interest to help thus far ...

Dabigkahuna

LastExitInNY

I'm in.

fantasiize

Ok, we are getting close ...

Also thought of sending an extra MS69 and perhaps a PR69 for Matt (keepsake for him as well, as the lead person of the team ... the forum rewarding him too!!).

Additionally, another member had thought about asking David Hall or PCGS, some personalized inserts for all of these, so more to follow there.

Thanks again to all, more to follow ...

fantasiize

Have 13 MS69, looking for 3 more, as well as a PR69.

fantasiize

Ok, all 15 MS69s accounted for, for Matt's folks ... now let's see if we can get the MS69 and the PR69 for Matt ...

Updated accounting Thread:
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Chris (fantasiize)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Robert (RYK)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Al (Grip)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Mark (Wingsrule)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - (Koindawg)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - (AU58Walkers)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul (Stooge)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - ANONYMOUS (who by the way is a helluva person)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Carl (CarlWohlforth)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul (LastExitInNY)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Randy (Bgman)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Todd (CullenBryant)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Brian (Gandyjai)

1 PCGS Box to ship ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)

Insured shipping for the ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)

Thanks again for everyone's assistance/involvement, I am sure Matt and his folks will be touched/pleased!!!

P.S. If I forgot/omitted someone, please let me know, as all PMs, posts and e-Mails have been responded to, more to follow tomorrow night ...

cullenbryant

Matthew, thank you for the service and sacrifice you and your fellow Marines have made.

May your return be safe and soon, in Jesus name, Amen

AU58WALKERS

Wouldn't it be great if we gould get pcgs to reholkder them with a special label like MADMARTY' weenie coin.

flashbang

You might want to send these out as soon as you can, due to shipping times for military mail. I know when I was in Bosnia some of our mail took over 2 months to arrive through APO addresses. If he is already down to just over 30 days left in country, it could be a close cut already. Best of luck, its a great thing you're doing.

fantasiize

All,

I think all are accounted for, except for the PR69 ... thanks again to all, will continue to update/post here.



Au58walkers,

Yes, already reached out to see if these can be personalized, including Matt's ... more to follow there.


Flashbang,

Yes, I know ... planning on mailing them priority hoping to have them out by, or maybe right after, this upcoming weekend.

SemperFI

Everyone,
Wow! That is all I can say and THANK YOU! Especially, THANK YOU!

fantasiize,

This is awsome. No one knows about this, so it will be a surprise. What I will do is an informal ceremony and issue the coins out to everyone and take a nice group photo of the terps and team members and then a separate one of just the terps and just us. I can post the photos here in low and low res photos.

Also, I will PM you the APO AE address. Mail seems to take between 8-14 days. So it is not too bad. Some people have even rcvd mail in 5 days. So you never know.

Thanks again everyone,

Matt Wyatt

ellewood

Althought I was not able to donate a coin for this thread (if I owned one of these SAE's I would have!), I just want to say "thank you" for what you and every other American stand for over there. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your dedication. Enjoy the coins and please, take a picture so we can all see those who received one from you. This is one of the coolest threads I have seen on the boards in a LONG, LONG time!

Stay safe...

Toby

Stooge

Fantasiize,

PM sent to you!

Later, Paul.

fantasiize

Forum Members,

As per a suggestion from a few forum members, I reached out to David Hall to ask if he would print special inserts for these coins, and David graciously agreed to work with Matt (SemperFi) directly. More proof that PCGS is not just the premier coin grading company, but that it also cares about its customers/members, with streamline communication between us and the top.



David Hall,

On behalf of the forum members and Matt (SemperFi) thanks again for staying involved/engaged and leading such a nice company for all of us to enjoy!!!



Paul,

Got it and responded back.




Now for the update ... 16 MS69s accounted for, for Matt and his folks, now let's see if we can get a PR69 for Matt.

Updated accounting Thread:
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Chris (fantasiize)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Robert (RYK)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Al (Grip)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Mark (Wingsrule)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - (Koindawg)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Bill (AU58Walkers)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul Gunsallus (Stooge)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - ANONYMOUS (who by the way is a helluva person)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Carl (CarlWohlforth)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Paul (LastExitInNY)
2 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Randy (Bgman)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Todd (CullenBryant)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Brian (Gandyjai)
1 PCGS MS69 ASE donated - Rob (arlea1957)

1 PCGS Box to ship ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)

Insured shipping for the ASEs donated - Chris (fantasiize)

Thanks again for everyone's assistance/involvement, Matt responded back, bery pleased/happy with what we did, and more to follow as some of these arrive.

Finally, still need to secure (buy) some of these, so if anyone knows anyone that has any for sale, it will help minimize searching various places to get them. Please see related thread on BS&T board.

AU58WALKERS

Is matt a U.S. MARINE?

RYK

Chris,

I want to congratulate you for organizing this terrific tribute to Matt and his team.



Matt,

Godspeed and a safe return.

Best to both of you,

Robert

LastExitInNY

Greet job Chris, you made sure there was a way to help and a small way to at least say thanks. Matt of course, never enough thanks for what you guys and gals, do for this country, and other countries as well.

SemperFI

To everyone,

Thanks again! The personalized labels is the coolest thing! I sent an email out to one of the interpreters to verify the spelling of names and I have the list of my team. I should get the list back sometime tonight or by morning (my time).

AU58WALKERS,

I use the SemperFI name because I was Active Duty in the Marines from Dec 23 1992- May 17 1997 where I was an infantryman, mortarman, and military policeman for a high security installation in South East Asia and the Pacific. I loved it and keep contact with my teammates from the Marines (two of them are here in Iraq in the US Army also...one Infantry and the other is PSYOP) After the Marines, I went to school and was unable to find a decent job in the reserves that I could learn from (Marines had very few jobs in the reserves at that time). Instead, I joined the Army Reserves and found a job in a Special Operations Unit in California as a Civil Affairs Team SGT. I volunteered to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom for the March 2003 - April 2004 rotation and again volenteered to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom for the May 2005 - June 2006 rotation.

Last rotation, my team worked in the AL Anbar Province in Ramadi, Falluja, Qaim, Rutba, Hit, Al Asad, Baghdad and Sadr City (Baghdad).
This rotation, my team works in Baghdad side by side with a Tactical Psychological Operations Team along with 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Infantry Division (June 2005 - January 2006) and 4th Infantry Division (January 2006 - June 2006). Both TPT and CA teams fall under the Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, NC. You can read more about the job descriptions here http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Civil_Affairs/default.html

After completing a little more than a total of two years here, I am finally ready to go back home, drink some beer, meet some ladies, hit the beach, relax and get a nice desk job... for a bit.

-Matt

AU58WALKERS

Hang tuff MARINE...you'r doing a super job, even if you are in the ARMY now.
My thanks to you.
(from another "OLD" Marine)

fantasiize

I believe the 10-coin purchase has been secured, and I should be, hopefuly, closing on it tonight/tomorrow ($250 delivered, a pretty fair price).

I still need the PR69 (if anyone can help there or point me in the right direction).

I'll be PM'ing the individual contributors who wanted me to secure the purchase of the 10 coins on their behalf (me being one of them). If it all works well (receipt of the 10 coins AND the coins sent by the other individuals who had them on hand) by this weekend, I should have everything ready for shipping first thing Monday morning.

Thanks again to all, with more to follow later this week, as I have to be in Dallas TX on Thursday and Friday.
Chris

fantasiize

All,

Sorry for the slight "gap" in time, as I have been living out of suitcases and hotel rooms in Dallas and Boston the past week or so ... I am in the process of reaching out to the contributing Forum members first and will then share specific details of where we are (almost there) for the 16 ASEs for Matt.

Bottom line ... David Hall and PCGS should now be personalizing the coins for Matt and team ... 16 coins, 1st one being for Matt.

More to follow later this weekend, and thanks again to all contributors and all that have supported this effort,
Chris