This Is One Intelligent Group Overall; Who Are We?
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When we are not pontificating or arguing about coins, what are we doing, or what were we doing? What are we all trained in? It might be nice to network a bit? 
I'll start. I have mentioned before that I was trained as a corporate attorney. I spent roughly 10+ years representing trade creditors in (complex) Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and large collection matters. I am assisting a large company right now with issues involving K-Mart. However, I have personally grown tired of chasing "deadbeat debtors" around fighting for them to pay their debts.
What does everyone else do when they are not devoting time to their hobby, or what did others do before becoming coin dealers? Don't be shy
Wondercoin.
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I'll start. I have mentioned before that I was trained as a corporate attorney. I spent roughly 10+ years representing trade creditors in (complex) Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and large collection matters. I am assisting a large company right now with issues involving K-Mart. However, I have personally grown tired of chasing "deadbeat debtors" around fighting for them to pay their debts.
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What does everyone else do when they are not devoting time to their hobby, or what did others do before becoming coin dealers? Don't be shy
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Please visit my website at www.wondercoins.com and my ebay auctions under my user name www.wondercoin.com.
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EMAIL:
relictrader@suddenlink.net
Ray
Most of my background is in the area of finance (MBA - Univ. of Chicago) and I'm also a licensed attorney (don't practice JD - William Mitchell College of Law). I got a BA in American History at Carleton College (and I enjoy the History of the business and legal aspects of Major League Baseball).
In the 80's and 90's, I was heavily involved in baseball cards and sports memorabilia as a dealer and show promoter.
I collect for te fun of it, but at some point I'll sell everything. Would love to make a profit, just don't want to take a loss. I find that the chase is more fun than having items you have to keep under lock and key outside your home.
I'd love to hear from anyone with similar connections!
I love collecting coins and keeping them. I couldn't bear to part with them. My husband collected as a child and he helps me with the hobby now. I am even working on a Walking Liberty and Washington quarter collection for him! I don't get as much time to spend on the hobby as I would like because the business hours are too long, but it does enable me to pay for my purchases!
Susan
-Gratuate of BYU (1981) and was in Radio (on air and management) from 1980 to 1990. Worked at stations all the way from Salt Lake City to Boston, Mass. to my current home, outside of San Diego. Switched (180 degrees!) into Law Enforcment and have been a Deputy Sheriff out of San Diego county since then. Current assignment places me in Encinitas in the Traffic division- accident investigations.
(Our new Patrol cars have MDT's- computers that can access the internet).
peacockcoins
www.AlanBestBuys.com
www.VegasBestBuys.com
Edited to add that I am happily divorced with two children.. an adopted son, aged 25 and a daughter, aged 21. My other hobbies include collecting Coca-Cola paraphernalia, scuba diving, and personal finance.
My wife and I own a business providing information systems to retail pharmacies. We have developed a proprietary software system that performs all of the record-keeping, insurance-processing, label-printing, cash register operation and a hundred other things that pharmacies need to handle with a computer system.
Ken Claypool
SOLID Datasystems, Inc.
Presently, I have two sets in the PCGS registry. They are a 96% completed Kennedy Proof set (PR69DCAM) and a completed Ike Proof set. I was working on a 20th Century Type set (complete) and a Type Gold set (85% complete). Oh, and I almost forgot, I am putting together an MS66/67 Pre-1964, Roosevelt Silver-dime set (50% complete) in my spare time. Plus, I have a MS64 Peace Dollar set (complete) .
I graduated from the University of Chicago with an MBA in 1981. Have worked in the finance/investments area since then. I currently work for an institutional equity money management company in Anchorage, Alaska. I know that Alaska is an unusual place to practice money management. Our company founder was born in Alaska, and loves the place. He decided that with modern communications, Alaska is as good a place as any for money management. We currently manage about $4 billion in equities, mostly for corporate and state pension plans. I run what we call a market neutral product. In market neutral you buy and short sell an equal dollar amount of equities on both sides. We make money when our buys do better than our shorts, without being exposed to the market's direction. For example, in a down market, we will make money if our shorts fall faster than our longs. I also work on our long only accounts for our two major Alaska state government clients.
My collecting interests are varied and include mint state IKEs, proof Franklins, mint state and proof Walkers, proof Mercury dimes, mint state liberty nickels, modern proof type, and basic classic type.
Besides coins my other passions are flying (licensed private pilot with an instrument rating) and martial arts training. Unfortunately the events of September 11th has led to my involvement as a self-defense instructor with a start-up company that was set up to train airline flight crews and corporate personnel in anti-terrorist tactics. I love doing it I just hate the fact that there is a necessity to do it.
I too was in the military(USMC 1972-1976).
My love of the hobby since 1980 is why I'm here with the rest of you.
Registry 1909-1958 Proof Lincolns
I'm an Air Force officer and Comm-Computers-Information is my specialty area. Graduated with a BS Computer & Systems Eng, Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in 1986, and MCIS, University of Denver in 1991. In my work I've written software for a satellite ground station, managed the acquistion and maintenance of another satellite ground station, worked shift in a Joint Staff command center, overseen network operations & software development projects, and done a staff tour managing Air Force training for Comm-Electronics, Comm-Computer, and information management troops.
I've been stationed in CO, FL, VA, TX, and soon I'll be moving on to Squadron Command in MS.
Editted to add...
I have a wife & three kids, ages 10, 7, 1. The 7 year old is a cancer survivor. He has survived 4 years and 2 months after being given a less than 10-30% chance of 5-year survival, and is doing well. He had over 20 each platelet and red blood cell transfusions during his treatment, thus my blood donor advocacy.
I do about 30+ coin shows a year.
God Bless the USA
09/07/2006
Mark
Then ('81) I started computerized ticket distribution in the NW.
At the same time I started renting single family residenses to students.
I started ('83) the first independent cellular telephone sales business here, now tops in the great NW.
I now dabble in NASCAR, (RaceDayAd.com) providing a means for potential corporate sponsors to contact and contract owners/drivers.
But mainly, real estate and other investments fill in my time.
I have a 15 year old boy and a two year old girl.
Oh, and the other 23 hours a day I am (happily) here with you guys.
PS. I tend to forget the fun stuff, like mail order rag sales, and my time as a music and comedy entertainment promoter. Someday I'll tell you the one about Gallagher. What a trip.
Dragon
Communication Specialist/Technician, presently working as a site engineer
at a data center here in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three kids, one gone, one
keeps coming back, and the young one can't wait to go. I like PCGS
coins and Budweiser beer.
REDHORSE
kmoore@datasuites.com
Collector of Mint State Modern Commemorative Halves and Dollars
_____________________________________
Born in Cleveland Ohio area. Served in USAF 1976-2003.
Like Don (merz2) I am also a Commercial Driver but I do have my degree in business administration but couldn't stand the white collar politics. I started collecting as soon as I had my first job (a paper route) and havn't stopped since, my wife says I should "Start selling to support my habit" Anyone with input here would be appreciated
Later,
Ed
Looking for Low Grade PCGS Half Dimes.
Edited to add: I enjoy Barbeque and compete in and assist in planning about 15 contests per year around the Midwest.
Ritchie
Dave
____________________________
Steve: Which Gallagher brother?
peacockcoins
I am a Sagitarious. I like quiet evenings and walks by the beach. My favorite band is ABBA.
I did most of my under graduate work in a little community college in the High Sierras called Columbia. I still have my gold minning claim there. I finished my BA at the Univerity of Redlands also in California. After that I was working at a Dude Ranch in Santa Barbara where we had the opportunity to supply the Secret Service with horses for when ever President Reagan was at his ranch there. Since then I have worked as a NASDAQ trader in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
Larry
Dabigkahuna
Collected circulation coins in Whitmans as a kid. Kept up with the annual Mint issues over the years, then got back into it big time two years ago.
This is great fun, Mitch! I've read every post here. I've really enjoyed the personal friendships I've made through this hobby and on the Board.
Oh, yeah. I'm learning to play the bagpipes, too. (You folks oughta be glad you're no closer than cyberspace).
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I'm a Penn State Grad - Microbiology and I was crazy to stay on for another degree in Genetics. (cant beat 9 years of football and drinking can you?) I am in the biotechnology field and I was a cofounder of a company called Principia Pharmaceuticals. We were gobbled up by Human Genome Sciences, became unemployed and now I work for another start up which operates (in theory) like Enron (we outsource everything and we don't do any of the hands on work). Hopefully our accounting is better then Enrons......
Rich
David
(Believe me, especially some of the younger people on this forum, travelling to exotic far-away places on business isn't all it's cracked up to be---for example, I'll spend about 16 hours this Saturday/Sunday getting to Brazil for a six hour meeting at 9:00AM Monday and then turn around and fly home at midnight Monday night---can't stay and enjoy, because we have to have the resulting business proposal done within a couple days.)
this is a neat idea, Mitch.
Pete
Picked up coins after my father passed away and have two registry Ike sets going, I enjoy the hunt and finding those gems that go unnoticed at small local shows.
Today I wish the banks would get their act together and start loading money again or this economy is never going to get moving.
I grew up in the Cleveland, OH area, and graduated in 1972 with a BBA, major in Accounting. Colorado beckoned me in 1978, and I've lived in the same house near Denver since 1979. I spent most of my working life up through 1992 in banking, except for a four year break from 1979 through 1983, when I worked for a coin dealer. That was during the gold and silver boom/bust, which was an exciting time to be in the coin and precious metals business. It gave me a chance to see a lot of choice and rare coins, and to really appreciate quality.
Twenty years after graduating from college, I got around to taking the CPA exam, and passed it. From 1992-1996 I worked for the government agency that sold the assets of failed savings and loans, with a stint in Washington, D.C. My current job title is "Systems Accountant", with little true accounting and a lot of computer systems work. I enjoy it, but month-ends require me to work some long hours, and next month we'll implement a major nationwide software conversion, a project I've been involved with for the past year and a half.
My house was paid off years ago, and I've thought about retiring soon, but it's nice to have those paychecks coming in so I can buy coins.
Jim
Edited for spelling error.
Teacher
Retail Store Manager (computer software)
Student Again (working on M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition.)
Computer Guy
LAN Technician
Student once again (working on MCSE)
Pretty much, a computer guy with an English background!
I have a wife, daughter (4) and a son due in March. Two dogs, a cat and two hobbies that I just love! (I finally shot in the 60's three times last year - that's my other hobby).
I actually do love my current job as I am in the OSS area (technical services) of building the Network (network and systems) to support long distance voice and data for the first local phone company to do so.
Regarding coins, my dad got me into collecting with those DAMN Morgan dollars back in 1969. I was hooked and interested in a variety of US coins (mostly silver) for the next 12 years. I took a break from coin collecting from 1982 until 1994 for "life's experiences" and I have been back the past 7+ years with a fury (not to mention more affordability of the coins that I really want). I am mostly concentrating on clad & silver US coinage, especially the Ike series.
I love Ike dollars and all other dollar series !!!
I also love Major Circulation Strike Type Sets, clad Washingtons ('65 to '98) and key date coins !!!!!
If ignorance is bliss, shouldn't we have more happy people ??
I'm another of the blue collar persuasion - a construction electrician that has helped wire powerhouses, prisons, cleanrooms, and ceo offices. It's a good trade to keep me both physically and mentally in shape!
Just celebrated my 24th wedding anniversary and 54th birthday last week, and hope to be celebrating a few more!
I've been collecting coins since I bought a 1917 type 1 Standing Liberty quarter in 1980. Been buying them, whenever I can afford one, ever since. I enjoy many different coins but, like most of us, can't afford all that I would like. I enjoy the company of other collectors, and the learnin' I'm gettin', here on the boards.
As the message title stated, "This Is One Intelligent Group Overall"!
Regards,
Don
peacockcoins
Dave
I'm a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, and have worked for the same actuarial consulting firm for the past 14 years, 10 of them here in Japan.
My interesting in coin collecting goes back to little kid days (1963 to be precise) when my grandfather gave me a small hoard of well circulated Barber halves. He owned a sporting goods store in Maine, and had pulled them from the cash register over the years.