A newp for my 1979 OFEC collection and a couple of random coins from my darkside box...
terribleredmonster
Posts: 456 ✭
1979 Thailand 200 Baht Royal Cradle Ceremony .925 Silver. This is the first and only I've seen on eBay in the year and change I've been tending to this set. Considering that I had no other options I am very satisfied with this coin.
1903S Philippines One Peso. One of my favorite designs. This coin has a bazillion little nicks and scratches on it and has suffered a rough cleaning. Especially unfortunate as I can't see any obvious rub.
1912A Prussia 3 Marks. Pretty nice example overall, but there's a nasty little staple scratch running up the right obverse field.
1903S Philippines One Peso. One of my favorite designs. This coin has a bazillion little nicks and scratches on it and has suffered a rough cleaning. Especially unfortunate as I can't see any obvious rub.
1912A Prussia 3 Marks. Pretty nice example overall, but there's a nasty little staple scratch running up the right obverse field.
"YOU SUCK!" Awarded by nankraut/renomedphys 6/13/13 - MadMarty dissents
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Comments
Your 1979 OFEC set... did I read somewhere that you were only doing silver and gold, or am I getting it mixed up with somebody else?
That's some great "junque".
My tastes run to older coins, so I have never attempted the birthyear OFEC set (in my case, 1965, as I assume 1979 must be for you?)
It looks like fun, though. And by sticking to precious metals only, you're making it challenging and saving yourself the hassle of having to amass a huge pile of extremely low value "modern crap". Modern junque is perfectly respectable when it's made of PM.
(Cladking will flog me for that last sentence. And deservedly so. Just kidding, Sam!)
That looks like a fun endeavor. Any ideas on how far along you are in the completion of the set, or have you already mentioned that?
I assume that NCLT has been your only option in a few countries. But that's OK. There's a high "bling" factor with a lot of NCLT.
I can't believe it, but you've actually got me thinking about this. Before, I dismissed OFEC as not for me, 'cause it was just too vast an undertaking and so many of the coins from my birthyear are basically worthless. (Not to mention I'd have to get a Churchill crown- haha.) But with a small exclusion, like going with PMs only... hmm. That makes it interesting. I am gonna take the 20th century Krause to bed with me. (Worked graveyard shift last night, so it's near bedtime).
Oh... another random thought- though the idea of a birthyear set appeals to my low budget, I'll bet there are some real challenges, despite the modern nature of such sets. Some countries whose only PM coinage was gold, huh. And high-denomination gold. Hmm. It might not be the budget-friendly option it seems at first thought.
LordM, the beauty of an OFEC set is that it is infinitely customizable. You can include or exclude any material you like based upon your appreciation for the design (good reason to ban that churchill crown right there), the level of challenge you desire and especially the scope of your budget. You can even make the collection specific to a cetain group of countries if you wanted. How about an Allies of WWII set for example?
I favor silver because of several factors, but many of them are very practical. First of all, many of the coins I include in my set have prices that are directly linked to the price of silver. This means that the coins tend to be very affordable and also that they have a certain dependability of value. I don't worry or feel guilty about spending "too much" money on my OFEC collection because if the dire need ever arose I could easily sell it for spot. There are exceptions of course, but I haven't yet learned how to collect coins without spending money.
The main reason I decided to pursue this collection is that the planning and research phase of the collecting activity far outweighs the actual acquisition of material. I enjoy leafing through my Krause page by page picking out the coins I want in my set, making lists, learning mintages and so on. It doesn't cost me anything, it helps me learn what there is to know about material that falls within my scope and it certainly soothes my coin collector's OCD. That said, there are quite a few pieces I'd like for my set that will be a serious challenge to acquire both for financial and availability reasons. I look forward to completion because I feel that despite its humble origins this set may prove to be the most serious numismatic pursuit of my lifetime.
<< <i>I enjoy leafing through my Krause page by page picking out the coins I want in my set, making lists, learning mintages and so on. It doesn't cost me anything, it helps me learn what there is to know about material that falls within my scope and it certainly soothes my coin collector's OCD. >>
Who is this terrible red monster who is speaking in my internal voice?
I took the Krause to bed, BTW. Never had a nap. Have now been awake 24 hours. I dunno about my daydreamed 1965 OFEC set in precious metal. Maybe. The world was different. There were two Germanies, for instance. A lot of the British Commonwealth were not yet issuing their own coins, and those that did were not decimalized yet. A lot of countries issued only base metal minors.
I saw a few interesting possibilities and will think some more. Really the last thing I need right now is another project, though. I need to SELL some stuff, not buy more. Maybe after a selloff or swapoff I will be ready to change gears a little. My Victorian 1901 type set is maturing to the point where additions will be harder (I think I lack only 11 of 45 coins, now), and my US Seated dime love token date set is likewise getting harder as I have all the later date stuff. So I'm always thinking of the next project. But I need to weed the garden before planting anything else.