CoinTalk - Blogs - Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/ Coin Talk Forum: Where Numismatists, Collectors, Dealers, and Novices Gather to Discuss Coins en Tue, 21 May 2013 05:02:19 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.cointalk.com/images/misc/rss.jpg CoinTalk - Blogs - Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/ I have not been around much http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/501-i-have-not-been-around-much.html Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:57:42 GMT Sorry about that. 2010 has been a bit of a trying year- I've not been in good health for much of it, even worse than normal. (I have some issues I really don't like to talk about much). Back when I was in school I was sick for more than a year and the doctors couldn't find what it was. Well, this isn't the same thing (I know what this is) but apparently 2010 is going to go down in my history as another year when I spend most of the year sick or at least not good. As I type this I'm hurting in more than a half dozen places. So, there's that.

Then, there is the fact that I have not had hardly any money to spend throughout the year. 2010 has been lousy in that regard too. When I am not participating in a hobby I have a hard time getting into posting on the message board(s) related to it. I knew that was the case for my other hobbies and it really wasn't a surprise that it was the case with numismatics, either. A consideration with that is that seeing all the cool things being posted that I can't have...maybe can't ever have...it can make your outlook a little depressed about the hobby, if you know what I mean.

I have also lost three good friends this year- two in November. I knew one of them was having health problems but he thought it was fixed...losing all three was a shock to me and I really do NOT deal well with death. I know that no one does but I'm even worse. And I lost two of my best friends within two weeks of each other...less than a month ago. I'm still sad about that and it's not always easy to be happy on a message board when you aren't happy in real life.

There's another factor, but this is a good one. As you might have caught from my posts or visiting my website, I build scale models. 2010 has been a bit of a rennissiance for me. Since 1999 I built only cars but this year, on the strength of the support from one of my model clubs, I have greatly expanded my horizons. In 2010 I built my first ever airplane, figure, ship, and tank! I also found the time to build some cars, too! In all, I built 19 models during 2010 so I spent a lot of time on that. And as I eluded to earlier, if I am into a hobby I tend to spend the most time on the message boards for that...so what time I did set aside for internet/message boards, was spent on the scale modeling message boards, or researching. I know the cars I build by heart, but when I do a different subject, I have to do research which can be time consuming- but always fun! Last week I spent about 12 hours researching my next subject over a three day period (Teutonic Knights) Now, the winter is here in spirit if not in fact, and it's too cold to work on models. But it's not too cold to look at my coins, and here I am!

I am looking forward to 2011. I hope it brings better health, and a better year for my hobbies-2010 has been my worst ever so it should be better! My New Year's Resolution from 2010 didn't happen, which was to visit the Parsippany NJ coin show. Didn't happen, so I will roll that into 2011 as well, and my NYR for 11 is to get myself at least one Byzantine coin. I have had plans to get Allan Berman's 5 for $20 deal on Byzantines but I have not been able to set aside the $20 for it yet.

I'm sure none of you really care about all this stuff but it makes me feel good to say it, so I am! And that's all I've got for this installment. ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/501-i-have-not-been-around-much.html My Way or the Highway http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/172-my-way-highway.html Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:24:39 GMT One thing I don't understand about humans in general is the apparent lack of ability to "allow" different opinions. It happens in all walks of life and it would seem it happens in numismatics too.

Here are some examples:

The people who think that all modern coins are not worth collecting.

The people who think that all non-slabbed coins are not worth collecting.

The people who think that all original surface, non-toned coins have been dipped. Likewise, the people who think that all toned coins have been AT'd.

Those are just the three biggest examples I can think of. I see no reason why either camp on any of those feel the need to be so diametrically opposed. SO WHAT if somebody collects something different then you do, or likes something different then you do? Really, is that any reason to attack, argue or berate anyone?? The answer, of cource, is NO! Who really cares if the next person doesn't collect what you do? The way I see it, everyone who collects something you don't, is less competition for what you want to collect.

There is way too much hate and useless anger in the world. Why would you want to bring that hate and anger into your hobby? Afterall, aren't hobbies supposed to be, well....FUN?

You know what...those of you who feel the need to attack, belittle, argue with, whatver, a differing opinion then the one you have, you all can go live on the moon for all I care. I am here to have fun and I won't let anyone tell me what I find fun is not fun. Even if it's not directed at me, I don't want to see it. ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/172-my-way-highway.html My oldest coins http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/125-my-oldest-coins.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:48:49 GMT I thought I would add this post to my blog as I recount my 10 oldest coins, and 5 oldest US coins, as of 10/15/09. It might be interesting to see how that changes throughout the years! ---Quote (Originally by Billy Kingsley)--- Here we go... #1 Circa 300 BC Greek, possibly Sicily/Syracuse... I thought I would add this post to my blog as I recount my 10 oldest coins, and 5 oldest US coins, as of 10/15/09. It might be interesting to see how that changes throughout the years!

Quote Originally Posted by Billy Kingsley View Post
Here we go...
#1 Circa 300 BC Greek, possibly Sicily/Syracuse
(seller's pic)


#2 121-122 AD Rome, Hadrian, As. It looks a lot better in person!




#3 158. Rome, Antoninus Pius. Denarius




#4 267 Rome. Gallenius, Antoninianus


#5 Rome. 324-325. Constantine I (The Great). Follis. This was my first ancient coin, I got it in August 2008. These 5 coins are also the entirety of my ancient collection...I've got nothing on Ardatirion :bigeyes:


For me #6 is:
Poland 1623 3 polker (Just got at CoinFest from Allan G. Berman)
#7: Papal States 1721-1724, Innocent XIII Quattrino (also bought from Mr. Berman)
#8: Austrian Netherlands 1797 Kronenthaler
#9: Austria 1800A 3 Kreuzer
#10: (Tie) Austria 1816 A and 1816 S Quarter Kreuzer, 1816 A Half Kreuzer and 1816 A Kreuzer (I got them all togther, however, the date was frozen and they could have been made any time between 1816 to 1852)
My oldest US coin is next on the list, #11, a slightly bent 1832 half dime which was my oldest coin for a few months last year, until I bought the 1797 Austrian Netherlands issue.

My Five oldest US Coins:
#1 said half dime
#2 1835 dime, highly worn but still clearly a US dime
#3 1852 cent, my only large cent, also damaged
#4 1852 three cent silver, bent
#5 1857 cent, which had been the most I've ever spent for a coin until this past weekend when I doubled it for the Roman Silver posted above, even so it was only $50!

The majority of my collection is from the second half of the 1900s but lately I've gotten some more older issues, although they are pretty much all recounted here...lol.
]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/125-my-oldest-coins.html I did something crazy. http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/117-i-did-something-crazy.html Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:35:24 GMT Well, I went and did something crazy. Totally out of character for me.

I joined the NGC registry.

Now, if anybody has been following my posts for the past 15 months, it should be fairly obvious that I'm not a big fan of graded coins. That hasn't, and likely won't, change. And, in fact, the only coin that I have that is graded is a coin from a company that doesn't even rate onto NGC's registry!

But...Odds are, I WILL end up with a graded coin or note at some point. With so many people getting their items graded, either for security reasons or just to jump on the bandwagon, eventually I am going to find something graded that I want to add to my collection.

So I decided not to wait. I joined up the NGC/PMG registry today, 10/03/09. Before I visited the site, I had not even KNOWN that PMG and NGC was the same company. It really tells you how much attention I pay to that kind of stuff.

I chose the NGC registry for two reasons, although one ranked well above the other. I've spent more then a year on the PCGS forums, and I know that the PCGS registry accepts PCGS coins only. The NGC registry accepts NGC, PCGS and NCS coins (though I think the latter is another branch of NGC). That was the biggest draw for me. Since I will truly be buying the coin, and not the holder, I liked that leeway.

The other reason was a factor but not as large a factor. It was FREE. Free is good. I have no intention of ever paying to get any of my coins graded myself, so it would be foolish to pay for a membership with submittal fees. Likewise, the population reports mean nothing to me. They are heavily skewed by all the crackouts, but also, there are lots more coins that are not graded. So the population report doesn't really tell you how many coins are out there, which WOULD be interesting, it would just tell you how many times that specific coin (meaning date/style) has been graded, and could even including multiple points of data for the same coin. So, it's nothing to me.

I am hoping not to be deleted for inactivity, LOL. If I update it, it will be rarely. Maybe I will buy the cheapest graded coin I can find at CoinFest next week just to put something in my registry :) In fact, I probably will do just that, provided I can find something that is cheap enough to fit my standards, and I actually need for my collection. I'm not going to buy a duplicate for the heck of it.





Who knows, I have not seen top tier graded coins in person yet. I will next week at CoinFest. Maybe I will see them and fall in love, and decide, hey, this isn't so bad, and then proceed to submit all my good coins. Not likely, (I'm too cheap to pay for grading fees!) but it MAY happen.

Now I just need to learn how to read a slab...from the pictures I have seen there are lots of numbers that don't seem to have anything to do with the coins... ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/117-i-did-something-crazy.html <![CDATA[NCLTs: Sorry, I just can't get into them.]]> http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/116-nclts-sorry-i-just-cant-get-into-them.html Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:29:11 GMT Here's a topic that I've been thinking about for a while. NCLTs, or, Non-Circulating Legal Tender. For some reason, I just can't get all that interested in them. I don't really know why...they are perfectly viable options for collecting. It's not like I dislike the designs.

When I think about coins, which is often, as I have a lot of time on my hands :) it's not NCLT's. I'm thinking about the coins that actually circulated and it is those I want to add to my collection!

I am, and have always been, a proponent of more is better. I fully supported the State quarters, I support the parks quarters, and any other series they come up with. Even the Presidential dollars, although they have been uniformly all boring and dissapointing. So "There are too many of them" is not why I can't get into them. I just can't!

I do have a few. I have three of the Silver Eagles. Two are 2001s and one is a 1999, that was colorized. I got holders for them, and that is it, I look at them from time to time and then it's like, OK, now what?

I think part of the problem with them is that they are treated as just bullion. I, personally, don't care what a coin is made out. You want to make it out of the cheapest metal around, what would that be, tin? Aluminum? I don't know, and I really don't care. Metal content means less then nothing to me. I think the NCLTs that have the metal weight and content put right on the coin is tacky, ugly and ruins the design, at best. That is a big issue I have with them.
I think another thing is that there is no real chance you will ever get them in circulation. I know it has rarely happened where one comes up in circulation, but it's rare. Part of the fun for me is the thrill of the hunt. I've done very well completing sets from circulation, that is just not possible with NCLTs.

I was looking through my Krause Standard Catalog of World Coins 20th Century edition. Dang, there are a lot of NCLTs! Some are very cool designs, I like the issues where they are doing something historic with them, like showing the lineage of past Kings and Queens or the history of something. I happened to randomly open to a page with a whole series of NCLT's for pokeman. Yuch! I have always said that I have never seen a coin that I would not welcome into my collection. Well, I can't say that any more.

I am wondering what the first NCLT was. I suppose some could say that the Morgan Dollar was the first NCLT, as I have heard that it was not meant for circulation, although it wasn't made specifically to sell to collectors either. So, I would not categorize it as an NCLT, neither would I put the post 2002 half dollars as NCLT either. Despite the fact they are not released to circulation, they are still a circulating coin, at least, the design and series are anyway.

Proofs fall into what I call a gray area. They don't circulate, they aren't meant to ever circulate, yet they are legal tender and could circulate if you wanted to...I view them however like the best possible examples of the circulating coinage...even though they are made differently. It's the same designs as the circulating coinage, and you just can't argue with how cool they are!

Well, that's my thoughts...maybe I have just not seen the right NCLT's. I have seen a few that I thought to myself, WOW, that is cool, I need me one of those! But...it hasn't happened yet. There are enough actual circulating coins that I still want for my collection that I am not going to get an NCLT instead. I know that is a tough call to make, as most of these are limited and will probably cost more to get in the long run. Perhaps I am making a mistake. ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/116-nclts-sorry-i-just-cant-get-into-them.html <![CDATA[Why I'm not a big fan of grading.]]> http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/115-why-im-not-big-fan-grading.html Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:12:50 GMT If anybody ever actually reads this, perhaps this will be a little controversial. That is not my intent, but it might be...so please bear with me (that is, IF anybody ever reads this! :) ) Now obviously, grading does have some big advantages, especially in this day and age, with counterfits so... If anybody ever actually reads this, perhaps this will be a little controversial. That is not my intent, but it might be...so please bear with me (that is, IF anybody ever reads this! :) )

Now obviously, grading does have some big advantages, especially in this day and age, with counterfits so prevalent. A graded coin is, most of the time, sure to be genuine. Sure, some may slip through the cracks, and there are even fake slabs out there now, but that is by far not the norm. So that, in my opinion, is the #1 best reason for having a coin graded. To be sure it's really what it's supposed to be.

Another big draw for grading/graded coins is that they have a higer degree of protection then raw coins. You need not have to worry about leaving a fingerprint, or holding a coin by the edges, if you can't hold the actual coin at all. So that is another big draw.

Now, here's where I have the problem. Most of the people, that is not why they have their coins graded. Most of them, or at least a good portion of them, from what I can tell- only care about how much they can sell the coin for. In higher grades, that can be lots of money...into the 4 digits for some coins, perhaps even higher. But therein lies the rub...when the grade looks the exact same, who's to say what makes one coin better then the next? Grading is notoriously subjective. A coin I might think looks great, but the next guy down the line thinks there is an issue with it.

To me, that goes against pretty much everything I collect for. I make no bones about the fact that grades mean little to me. I collect coins for what they ARE...not what metal they are made out of or what somebody I have never met, on that particular day, says they are worth!

The only possible scenario that could bring me in line with the grading scheme is if ONE person did EVERY coin, at least that particular coin design. Then, OK, it would truly be acceptible because this one person has seen them all, and they would know if it really is better then others of it's design. But, as we all know, that doesn't happen.

Another thing I think is pretty lousy is that you have to pay for the coin even if it is rejected. That isn't fair, and it's down right crazy to do that....I don't like throwing away my money, thank you. And, from what I have gathered, the rate you pay goes up with the rate of what "they" (being the grading company or the marketplace) say it is worth. Well...that's not very subjective. Obviously, the grading companies are going to be more leniant on a big dollar coin, because it means they get more money in their pocket. If it was truly subjective, one flat fee for all coins, regardless or type, grade, age, whatnot, and you didn't have to pay for coins that they decided that day didn't meet their standards, I would not have such a big issue. But...that's not how it is, and so...I have the issue.

Now as to graded coins themselves. I have one, that was given to me. It's not in a top tier company, in fact I had never heard of the company until I was given the coin, but, since that was my first graded coin...it is, in fact, special to me. (The fact that it was a gift though weighs more heavily then the fact that it was graded).
I have not yet purchased a coin that was graded. I don't think it's intelligent to have to pay more for the fact that the coin is in plastic, so I have basically ignored them. However, as I start going to shows, and start seeing more coins, I am bound to come across a slabbed coin that I want in my collection. A Dilemma. What shall I do? Will I pass it over, and then wonder forever if I should have gotten it, or will I move on to raw coins, just the way I like them? And, if I do buy the slabbed coin, will I crack it out? I have no intention of ever selling my collection, but, will I leave it in the slab for protection or bring it in line with the rest of my collection? The biggest threat from cracking a coin, is not the "threat" of "loosing money", that means nothing, less then nothing to me. The threat is, I know plastic, I've been working with various forms of plastic for a decade. The kind slabs are made of can crack, easily, splinter, and shatter. I am afraid it will damage the coin. THAT is the biggest drawback to cracking out a coin!

What to do, what to do... ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/115-why-im-not-big-fan-grading.html Currency, Part two. http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/114-currency-part-two.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:41:02 GMT Wow, I filled the 10,000 character limit in the first post! I could write a book, if anyone actually wanted to read what I posted!

On another currency topic, *Star Notes*! These fascinate me. I don't know why, but they do, and based on the following they have, I am not the only one. Maybe it's because they are different from the norm. Maybe because another of my many interests is astronomy. Maybe, subliminally, it's interesting to have something that the government clearly admits making a mistake on? Who can tell, but I would bet it's more the first two then the last ;). The majority of my stars have been pulled from circulation. Oddly enough, I find more $20 stars then anything else. I've found three so far. I've found a grand total of 1 $1 and 1 $5 stars in circulation, and have not found a $10 yet. I've only been looking for about a year, however.

I'll always remember getting my first star. I used to travel to Toledo, Ohio every year for a convention. While there, I went into the Hobby Town USA, likely to purchase some paint or supplies, for my other hobby of model car building. I ended up buying something, I am sure, but what, I don't know. When the lady handed me back my change, I spotted instantly that the bill was a Star! It's a 1999 $1, and it was pretty badly beat up, but wow, my first star note! I was so excited to get it, and I am still excited that I got it! In fact, despite the fact that it was less then a year ago, I can't remember what exactly it was that I bought! All I can remember is that star note being handed to me. It was a thrill, for sure. (That was a good trip for another reason, one of my models was photographed and appeared in Scale Auto Magazine, not the first time I had one of my models published but the first time in the main Scale Auto book) I also remember in the take a penny tray I spotted two wheat cents. I decided that I must have them, so I rooted around in my pocket, and all I could come up with was a dime. So, as I left the store, the take a penny jar had two less cents but a dime in it :) As it turned out, they were nothing special, but I didn't know that at the time.

I find it weird how I find more stars in $20s then anything else. Actually, my mom has found two, where I found one. I also found my $5 star. I've taught my mom a little bit about currency and she looks through them all now for star notes.

Now, there is only ONE thing I don't like about currency. I don't like how it's NOT dated the year it was issued. I think it would be much better to have various years on the notes instead of 2004-A. (just an example) I know there is a reason for this, and I am sure I was told at one point, but I can't remember the reason. No matter what it was, I don't feel that it is sufficient. That is my only complaint about currency.
On the other hand, it makes my collection goal above a little easier-if I had to chase each year dating back to the 1920s, it may not be possible, and it would certainly cost me more in volume of things to purchase alone!

Ok, well, that is my thoughts on currency. Perhaps I will think of some more at some point, and post another entry or comment to this one.

PS. Most of my currency has been posted in the Currency forum here, scans both front and back :) ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/114-currency-part-two.html Currency...my thoughts and plans http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/113-currency-my-thoughts-plans.html Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:39:50 GMT While my previous postings have been about coinage, I think I will change subjects somewhat and talk about currency.

Let's start out right away:
I Love currency!

In fact, when I am thinking about my hobbies, which is what I am doing pretty much any time I am awake, I find that I am thinking about currency more then anything else. While the number of coins in my collection far, far outweighs currency, I find that I am beginning to enjoy currency a bit more. I will never collect only one...I will always collect both...but I can easily see spending more of my money to get currency.

When I started into this hobby last year, I had a small collection of coins and a smaller (8 notes- coins were about 500 total, much less different dates IE my mom and dad had pulled over 100 1944 cents from circulation and that wasn't the only date they did that with) and since I had more of them, or perhaps because I knew more about them going in, I tended to focus more on coins and less on currency.

But recently, that's begun to change. I've been spending more time on the currency sections of the boards, more time researching currency, and more time thinking about, like I said above. In fact, I've looked through my currency collection in it's entirety three times since the last time I looked at ANY of my coins. Granted, this is all in a span of about a month, and I was away from home for more then one week of that time.

Now, I am not going to try and deny that our Federal Reserve Notes, aka FRNs, were pretty darn boring, all monochromatic and the same style. They have, in my opinion, changed for the better in the past few years, although when they were introduced I thought it was pretty stupid. Actually handling them though I guess got me to like them. I grew up on these notes, and now that, aside from the $1, you never see them in circulation anymore, I am actually getting kind of nostalgic for them! In my life, the 1990s were a great time. I won't really go into why- it has nothing whatsoever to do with numismatics, although I will say that a big part of it is the fact that my dad was still alive then. I would in fact say that is 75% of why I like the 1990s so much and consider that the best of times, for me. Don't remember much of the 80s, being born in 84. Anyway....these notes are another thing that reminds me of the 1990s. So there is that factor. And another thing, even though they were somewhat on the boring side, I have realized I actually miss that. You wouldn't think that, but the old adage says: "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" is about the most true thing ever. And as I learn more about notes...the single color designs are actually fairly unique...Most notes have a lot of color on them. That's not a bad thing by any means, but in the grand scheme of things, it sets them apart somewhat. I like that.

And then you have to factor in the fact, that I just like them and think they are pretty darn cool. :) And for me, that's a good enough reason to collect them.

Now, it's funny, with coinage I tend to favor the world coins area a bit more then the US. A big part of that is the HUGE collector base for US coinage, which pushes the prices up, way way up in some cases. I find the prices to be outrageous on many items, and I know that once I get into even the early 1900s, I am either not going to be able to afford US coinage, or they will be so worn that you will have a hard time IDing them. With world coinage, while there are some that are pretty pricey, there is a far bigger field of more reasonably priced items I can chase after.

Yet, with currency, I clearly, Very clearly, favor US currency. I have 51 notes in my collection. Not a very large collection. Of those notes, 8 were inherited, 10 were purchased, 8 were gifts, and the rest were pulled from circulation. Of those 51 notes, 37 of them are from the USA. That's a huge percentage. Part of it is due to the fact that, yes, I see these practically every day. Hopefully every time I go in my wallet :) So they are easily obtainable. But a part of that is, I just like them and will purchase them over anything else.
World notes are interesting, don't get me wrong. You can really learn a lot about a country, state, what/who ever issued a note by looking at them. (of cource, it helps to be able to read the language on the note). The range of colors on world notes is spectacular. I enjoy that aspect of them. But for some reason, I find it hard for me to focus much of my attention on them. When I think about currency, even when I am making an active effort to learn about world currency, I find my thoughts drifting back to the USA's currency in a usually short amount of time.

So, I've been doing some studying of American currency. I've come to find out that most of the modern FRNs sell for very, very little over the face value, even some of the older issues of FRNs you can get for not much more then face value. (double or less) When you live on a very limited income like I do, that is a BIG deal, as it means I can build a pretty nice set of them.

And, as I was doing further research, I discovered that pre-small size notes, are almost all uniformly out of my price range. There are some...a very, very select few...large size notes that I would be able to get at the top end of my price range, and I plan to in time. But some of them...I know I will be lucky to SEE in person, let alone purchase for my own collection. Even the small size Nationals are on the higher end of my price range, but luckily for me, it appears some of them, must be the ones that a lot survive on, are fairly reasonable and hopefully will one day make their way into my collection.

So, I've formulated a plan. I am going to work on sets of FRNs. Basically, I am going to try and get one example of each denomination from each series. IF I am able, I will go for each district, but that will not be my goal. For example, say there are two different districts of one note, and the same district but a different note. I will get two of the same district, but different series. Of cource, if the price is right, I will get all three notes :) This task should not be too hard to complete, I forsee that I will be able to finish the $1s in 2010 and make inroads on the $5s, 10s and perhaps even 20s. I don't expect to go higher then the $20s for the most part, after that, while I COULD afford it, at least most of the time, I would rather use that money spent on other things. After all, I am dividing the small amount of money I get into 4 hobbies, as well as bills, food, gas, etc. But I will have more to spend in 2010.

After I finish the Series Set, I then may work on districts for each series, and star notes. I know I won't be able to get a complete set of stars, but I will get as many as I can. I've already found a few in circulation. Like my coins, as mentioned in the last entry I made, I plan to collect forever, so it won't take me too long in the grand scheme of things to finish my Series Set. After that, I don't know what I will work on activly. Maybe I will just cruise the various currency sources I am aware of and just buy whatever looks good to me....which is pretty much what I do when I have the $$ to spend.

Now, my project only covers the $1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 denominations. FRNs have been issued in higher denominations, but like I said above, I can't forsee that I will ever try to complete them, unless I win the lottery or something like that. With that said, however, I do plan to get a handfull of them. I already have two $50s, one of the new colorized versions, and one of the new design non-colorized versions. To that I would like to add one of the traditional FRN styles as well. For the $100, that will be a tough sell. I plan to only ever get 4 of them. I know eventually I will get a red seal USN, I particularly like them. Besides that, I will get eventually one of the classic FRN styles. I will have to get one of the current new-style non-colorized issues for my collection, and I hear that a colorized version is in the works, though has been for some time. When they do issue that, I will get one of those as well. But that will be it, right now the most I have spent on a note is $25, and it will be a hard sell for me to spend more then $100 on a note, but I know I will have to, unless I can get lucky and nab one from my local banks. I have not actually seen a $100 note in person in more then 5 years. I know that I will never own a $500, $1000 or $10000 note....it'll never happen, so while I can dream about it...that's all it will ever be, a dream. (is it odd that I have dreampt of currency?)

One other thing that is high on my priority list is my red seal set. I don't know why but I am really drawn to them. I inherited a $1, and I've since aquired a 1953-B $2, a 1963 $5* and a 1963-A $2. I will work on getting the other series and stars of the $2 and $5. Like I said above, I will eventually get one of the $100s. I can't see ever getting a $1 or $100 star note, though.

For the small size silver certificates, while they are very cool, I don't know how many of them I will be able to get...some of them are likely permanently out of my price range. I should be able to get a complete, non-star Series set of the $1s, however, and I will work on that.

Who's to say, though, I might go somewhere and see a bunch of world currency, and be totally "taken" by them, and forget my FRN goals :) one never knows!
I also really like obsolete notes and I expect to get more of them for my collection as well, at least by this time next year. ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/113-currency-my-thoughts-plans.html <![CDATA[Focus, focus, who needs focus? (and I'm not talking about Fords!)]]> http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/100-focus-focus-who-needs-focus-im-not-talking-about-fords.html Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:56:39 GMT In my short time in the world of online coin collecting (June 1st, 2008-August 26th, 2009, as I type this) I have seen many different people say that you need a focus, or that you will just have a bunch of random items. And that "when it comes time to sell", you will get less.

To that, I say...so what?

Is there something wrong with not choosing to collect one thing and one thing alone? I think not!

Yes, while doing this approach to collecting, the odds are that you will not end up being the greatest knowlegded (my own word, I believe) person on a particular subject. (Maybe some estoric subject that has a very limited amount of knowlegde possible...but I digress) but if that is your main goal...perhaps you are missing the point of numismatics completely.

For me, I collect for the history. Coins are small, tangible pieces of history I can hold in my hands and study at my leasure. They are not something I purchase with the intent to resell for profit. I have loved history since before I loved coinage and currency. In fact, it is that selfsame love of history that makes up 100% of my reasons for being a numismatist in the first place!

While I do have specific areas I focus on and enjoy, all pieces of history have a place in my collection. Why should I include or exclude things arbitrarily? I can't see a good reason. Having a haphazard mixture of items in my collection is NOT a valid reason!

Say, for instance, that I decided I would collect only British coins. That would be a logical step, for one, because I am well versed in English history, I speak English (though the coins are Latin) and have English heritage - among many other things that make up my background.

Now, with my hypothetical British only approach, say I am at a coin shop, show, or online browsing, and see a coin from France that, were I collecting everything, I would jump all over. But, since I Only collect British coins...I pass on it. In the future, after I've finished my British set...then what? I decide to tackle France. Well, by now French coins have taken off in popularity. And of cource, the popularity means the prices are up, up up. Now I can no longer afford the coin I passed on previously. That's a big, major oops.

And even on a baser level then that...Why should I, or anybody else, deprive me of the simple joy of owning any particular coin, just because it does not fit my series?
The idea is preposterous! I again see no reason that is valid for this.

Here's what I do...I collect. I'm a collector by nature, and I've been a collector since I was 2 years old. The first thing I collected was 1/64 cars. I began in 1986, at least...possibly sooner. (I don't remember this, but I have some issues from Hot Wheels that I have had since new, and they were issued in 1987; I know they are not anywhere near my first cars in my collection so I am making an educated guess that it is 1986...that and my family says so, so I am sure) While that has nothing to do with coins, it shows my collector's background. I still collect a whole list of things. Coins and Currency (I consider them as one, they go hand in hand) is my 3rd hobby, based on priority, behind the staple 1/64 NASCAR cars, and NASCAR trading cards.

Anyway, getting back to my point. I collect all coins and currency. I basically am only limited by my funds available that is not going to something more important. (Let me say, if I didn't have to eat every single day, I would have a lot more coins!) I know that, yes it's true I may never complete a set, by spreading my collection so wide. But, you know what? I don't care! I am having fun with it, and that is very important to me. There are other venues to study history, I find numismatics to be the most fun. And on top of that, I probably WILL complete series in time. They just won't be expensive series. I know that gold is currently out of reach, and probably always will be. I know that high grade silver is likely going to be out of reach, even some low-grade silver is too. (A topic I will address in a future entry) But I do not have this hatred of clads or other non-silver coinage. In fact, I don't care about a coin's metal content. It means nothing to me. The only time it plays a role is when I have to pay more for it when a compative issue is much less clad. (Think US coinage here; while most of this entry is on more world-wide topics, the majority of my collection is still US coinage) So series, especially more modern series are in fact very possible! I am actually very close to completing my first series, and that is clad dimes of the USA, my home country. I am two older issues away, 1972D and 1978D, and I have yet to find either 2009 issue yet. What's even more special about this set, is that they have ALL been pulled from circulation! (Some were traded for) The two 1970s issues I have examples of, but the 72 is bent, and the 78 has some unknown scuzz on it. So, I need to replace it. However, when I get those two, and the new 2009 issues, I will have a complete collection of circulating clad dimes. I have only been looking since mid 2008! I will also continue to work on my silver Roosevelt dime set. It is likely the only US silver collection I can or will ever complete for a few reasons- #1 is that I had more of them then any other going in and #2 is that there are no excessive rarity/key date issues, that would prevent me from buying the holes I need.

Anyway, that IS a set I can finish, with no real focus. It just kind of happened; I am working on sets of all circulating US coinage; it just so happened that dimes are the closest to completion. It is helped along greatly by the fact that I have lived and will always live my entire life in the USA...it's not hard to get a roll of dimes to look through and I've even got some of the issues in my collection as change!

Other issues are not that easy, mainly because of lack of accessibility. Were I to live in, say, El Salvidor, my collection would probably be heavily El Salvidor based, instead of just having the one coin in my collection from El Salvidor that I pulled from a 10 cent a coin bin.

I am doing ok on Canada's various sets (excluding all those quarters they've issued) because I have a friend in Canada who saves them for me and gives them to me when I see him, once a year or so.

Now to get back to a line I addressed early in this post. That line about "when it comes time to sell". I have heard this from several people. I don't understand this. (I do...bear with me) While this is a topic I want to delve deeper into in the future...for me, there will never be a time to sell. I don't care about making a profit on my collection. I can't study them if somebody else has them. Therefore, they will not be sold. My descendants can worry about that, provided I have any. If not, some future archeologist will find them ;)

That is not to say I won't sell duplicates. I have already sold duplicates. I only need one (and of cource a couple extras, just in case!) But mostly I use my duplicates as a trade stash. As I am just starting out collecting, I don't have a large trade stash. In time, I will, but not yet.

When I think about my coin collecting, it is just the beginning of my numismatic career. I have been collecting coins and currency for a grand total of 19 months. I am only 24 years old. I plan to collect for the rest of my life....so I have all the time in the world to collect, study and learn from my coin collection. By my theory, I will just continue to add coins to my collection 'till the end of time...or at least, then end of MY time. I don't know how many coins I will have when I am done...I doubt I will ever truly be done collecting, mind you...but it's almost staggering to think about.

By the way, I chose French and English coins in my example above because I already have quite a few of them. In my country collection totals, they rank third and 5th. England/(Great Britian) currently has 27 issues in my collection, while France has 22. Germany ranks between them with 23.

Well, that is my thoughts on focus...or more accuratly titled, my arguments for the lack of focus... ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/100-focus-focus-who-needs-focus-im-not-talking-about-fords.html A blog, you say? Eh, why not? http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/99-blog-you-say-eh-why-not.html Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:57:43 GMT I have not had good luck with blogs in the past. I've tried to create one on two different messages boards, (neither numismatic) and one board got rid of their blog feature for lack of interest, and one changed to a different board style and deleted all blogs when they did. Hopefully this board will not do that!

I have no idea what I will talk about here. I have some pretty strong-and unpopular-thoughts about coin collecting, but I believe them to be valid thoughts. I will share some of them on here, but not right now...I'm off to have dinner and mentally compose my first topic, which will be about "Focus"...stay tuned...it'll come after some of my mom's famous grilled cheese! :) ]]> Billy Kingsley http://www.cointalk.com/blogs/billy-kingsley/99-blog-you-say-eh-why-not.html