2019 was an interesting collecting year here and I learned a lot. Crusty original circulated cameos with rich surfaces and contrasting devices remain my favorite look to collect, but I found myself wanting a new challenge and some added variety in my collection. A purchase of the walker below from @C-B-D set me off on a new collecting adventure- coins with choice original surfaces and eye appeal but without dark patina. I’m always learning and I can say that it was indeed a challenge- it's much easier to determine originality when surfaces are dark, but not every coin was stored in such a way to create that look. For MS coins, finding crusty originality with eye appeal was also much more of a challenge than I expected. (I had inadvertently zeroed in on a look that CAC must really like, because I walked several bourse floors at smaller regional shows for hours and was lucky to find one coin with this look I was after, and it usually had a bean on it. Oh well.) Without further ado- here is the final lineup for this 2019 side project: True to my roots, my favorite coin purchase of 2019 is my avatar coin, and with the conclusion of this year and side project I’m excited to get back to hunting for classic US CircCams.
Do you collect coins or green stickers? ;-) The circulated coins have outstanding eye-appeal, in particular the Bust half/quarter. Very well selected!
I think most here have seen that I collect everything from raw Environmental Damaged $2 CircCam nickels to white dipped Morgans and everything in between as long as I like the coin... I can only suspect this look is one that is known for being stickered by folks who know more than I do about what CAC likes as I’ve never run into such a hill of beans as I did while pursuing it.
I’ve received some interesting feedback since sharing this, so for what it’s worth I’m going to elaborate on the choice of CAC-verified coins- I knew some folks had strong feelings about the subject but had only bought and sold a handful until working on this set. I see now just how polarizing a topic it is! 1. At the outset, I noticed that to get great color/eye appeal plus strict originality I was going to pay up for it CAC or not, so any premium associated with them didn’t bother me as I felt I’d be paying at least full retail regardless for these coins. I was searching for coins that spoke to me regardless of price guides or numerical grade. 2. Since this look was new territory for me as a collector, I figured at any time my eyes could light up for some crusty draped bust dollar or something and I might want to liquidate the whole thing fast to buy it without burying myself in the process. I’ve had good luck moving CAC stuff quickly at close to my cost. 3. By the time I had bought the fourth coin for this and it too had a bean, I reckoned I shared a taste with CAC for better or worse but would probably learn something in the process acquiring and examining some different types for this set. I see all this as using it as a tool to further my understanding of US coins and the market...I’m a little baffled that I could be labeled a CAC fanboy considering all the stuff I’ve shared here over the years (@micbraun - this is not in regard to your post FYI! ) but unfortunately I guess that’s where the hobby is at right now. I’ve always felt buy the coin not the holder went both ways... actively avoiding and passing on great coins because of the plastic they are in seems just as ridiculous as never touching NGC or ANACS or ICG coins to me, but I can definitely understand folks having strong feelings if they feel it is a market force that is devaluing their collections or forcing them to have to ship high dollar coins somewhere and pay for someone’s blessing when it comes time to divest. I’m not in those shoes but it makes a lot of sense. Anywho, I just wanted to share some cool coins I picked up this year but that’s my full take on the why. I really appreciate this community and it makes collecting a lot more fun. Here’s a sweet Barber half that came in the mail yesterday.
All spectacular. I'm salivating over the 1923 Peace and 1854 quarter, but that 1837? Perfect! The details highlighted against the right shade grey. Truly in awe.
Danged well hurts running into a hill of beans, don't it? Maybe not so bad but I can't get the bad taste out of my mouth.......
