geekpryde's "Box of 100" CAC Type Set

Okay, here are the long promised new slab photos from coins I re-slabbed years ago but never took new photos.

BEFORE and AFTER. These slab shots are intended to show the full shot, not a close up of the coin. So priority here is less about showing the coin as a perfect closeup, and more just a balance photo showing both the coin and its frame.

[OLD SLAB]



Box Position (7): 1857 Cent Flying Eagle NGC XF45 CAC [RESHOOT]





I love Obverse of this coin, my problem is the Reverse. Every time I see photos of this coin I get annoyed, as the hits/marks under the "CENT" looks almost intentional to me, and look like scratches. It's not ideal when something bugs you about your own coin in a box of 100.

The really sad part is I sold I coin that was rejected by CAC that I liked better, to get this coin. Coin photos make it look worse in hand due to light catching the marks. The sellers photos sort of hid (not intentionally) the areas that bugs me, but honestly those old shots LOOKS more like then coin does in hand. Without direct light hitting the coin surface, you don't really see the problem.

So now I am wondering if I should upgrade this Box Spot yet again... Even though the problem is exclusively bugs me in the pics but not when looking at the coin in hand. (first world problems) I would say time will heal the wounds, but really, those scratch-like marks have been annoying me since 2014.


Seller photos from like a decade ago.




I wonder if this could even get into a CACG holder now:

 

Honestly the original slab photo looks great. Shows the slab and coin equally good. Not sure why I even had this one re-slabbed, I think there were chips & cracks in the case on the reverse.

The reality of this coin in-hand is somewhere in the middle of the Before & After shots. Coin looks too flat in the original slab, and too shiny in the new shots.

This is a great example of how one set of photos cannot show a coins full picture.






Box Position (20): 1858 Half Dime Seated Liberty, Stars Obverse NGC AU58 CAC [RESHOOT]

 

Box Position (24): 1883 Five Cent Piece - Liberty Head, No Cents NGC MS65 CAC [RESHOOT]

 

The SBA is one of those anomaly coins for me. In theory, I hate the design of this coin. (not my specific coin, ALL SBAs)

However, I am confronted by the fact that I actually really like these coins in-hand and in high MS.

Again, please keep in mind these new photos may appear to be a step backwards in how the coin itself is presented. My goal is for slab shots, so I can get accurate photos of what the coin is actually housed in.

Old Slab:





Box Position (73): 1979-S Dollar Anthony NGC MS67 [RESHOOT]

New Slab Shot:

 

This coin was re-slabbed purely to get the DDO added to the label.

I was able to see if even in the original seller photos, and then checked with my macro lens to confirm.




Here is something I made up when I first got the coin, and before It was designated as such by the TPG.




Box Position (78): 1854 Gold Dollar Type 2 DDO FS-101 NGC AU55 CAC
[RESHOOT]

 

This slab was beat to heck. I could hide it pretty well with just a close up shot, but I got it housed and also got a very minor variety S/S added the holder (that probably no one cares about.) I dont think PCGS even lists its as a variety.

If I were doing it again, I probably would NOT even want the variety listed on the holder.







View attachment 1596312

Box Position (81): 1886-S/S Half Eagle Coronet, Motto VP-001 NGC MS62 CAC [RESHOOT]






Not my coin, but shows the variety:

 

I decided to re-re-shoot that coin. Driving me nuts how the coin photos made that areas 100x worse than you can see even holding the coin right up to your face.

So I changed lenses (to what I should have been using the whole time), and here is the result. These photos well represent the coin.

Now I am happy with the pics AND the coin.

Funny thing about this hobby for me is that I spend more time looking at the photos of a coin, than the actual coin itself, as they are often locked away for long periods of time. So if the photos are bad, then its a major issue for me and make we feel crazy .

 

Don't mind me while I think aloud... I will help me remember my collecting goals in the coming year. Doubt this will be on any interest to anyone, but I at least now I can Google my goals, increase my old brain forgets...

(1) Cull a few coins I don't love anymore, namely:

• my 1943/2 Jefferson Nickel (already replaced)
• my Barber dime Type. (Too dark, sort of ugly except in the exact right lighting)

​

(2) Send off a PCGS submission (I finally joined recently) to get ~4 coins re-slabbed and photographed by TrueView.

(3) Send off a CAC stickering (legacy) submission. I only have 1 coin for that right now.

(4) Find a worthy Example coin for a few previously listed Types. I think I will try and purchase ~10 coins in 2024.

(5) Up my coin storage game. I will have a post here in the coming weeks about how I store my Box of 100 coins. But I need to expand by long term storage for the safe deposit box now that I am past 75 coins. Easy problem to fix.

(6) Update my coin website to list many newly purchased coins and remove coins no longer in my Type set.

(7) attend a Coin show outside of Maine. Maine shows are pretty tiny and a little sad...

(8) Stay focused on my Type set goals. I have already accidently purchased two coins I shouldn't have, as they don't have a home in my Box of 100. I know I am not the only one that accidently wins coins.

(9) Add descriptions of each of my coins to this Thread, so fellow members can see the differences between similar looking coins in my Type set (what makes them their own "type"), and what I like about each coin, etc. Basically I few sentences about each coin in my Box-of-100.


p.s.

Regarding why I don't have a Morgan dollar in the Type set, even though I have shared many of them over the years.

When I took a break (quit?) the hobby for ~10 years, I sold off my last remaining Morgan around 2014. In retrospect, I slightly regret that I did that, but also I wanted a *WOW* Morgan and my Type coin was just "nice". I have handled many Morgans, especially in old NGG fatty holders. I liked many of them. But one of the only Morgans I ever held & photographed that made we say WOW is a coin owned by @Mainebill. Here is a photo I took of that coin:



That coin and similar coins of its quality, are way out of my price league. But I am making it a goal for 2024 to find an affordable coin I can wowed by for my Type set.

 

I'm on the hunt weekly for my special Morgan example. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be sure to update this thread when the time comes.

 

New Additions for January 2024

​

Box Position (86): 2000-P Dollar Sacagawea PCGS MS67 [toned, actually looks really nice in hand, these photos are poor representation]




Box Position (87): 2015 Bullion Tenth-Ounce Gold American Eagle PCGS MS70 [Label looks like crap in photos, but actually looks good in hand]




Box Position (88): 1837 Half Dollars Capped Bust, Reeded Edge "50 Cents" PCGS XF45

 

Couple of New Additions.

Box Position (34): 1898 Dime Barber Liberty Head PCGS MS64 CAC
Upgraded a coin I didn't really Like to this. Obv is only so-so toning, but I really like the Reverse Toning, but you don't really see it in these images.





Box Position (90): 1965 Quarter Dollar Washington Clad PCGS MS66
A very cheap ~$20 Example of a CLAD Washington, with what I thought was nice subtle toning and a pleasing overall look.




Box Position (91): 1873 Quarter Dollar Seated Liberty, Motto Arrows PCGS VF25 (will send to CAC)



Box Position (92): 1807 Quarter Dollars Draped Bust PCGS FR2 CAC
A pleasing looking low grade coin.



Box Position (93): 1976-D Half Dollars Kennedy Bicentennial, Clad PCGS MS66

I have been hunting for a CLAD Bicentennial Kennedy in MS67, but the always go for money money than I want to spend. I finally found an MS66 example with pleasing toning.



Box Position (74): 1976-S Dollar Eisenhower Bicentennial Silver PCGS MS68
Just a basic nice Type coin in a high grade for the Silver version of the coin. (will send to CAC)


1837 5C HALF DIME - SEATED LIBERTY, NO STARS LARGE DATE PCGS VF30
This replaces a coin I loved (in every way except one), purchased recently, except that is has a major flaw that I totally overlooked when I purchased it, and drives me nuts and I need to sell it before I have a breakdown. So now I have this coin, that I am not totally in love with, but minus the Rim Hit that was causing me emotional problems.

 

Though “clad quarter” is synonymous with “boring” in my book, that is a really super sweet example that I totally would have spent the money on. (And not just because it’s from my birthyear.)

I misunderstood your commentary about the 1837 half dime, and was looking for a rim hit on the newer addition. Which looks fine. Crusty and original. I like the NS Seated stuff. Don’t have any in my own Box of 100, presently.

 

Re. your new year’s comment:

This is exactly my situation. I’ve actually sold some coins because I didn’t like the way they looked in photos!

And there are six or eight in my current Box of 100 that I’m keeping, which are nice coins, but which I’m still unsatisfied with the photography on.

(One case in point…)

 

(Edit: oops, I suppose that question might’ve been directed at our thread author, but I’ll answer it, too.)

When my “Box of 100” is inside my safe deposit box, I use cardboard stock boxes like this, rather than the plastic PCGS/NGC boxes. (Because the cardboard ones have no dividers/slots, they'll hold a few more coins inside each box.)




When I'm on the go, I have an aluminum Lighthouse briefcase that holds 100 slabs.



I used to have several Lighthouse slab albums (quite fancy and handsome), and they displayed the coins nicely, but they just proved a bit too cumbersome to schlep around, so I sold them and now just go with the briefcase.