Another year is almost in the books and so it's time to share my favorite purchases of 2021. Many of these have entered my box of 20 (and might be familiar to those who recall that thread) while others are just as worthy but for now are on the outside waiting for an opening. Please use the poll to vote for your favorite (each number in the poll corresponds to my numbers in this post). The dominant theme is world. I was able to find a few from my want list this year including a Japanese Yen with the awesome dragon design and a luster bomb Guatemala Peso. Then there is the pair of Cap and Rays Mexico 8 Reales. These weren't on my radar until a conversation with @Mkman123 (who helped me see what I was missing out on). I went from none to two: a blast white prooflike with great mirrors and a super toner. The toner took some time finding its way to my collection; I was the underbidder at a Stacks auction, then saw it priced for twice the Stacks amount at the ANA show, and finally acquired it for less than my Stacks bid via an eBay auction! Although the Mexican toner didn't go my way at Stacks, the New Year's Klippe did! It satisfied my desire for a city view and an unusual shaped numismatic item. Rounding out the world acquisitions, I added a Queen Jadwiga 10 Zloty (a beautiful design and a coin that I didn't realize would be such a challenge to find before I began my search) and an oddball modern toner from Portugal. A few US items made the list too. Not surprisingly they are toners. I'm a big fan of Columbian Expo Commems, so the 1892 58 star toner was a must have from the moment I saw it pop up for sale. The squared quarter was something I had known about for several years but never pulled the trigger on until this year. Seeing a magnificently toned one, I could not resist. And last but not least, the 1961 Quarter is a lovely toner that I missed out on once but made sure to win when the second opportunity came knocking. (1) 1892 NGC AU 58 Star Columbian Expo Commemorative Half Dollar (2) 1984 PCGS PR 67 Squared Quarter (3) 1893 Mexico 8 Reales NGC MS 62 (4) 1896 Guatemala Peso MS 62 (5) 1904 Japan Yen NGC MS 63 (6) (1904) Stuttgart City Klippe (7) 1932 Poland 10z Queen Jadwiga NGC AU 58 (8) 2004 Portugal 8 Euro Stylized Goal Keeper PCGS MS 64 (9) 1887 Mexico 8 Reales PCGS AU 58 (10) 1961-D PCGS MS 65 Washington Quarter
For me it was between #1 and #5. That Japanese Yen has a gorgeous design, but in the end, as it usually does, toning wins with me. That Columbian is the embodiment of the AU64 theoretical grade, and the toning and overall eye appeal are just exquisite. Winner: #1
#9. I love the toning on the 8 Reales. All of the coins are fabulous, but that one is just special. Great top 10– so hard to choose a #1. The 1904 Yen was a very close second for me. Also close was #1, for amazing toning.
Thank you for all the comments! Here was the thread I posted about the squared quarter if anyone wants to read a bit more: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/squared-quarter-toned-slabbed.388107/
Thats good stuff right there. I had never heard of one. Gonna have to keep my eyes peeled now. I am definitely leaning towards the square coins, as my favorites. The toning on that Columbian is fantastic.
I voted before I read the replies and it appears I am in good company. While the toning is not a deciding factor for me, I am just a fan of the design and think yours is a very eye appealing example.
Thank you! The squared quarter has a cool story and it fits my appreciation of the unusual. These pop up on eBay but can be pricey. The guy who made them still lists them on his website, but I'm not sure if he actively checks in. If you get lucky and see one at a local coin store that doesn't know what this is, then definitely grab it. Thank you! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I was avoiding this design in previous years.
