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Message:: [QUOTE="iPen, post: 2302834, member: 69760"]I guess I'm different from most collectors... I generally like to have one of each type of coin, so as to keep things visually interesting. So, as a collector, I like to flip a relatively low grade coin and purchase a higher grade version (e.g. AU to MS60+). Flipping is inherent to my strategy to maintain a high(er) grade collection. It doesn't always work out where I'd at least break even, and that's ok - I also find under-priced coins purely to flip outside of my collection, but I'm generally adding cash to fund the hobby. So for me, I use flipping as a means to a higher grade collection's end (as opposed to more money in the bank). Consequently, the perceived value of TPG slabs do matter to me as a means; starting with a raw, or an ICG, ANACS, or other TPG slabbed coin, and submitting it to NGC or PCGS may make a difference. If that means I'm not a true collector, that's ok, too. Although it's nowhere near the same magnitude, it reminds me of the true story of a guy from Craigslist who traded his way from a red paperclip, to (eventually) an entire house - imagine doing the same with a penny you found on the ground! MacDonald made his first trade, a red paper clip for a fish-shaped pen, on July 14, 2005. He reached his goal of trading up to a house with the fourteenth transaction, trading a movie role for a house. This is the list of all transactions MacDonald made:<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/One_red_paperclip.jpg/220px-One_red_paperclip.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Kyle MacDonald's red paperclip<ol> <li>On July 14, 2005, he went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver" rel="nofollow">Vancouver</a> and traded the paperclip for a fish-shaped <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen" rel="nofollow">pen</a>.</li> <li>He then traded the pen the same day for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpture" rel="nofollow">hand-sculpted</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorknob" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorknob" rel="nofollow">doorknob</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle,_Washington" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle,_Washington" rel="nofollow">Seattle, Washington</a>.</li> <li>On July 25, 2005, he travelled to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst,_Massachusetts" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst,_Massachusetts" rel="nofollow">Amherst, Massachusetts</a>, with a friend to trade the doorknob for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleman_Company" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleman_Company" rel="nofollow">Coleman</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_stove" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_stove" rel="nofollow">camp stove</a> (with fuel).</li> <li>On September 24, 2005, he went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California" rel="nofollow">California</a>, and traded the camp stove for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda" rel="nofollow">Honda</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_generator" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_generator" rel="nofollow">generator</a>.</li> <li>On November 16, 2005, he made a second (and successful) attempt (after having the generator confiscated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Fire_Department" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Fire_Department" rel="nofollow">New York City Fire Department</a>) in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maspeth,_Queens" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maspeth,_Queens" rel="nofollow">Maspeth, Queens</a>, to trade the generator for an "instant party": an empty <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keg" rel="nofollow">keg</a>, an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOU" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOU" rel="nofollow">IOU</a> for filling the keg with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer" rel="nofollow">beer</a> of the holder's choice, and a neon <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_(Anheuser-Busch)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_(Anheuser-Busch)" rel="nofollow">Budweiser</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_sign" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_sign" rel="nofollow">sign</a>.</li> <li>On December 8, 2005, he traded the "instant party" to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec" rel="nofollow">Quebec</a> comedian and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio" rel="nofollow">radio</a> personality <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Barrette" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Barrette" rel="nofollow">Michel Barrette</a> for one Ski-doo <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmobiles" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmobiles" rel="nofollow">snowmobile</a>.</li> <li>Within a week of that, he traded the snowmobile for a two-person trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahk,_British_Columbia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahk,_British_Columbia" rel="nofollow">Yahk, British Columbia</a>, in February 2006.</li> <li>On or about January 7, 2006, he traded the second spot on the Yahk trip for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_truck" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_truck" rel="nofollow">box truck</a>.</li> <li>On or about February 22, 2006, he traded the cube van for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_contract" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_contract" rel="nofollow">recording contract</a> with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalworks_Studios" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalworks_Studios" rel="nofollow">Metalworks</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississauga,_Ontario" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississauga,_Ontario" rel="nofollow">Mississauga, Ontario</a>.</li> <li>On or about April 11, 2006, he traded the recording contract to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Marie_Gnant" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Marie_Gnant" rel="nofollow">Jody Gnant</a> for a year's rent in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona" rel="nofollow">Phoenix, Arizona</a>.</li> <li>On or about April 26, 2006, he traded the one year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona, for one afternoon with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper" rel="nofollow">Alice Cooper</a>.</li> <li>On or about May 26, 2006, he traded the one afternoon with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper" rel="nofollow">Alice Cooper</a> for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)" rel="nofollow">KISS</a> motorized <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_globe" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_globe" rel="nofollow">snow globe</a>.</li> <li>On or about June 2, 2006, he traded the KISS motorized snow globe to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corbin_Bernsen" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corbin_Bernsen" rel="nofollow">Corbin Bernsen</a> for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_(performing_arts)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_(performing_arts)" rel="nofollow">role</a> in the film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_on_Demand" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_on_Demand" rel="nofollow">Donna on Demand</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip#cite_note-3" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip#cite_note-3" rel="nofollow">[3]</a></li> <li>On or about July 5, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story farmhouse in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipling,_Saskatchewan" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipling,_Saskatchewan" rel="nofollow">Kipling, Saskatchewan</a>.</li> </ol><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Red-paperclip-news-1.jpg/220px-Red-paperclip-news-1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Kyle MacDonald's house <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip</a>[/QUOTE]

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