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I promise that this will be a short post! Last year in 2020, I won my seventh NGC Journal Award. Along with a plaque and generous grading credit, NGC sent a special pedigreed coin to each of its major award winners. The following paragraph details how delighted I was with the mystery coin when it arrived in the mail yesterday!
Often when we think of the Kennedy's our first thoughts go to John and Bobby, who were assassinated. We might also think of Teddy, who saw his political aspirations for higher office end at Chappaquiddick. When I look back at history, I can't help but think what the political landscape might look like today if things were different. In my estimation, there was a strong possibility all three Kennedy brothers would have been President of the United States.
When I first look at a coin, I often ask myself, "What's this coin trying to tell me about itself?" Sometimes that coin's story is in its date, mintage, mintmark, die variety, and metallic composition, to name a few. However, I almost always find my coins' design features far more interesting than its technical characteristics. If they say a picture is worth a thousand words, I want to know what my coins' allegorical images intend to communicate.
Every year due to my Collectors Society membership renewal grading credits I send at least one submission/year to NGC for grading. Some years I send US coins and some world coins. Lately due to my Laura Gardin Fraser collection I've been sending medals.
Recently I bought a new macro lens for my camera. The lens is a Laowa V-DX 60MM F2.8 Macro 2:1. Now I know I already have a macro lens but if I am ever going to take my coin photography on the road, I will need a much more versatile lens.
When it comes to coinage designs the two most important features I look for are brilliant artistry and strong allegories. Occasionally these two characteristics appear on modern US coins. However, many of those are expensive to collect because they are struck in gold, platinum, and palladium.
Is this edition of Garys Coins From The Vault I am highlighting the two major varieties of the Shield Nickel. Though I was unable to personally go to the ANA show this year, the dealer who is helping me to up-grade my type set did. There according to my want list he located an MS-63 1867 Shield Nickel w/Rays to up-grade an AU-50 1866 nickel. This new coin joins the final year of issue PF-63 1883 already in my collection. I think you will find it interesting to compare a well struck business strike Shield Nickel with a proof nickel of a similar type.I'm trying to figure out the ding in the 5 of the 1883 nickel. I'm thinking that it might be a strike-through.
I have been asked to post various coins from my collection. Thus, I will periodically post coins from my 7070 type set vault. This first postfeaturesmy Indian Head Cents; an AU-58 1859 laurelwreathvariety, an MS-63 1863 copper-nickel oak wreath with shield variety, and an MS-65 1903 bronze red/brown variety.
As I read through the blogs posted here, one of my favorite reads is when Kepi writes about her Mercury Dimes. While the coin I'm writing about here is not a Mercury Dime, it is very reminiscent of her dimes in terms of toning and beauty.
The recent US Mint release of the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative coins have been of a special significance to my wife and I. Some 50 years ago when my wife was only 7 she lost her mother to breast cancer. This has had a lasting negative effect on my wife's life. Knowing that there can be a genetic effect on my wife and that of my daughter, my wife gets an annual check-up to make sure everything is all right. The good news is so far, so good. My daughter is still young but she will have to be mindful of this also as she gets older.
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