�����Hello everyone, I apologize for the lack of content over the previous few weeks. As a YN and a senior in high school things have been very hectic since I posted a blog post last time. Thank you for your understanding!

John Matthias Reich was the Assistant engraver for the US mint under Chief engraver Robert Scot. His works included some of the most highly-collected coins within the US coinage series. His most notable designs are the Capped Bust types, of which all silver denominations of US coinage took on at the time, and the series lasted from 1807 through 1839.

�Hello everyone, my small break from writing these topics is over. And with that, I have decided to discuss my time at the FUN show this past weekend. The Florida United Numismatists (FUN) association has its signature show every year in January and is usually regarded as the biggest show to take place annually. The 2020 January FUN show consisted of booths and thousands of people from all over the globe.�

Hello everyone,2019 has been a great year for many people in the numismatic community; myself included. This is a list of my five most favorite coins that I have taken ownership of in this year. All of these coins are pictured in the thumbnail above. As the holiday season comes in and the 2010's come to a close, it is time to look back and see what we all have acquired over the past few years.#5.� � � � � � � 1730 Spanish S S 2 reales, XF details, holed; $20This was one of my favorites because as a collector of Spanish reales and especially two reales it was super satisfying to own one with this amount of details. I sniped it off of an eBay auction for the price of around $20. Most of my reales up to this point were not very expensive and usually low-grade/almost slick. This example features a strong and well-centered strike. The fine details of the shield, denticles, Spanish cross, flowers, and lettering are clearly visible making for a beautiful and historically significant coin.

�Hello everyone.�� � �On my last blog I posted about the draped bust quarter, picturing the reverse of a holed example. Several members replied speaking of their details coins/draped bust type coins, so I decided it would be a great idea to talk about details-graded coins in my next blog. So first we must ask, what is a details coin? In numismatics, a details coin is a strike of coinage that is seen by collectors as having a major flaw or damage that keeps it from receiving a numerical grade-- instead receiving a grade title followed by "details"(i.e. XF details, VF details). This damage usually includes but is not limited to corrosion, holing and sometimes plugging, deep rim nicks, scratches, improper cleaning, polishing, bent coins, PVC/chemical damage, tooling, graffiti, and much more.A newer collector might ask "Well why would a collector buy a coin with a hole or scratch when they can buy a coin without any damage?" Well, for the same reason you would buy an 1889 CC Morgan dollar in VG-08 as opposed to MS-66; money. While some numismatists may walk through a coin show and purchase any coin that they may like or need for a set, many collectors such as YN's and retired numismatists do not have thousands of dollars to drop on a single coin. Because damaged coins are usually sold for a significantly lower price, it means that a lower-budget collector might be able to own a dream coin or a type coin that usually sells for hundreds or thousands even in lower grades.For example, one of my favorite coins is a PCGS graded 1879-S Morgan dollar with deep-mirror prooflike fields. (Unfortunately?) There is a scratch across miss Liberties cheek, causing it to grade as PCGS UNC Details. While I bought the coin at the price of $60, a DMPL-graded Morgan dollar of the same date and MM would sell for $650 in MS-64 according to [1]PCGS Coinfacts, meaning that because of a small scratch, the price of the silver dollar was dragged down by severely from its estimated value. Another one of my favorite detailed coin buys is my 1854 O arrows seated liberty half dime. I purchased it while on vacation at Myrtle Beach, SC. The coin itself is small and would be around AU-53 if it were not for the hole on liberties head. I purchased it somewhere around the price of $13, and can sell for $148 in non-details grades according to [2]usacoinbook.comPlease leave anything related to this blog in the comments. I love seeing replies and it would be thrilling to see what other collectors have acquired.� It is magnificent that collectors on a budget can purchase such significant pieces and buy coins that we never could see ourselves owning anytime soon.