Well a couple of fellow collectors told me I was reaching this mark.  They wanted to know what do you get. I said allot. I got the benefit of meeting new friends. I was able to share my knowledge of my coins with other collectors. They asked how did you  do it. I said that's easy I'm disabled and I have a large collection so I'm home with nothing to do. I received a wealth of information reading blogs and forums.        I put a set together that took five years with the help of others. When I wanted to give up they picked me up. I was rewarded simply by helping those who joined this institution of learning. The yns when you help them with there site with what's this coin. By setting them on there way to a lifetime of the joy of collecting coins. How many things did I get. I was able to go to shows. Not physically but through their blogs and messages. I felt I was there. And I became sick in May many friends would send a message asking how was I and don't worry you can beat this.       I learned respect for my fellow collectors. I learned character and honesty. I learned this and much more from a group of people I never met. Then disaster hit  me again and again and now I'm walking.  I get so many people telling me that's great. They made me feel whole as a person. That nothing in this life can beat you down unless you let it. They wouldn't let me. The people the organization of learning about coins got me through so much. When I was in the hospital I would look at my coins on my phone. There was no pain then. Use my motto Never Give Up.        The ANA gave me support a gentleman named Sam . Who use to have a cup of coffee with me in the morning. I can't say all the names of collectors  because I'm afraid of leaving one out and that's not fair. I had my wife drop off my magazines at the library I learned this from another friend.. They were pleased to get them. Yes I learned to give. The mission here I believe is to educate people on the benefit of collecting coins. That cost money. I learned to give so yns could.go to the summer seminar. The yns auction. Coins for the class rooms that's what the ANA did for me. You see you think I  didn't get anything when in fact you get to learn what I have written. So I did get something for.reaching the 100,000 mark. In my misery and pain I learned to live again. All for.a couple of bucks. So I thank all of you for helping me reach this mark..And learning about why I love coins. I would also like to thank  all of those who run the ANA.  You see I did get allot. Thanks all. Mike         

Hi everyone. Well I read the blog by Sun yesterday about the medals of Nixon. Now medals are very underrated. Simply because there is no value to them there not legal tender. But based on the person creating the medal that's not true.Now I saw some medals on the Heritage Auction Site some had a reserve of five hundred dollars simply because the person was famous.. I like medals of Cathedrals and Basilicas.      The Medal of The Basilica  da Estrela  or the Royal Basilica and convent of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Is located in Lisbon Portugal. It's a minor Basilica and Carmelite convent of Lisbon.  It was ordered built by Queen Maria.Shortly after her wedding to her uncle.in 1760. Maria Princess of Brazil vowed before the Sacred Heart of Jesus to build a church. In 1779 when she took the thrown. Queen Maria ordered construction . It turned out to be one of the most beautiful church's in Europe at the time..         Now the medal is quite big it's 90 know and made of bronze. When I saw The Medal I looked the church up. If you look at the picture of the church and The tree it's exactly the one on the obverse of the medal. I could not find the maker of the medal . This happens sometimes. Even when it's made in 1979. Some one will make it and then they start making them and selling them. The picture of the inside of the church shows the absolute beauty of the church. They used these different types of marble       It gets many visitors every year. It also has the largest Nativity Scene of five hundred figures. . Now it's not the biggest in Europe but the many pictures I saw  it the interior makes it one of the most beautiful. Now shopping on EBay it caught my eye. When I saw the price that also caught my eye. So we say buy What we like. I couldn't get the dark red color that the Medal is made of. The reverse has the image of Queen Maria.. Again I learned something in the reserch. The fact that the Queen had a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I do not know if the Catholic Church verified this. But many just believe. . I hope you enjoyed the Little Basilica  as I call it. Sure it's underrated but I like it and that's all I care about. I wish I could get the original color. Thanks.

Hi everyone. Last week I wrote a blog on a very great token of a very important man in the history of the reign of King Henry the VIII. One of my favorites. Not really. Now.I figured I would write a blog on the famous Soho mint. Little did I know this went on for page after page covering all aspects of the mint. It has tremendous history.     The Soho mint was officially opened in 1788. It was designed by Matthew Boultin. He had asked permission of King George  the III . He was granted an opening ten years later  in 1788. It's were these pieces of art in copper were made.. It's located  in Handsworth West Midlands England. It has eight steam powered presses that would make 70 to 84 per hour. Big difference from today.. Now the presses were patented by Boultin himself.. In one of the pictures you can see the tokens or coins falling into the basket.       Now before we go any further he did make coins for England. Spain and the people of the French revolution. He had the best die makers Britain had to offer. The token on the bottom of the mint was done by Peter Kempson.one of the many great die makers of his time.I can't list them all just to many. They made coins for the colonies as well      Now with all kinds counterfeiting came in as a problem. Britain took up a great fight against this as did George the III. In one of the photos you can see Soho by the red line. Not very well but it's there. He used weights to capture these people and it worked. The counterfeiting was rampant during the the 1770 before the mentioned opened up. If you were caught you died that simple. In 1771 a woman was caught. She was hung outside the Newgate Prison another great token.  After she was hung she was burned at the stake. Might be a good idea today.Well it's a small world. When I first started collecting these I was directed to one Bill Mckivor. This man studied them and would go to Britain to buy them. He has sold thousands. . Saw a token I liked he said send a check to me. Well a few days later I received my token. I didn't mail the check yet. He said don't worry I know I will get it . He helped me allot about these tokens. What I didn't know he was a very good friend of Richard G. Dick Doty . Senior Numismatic Curator at the Smithsonian institution. He passed away on the second of June2013. He also loved the tokens

Hi everyone. I decided to write a blog today on a coin  I'm not really a fan of. It never caught my eye. Now I can't remember when I bought this. If anything it has to be an auction. My mentor told me it's America's coin. I disagreed. We all know to put a complete set together would be one of the hardest things to do. The first thing you would need is funds. Even though the price of silver has gone down the Morgan continues to hold its price.      Now we know the the history of this great coin. Designed by George T. Morgan. It's the coin of The west being first minted in the Carson City mint. They are the most desirable. That little cc on the reverse is wanted by most collector's. Mine is a 1898 O MS 66. It has great luster and there is not a mark on it. I know the picture shows something on the reverse. It's the camera.  My mentor said everyone should own a Morgan. So over time I picked up about  24. Nothing of great value except my Carson City Coin found in the hoard of the Carson City Mint by the G.S.A. You have seen them they come in packaging with a number most graded by N.G.C.        Now that hoard had a huge impact on the value of some of the coins. Before the coins were found the mintage was very low in some years. When they found them some of the mintages went up by 80%. So if you had a low.mintage C.C.  before they found the hoard your value dropped considerably.. To my surprise there still for sale today. They tone very nicely but many carry the dreaded bag marks on the obverse and reverse..     Now like my mentor I would suggest you buy one. I would never tell you to buy one. The prices on some are very reasonable. The MS 63 and 64. When your getting a nice coin. Now the New Orleans mint was not known for luster and cartwheels. But there are some like my coin. The luster is outstanding. You can tell by the holder it's a coin that was slabed years ago. The scales of justice . Now Mr. Longstrider is serching for Vams amongst Morgan's and Peace dollars he has already had an article published on them. I hope he finds them all.. Both series have plenty. I even own one. I think it's a Vam three. The stars are doubled. Not all a few.. Now you would think that a coin like this with the grade would command a very high price. It is unremarkable, luster cartwheel but it's not worth a couple of thousand. I never put the price in the blog you can look it up the mintage was 440,000 around that which to me is not that low but low enough. There are only 334 higher in its grade.    Even though it's not worth a million like some, I still for some reason like this coin. I don't know how they price these anymore. I knew a 66 would be valued high. I checked two places. One is what I would expect. The other I would say is valued at a MS 62. Who knows. It's the joy the coin brings. Not the value. Not the condition. The coin. There are many many circulated Morgan's that are in great shape and they have a patina on them. They go for about forty dollars. To me that's a great deal. Some of them these carry good value. . So I hope you enjoyed this blog on America's coin. Myself I believe the Buffalo Nickel is America's coin. Have a great day. Mike.

Well those of us who collected the first Eagle Set now have a new one coming . This will be all pure silver with a new reverse. I will not be around for this one. Not thirty years anyway. What this does is continues the mint it's steady cash flow without missing a beat. Since this is made from pure silver will the price of the first one drop?. I know the starting price will be above the regular price but they will level off.     Now this starts in 2021. So take your age of starting the first set . Add it and assume it will go just as long. I would say you have a chance of both sets of you started in 1986 to 2020 thats 34 years. To go another 34 years will make you 68 years old. I'm 66 now. I don't have a chance. It is the best selling coin the mint put out. The new set of course will have the sub sets like happy birthday congratulations burneshed. And anniversary coins. Different finishes  reverse proofs and everything you saw in the first set.       So if your a yn. You get to buy both sets. If your my age one set. And maybe some special coins But who knows what they have planned for this set?.There has to be special coins. I think the burnished will continue. But will they celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the  The Silver Eagle? I can see thirty thousand being sold for that one if they do it. There are so many variables with the change in the design. I really am only speculating about the whole thing.what if they continue it as one set will it be The Silver Eagle Set just one? I think we're in for allot of surprises. No one knows for sure. Maybe they will only do this ten years or the fiftieth anniversary. Some  coins have changed the reverse and the set remained the same. Will that happen?      What are your thoughts on the change of the most sold coin from the mint.? Please think outside the box. I did. Nothing I said is written in stone. I'm not even sure this is a new set.? What do you think and how long should it run. Let us know.. Thanks Mike.