Hello fellow YNs and YNH!

You never know what to expect when you click on Kepi's username to see her latest blog. From the smallest gold bar in the world, to a coin dealer horror movie review, Kepi is truly a wild card. But that is what makes her truly unique, and I am always looking forward to see what she talks about next. Kepi, ladies and gentlemen:

Me: How old are you?

Kepi: I turned 63 in August.

Me: What is your favorite coin?

Kepi: I think that out of all the coins, the Mercury Dime is my favorite! The design is so classic and is great to collect. Many of the strikes especially from the 1940's really show some amazing toning. Another over-all favorite... Toned coins in general. Naturally of course...haha! Wait, I can't leave out the "Una and the Lion" design. Reminds me of my big Golden Retriever who now lives under a huge tree in my yard never to be forgotten. 

Me: What is your favorite error?

Kepi: And by far the 1955 DDO Lincoln penny is the most amazing error coin I've ever seen! This and the next two coins also grace my collection! 

Me: What is your favorite VAM?

Kepi: My favorite VAM is the 1922 Peace Dollar VAM-12A "Mustache". 

Me: What is your favorite Variety?

Kepi: The 1937-D 3-Legged Buffalo Nickel is my favorite Variety.

Me: How did you start collecting?

Kepi:  My Grandpa was a coin collector...all kinds of raw coins. US and Foreign. Not many in high grades, just really cool old coins. I remember watching him with his magnifying glass and coin books, researching then putting the coin in a cardboard flip writing all the information on it. I was hooked. It was amazing and so was he. I still have those coins even after all these years. I have been collecting coins since I was a kid. All the stuff kids collect...Filling up coin folders, keeping special coins you got on vacations, crazy elongated pennies, a Morgan Dollar you got for your Birthday... great times indeed. 

Me: What is your advice for YNs and future numismatists?

Kepi: I'll always say "Collect what you like...What makes you happy". Times will change, don't worry about trends. You'll come and go from collecting...That's called life. The best time for me is going back looking through my collection after it's been awhile. To be proud and think "I've done well". 

Me: What is your favorite collecting story?

Kepi: My favorite collecting story isn't necessarily a good story; however it was an eye opener. My husband and I went to the CK Coin Show in Las Vegas back in 2014. We had a great time and the show was so fun! It was also his birthday... On the bourse floor I saw a coin dealer that I have bought from before. A little old couple from Arizona. He had a 1953 (my husband's birth year) raw California Gold Fractional Quarter Dollar for sale. At this point I knew nothing about gold and I had no business buying this coin. All I knew was that it was beautiful, had a sentimental date and I was told if there was any problem I could return it. What could go wrong...right? Well it turned out to be a "Modern fake" made out of brass. After months of correspondence and dissatisfaction and to make a long story short remember this... Buyer beware and that return policy, forget it... 

Thanks to Kepi (check out her profile and follow her!) for providing answers to what must have seemed like an endless spew of questions. And thank you all for reading. 

Keep collecting,

thatcoinguy.

P.S. Who should I interview next? Who do you guys want to hear from???