YeOldeCollector Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 Nostalgia is starting to set in. I'm going to miss this school but mostly the people. But you'll always have us lot!!! I wish you the best of luck with your graduation George, make the most of the time you have left at the school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted June 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Hurray! I'm done! Now to enjoy the last week of college life. I'm looking forward to coming back to you guys ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Hurray! I'm done! Now to enjoy the last week of college life. I'm looking forward to coming back to you guys ;-) Congrats and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie582 Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Sorry, George! but you're never finished with the 'lernin thang' but enjoy the pause! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtryka Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted June 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 Tomorrow's the Big Day Number 1! I'll be saying good bye to professors from Materials Science in the morning. Receiving my "Order of the Engineer" ring in the afternoon. Then in the evening I'll hear Mayor Daley speak at convocation along with ~2000 of other Class of 2008 graduates. EARLY on Saturday morning I'll be at the Engineering graduation hearing my name called (hopefully) and getting my diploma!! Oh, I'm soooo nervous. The nostalgia is setting in heavy now. I just wish I had the time to say goodbye to my good friends, my favorite places, and still somehow move out easily. Packing the room starts tonight with the help of my family but I bet a few tears will come to my eyes as I put my dorm room in boxes for the last time Alright... sorry for talking about all of this here. This forum is filled with many great people and I just needed to express some of my nervousness!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtryka Posted June 19, 2008 Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 You'll quickly recover when you hit the "real world" but always cherish the memories, in a few years you'll look at all your experiences, good and bad very fondly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted June 19, 2008 Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 Good luck and enjoy your last moments there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted June 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Today's the Big One in my eyes. 8:30 am: Engineering School graduation where I get called up to the stage and hopefully feel a diploma in my envelope. Then after saying a quick goodbye to some of the best friends I've made in my four years here, I hop on the El to Wrigley Field to see the White Sox beat the Cubs senseless! After that, I head back to Evanston, pack up my last belongings into our car and say goodbye to the wonderful dorm I've lived in for four years and goodbye to the friends I've made in it. Then dinner with the family and then sneaking out to see some of my friends. HOPEFULLY I won't get back to the hotel room until late at night because I'll be with my friends! So sad!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Make sure you go out with a bang George!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtryka Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Well, I hope you have a great day, except I'll be cheering the Cubbies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted July 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Le back. Will ravage the forum tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Welcome back George!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted July 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks, Clive! I visited a friend in Austin, Texas. Then drove to a small town called Cresson, Texas for a week to watch solar-powered vehicles built by 20 American, Canadian, UK, and German universities qualify for the North American Solar Challenge. That part of Texas is HOT and DRY and WINDY and actually felt like a hair dryer pointed in my face. Since I came along as an official, I manned the race track from a shady chair at one of the turns and would escape the heat anywhere I found a shadow. Then the race started on the 13th in Plano, Texas. I switched among teams every day and followed the solar cars to make sure there were no safety or otherwise legal violations. It was a blast riding with so many teams and meeting so many people. I saw how some teams thrived underpressure and others were inhibited by poor team dynamics. As an official, they had to room me every night, feed me at meal time, give me a seat in a vehicle right behind the solar vehicle, and respect me because I could determine how they finished the race. The race went from Plano to Winnipeg, Manitoba to Calgary, Alberta. 2,200 miles. I did the race as a competitor in 2005, I came back as an official for a less-stressful way to get to Calgary and see the fun. I'll post pics on some website sometime this next week. If you can't wait, check out North American Solar Challenge website. Now I'm home for good. Time to restart the job search process and enjoy my retirement from studenthood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 Sounds like you had a great time, was this a paid job or just something that you wanted to do once you'd finished Uni? I look forward to seeing you active on the forum again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted July 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 Sounds like you had a great time, was this a paid job or just something that you wanted to do once you'd finished Uni? I look forward to seeing you active on the forum again! I'll be active alright. I've got nothing else to keep me busy. I just wanted to do it. I'd like to go to business school in several years and the trip really gave me a chance to observe team dynamics, decison making, etc - stuff that will be useful for school or at the very least the entrance essays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted July 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 The 2008 American Numismatic Association show in Baltimore, MD I never thought I'd get to this show for years. The bourse room floor was THREE times larger than what I'm used to. I discovered SEVERAL separate rooms for auctions when I left the show. This show was my best chance to land some of the key notes to my silver certificate series, so I nearly drove myself to insanity racing between tables. I took a nearly 4 hour train ride to Baltimore from Richmond. I usually drive but the train ride is only a few minutes longer. With these gas prices its not much more expensive and I can sleep and read all I want. I only had 4 hours in Baltimore to check out the show. This show needs at least two days to enjoy. I had to force myself to relax and check out the exhibits and tables. This was the first show I've been to that had exhibits. I got to see a 1913 V Nick, several early proofs, many well-made exhibits, and lots of nice coins and notes. Side note: I'll actually consider making an exhibit next time the ANA rolls to the east coast (year 2050 probably...). I'd like to bring my love of statistics (not the boring kind) and coins/notes together. With the internet, I can think of some great projects I could do. Anyway, I collect $1 Silver Certificates starting with the 1923 large size notes. Nothing too difficult but on my budget and given the few opportunities I have to get to a coin show/shop, it's been a delightfully tough series. I've got all but one of the regular issue notes - all signatures, seals, major varieties, etc. I also collect the star notes of the series, too. That means there are 56 notes for this collection. I only needed 15 when I arrived in Baltimore. However, there is a reason I don't have those notes yet - they are pretty damn hard to find. So I made use of the MILLIONS of tables in Baltimore. The good thing about having tough notes left to find is that I can quickly locate them when they are in the area. For the easier to find notes, I had to sit at a dealer's table and flip through hundreds of notes. Now, If I want a 1923 Large Size with Woods-Tate signature, I can just glance at a Dealer's table. If he has it, he'll have it up front easy to see. Same with several other notes of the 15. If I didn't see it, I'd just ask the dealer and he'd know off the top of his head. This was refreshing but frustrating at the same time - there were very few dealers that had what I needed. Then came the most frustrating part: If they did have it, it was out of my budget. I'm willing to put down $500 for a note. For most of these notes, I could only get them for that price if they were XF at best. Sadly, very few dealers catered to my budget, they only had UNC notes. Also EXTREMELY frustrating - TPG notes. They are truly a double-edged sword. I learned this yesterday. I tried to upgrade a 1928 C by selling a good one I had for a fine or better + $100. One dealer said he wouldn't take it because of the "damage." First of all, IFraying of the edges is expected for a note in this grade. Why were they making a big deal about it? Secondly, I got worried that the note I was sold several months ago wouldn't sell again. I bought the note knowing the grade wasn't great but the dealer sold me when he said I could sell it to another dealer and get an upgrade because a note that rare is always needed. It was the first time I tried selling something to a dealer. I went to another dealer and he said the note was perfectly fine. But I realized that dealers won't buy anything from non-dealers unless it's slabbed. I bet if my note was slabbed as Good then he would have bought it, even though its the same note without the slab. I also realized many of these key notes I need will be slabbed which means there is very little negotiating in price (based on grade). It also means that dealers who deal in slabs will only have the nicer notes - OUT OF MY BUDGET. So what did I get: I found several 1935 A emergency notes in STAR! So, based on budget and grade, I brought home a 1935 A Brown Seal Hawaii emergency issued $1 Silver Certificate STAR note. During WWII, the US issued these notes to circulate in the Pacific. Notice the brown seal color, and the overprint "HAWAII" on both sides. This helped prevent the Japanese from flooding those markets with counterfeit notes. This isn't my most expensive note but it is the rarest object in my collection. Records state that only 500 of these notes were issued!!! I have one of 500 - and since these circulated in war time pacific, I bet there aren't 500 left. This may be one of the best investments I've made in my collecting time though its not my bggest investment. I upgraded a 1923 Woods-White large size note by trading a lower grade and $50 for a higher grade. My first sale - not a money maker but still respectable. Then I got a con for my type set - a VG 1800 Bust half cent. Beautiful, chocolate brown bust. My mom loved looking at it and was astonished that that coin travelled 208 years to get here. Umm.. that's it for now. I have more to add but I need to go. I don't have pics because the scanner is not cooperating. Bye for now! Oh, and at the last few minutes, I met Matt Dinger, the lost dutchman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtryka Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Excellent post! Thanks for the report. Did you take the Amtrak or do they have commuter trains that go as far as you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted August 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Thanks, Jeff. Luckily, Amtrak considers Richmond, Va the base of the East Coast Metropolis, so we have trains running many times a day (and usually originating here (always on time)) that go north to DC, B'more, NY, Beantown, etc. Still can't get the scanner to work. Trying later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted December 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 Sad, only 13 people have added to their collection since I last updated this - August 4th! Anywho, here is my earliest dated coin. I received this 1799 George III Farthing from Daggit through the 2008 Holiday Gift Exchange. I specifically asked for an old coin just like this and got one! I love it! I have always admired the great European coin designs of this kind and I am proud to add this to my world coin collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted April 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Lovely coin arrived today from Blackhawk. I've always admired his offerings and his collection, so it was a privilege to deal with him. 1844-W 5 Francs France Beautiful coin that I couldn't pass up. This is the second collectible French coin I've owned. I added the first one to my collection just a few weeks ago courtesy of Mark Stilson's cointest. I'm really liking these French coins. Both pics taken by their previous owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 Stunning additions George! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted April 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Many thanks, Clive! I've got a small amount of income finally trickling in, so hopefully I'll be adding more (coins/notes and income) in the next few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat25 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Nice coins! I like the 1844 5 francs, its a good looking coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted April 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Thanks, Matt! I think so too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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