Thanks luvbeanz...I didn't remember which USA member it was but I knew one of us was big hearted enough to do this service for our overseas SS brothers and sisters. .
I have at least 1 each of the bullion versions, had 2 of each, but moved some of them as they either took a big rise in premium and I sold them to lower my cost of what I kept or in the case of the 2011's, just didn't see any point in holding them. I also have several of the P version, and they're pretty cool, but I'm not going to go back and pay the big money for Hawaii and Acadia. Do you think I could imitate the P finish with a brillo pad on my bullion coins?
You can try to blast it with very fine media to imitate the finish, but you still can't replicate the "P" mint mark on obverse.
The Utah Arches bullion ATB came today. I'll get a UC version too but that'll be a little while. For any of you who haven't seen and coins from this series, their 5 oz size make them gratifying and addicting. America the Beautiful Series by TomD77, on Flickr
These look GREAT. Watched a Youtube last night of some lucky bugger who was unboxing a Monter box of ATB bullion. Just ordered the Smokey Mountains bullion version from a local dealer. When the Utah Arches comes out I'll get a few of those too I think. I really gotta' stop looking at these threads and watching those youtube unboxings though .. keep getting influenced to spend more money.
Great pic as usual. I agree, the 3" wide 5 oz size (as compared to the U.S. quarter size) is very gratifying to hold in the hand. The designs are well thought out, appealing, and the modelling and castings (which the hubs are cut from) are masterfully executed as evidenced in the final product/actual coins minted. Of the issues I have, they are all worth owning....I'm dreaming of building a complete set of the "P" version some day....the one's I missed ain't cheap though. .
Source: http://itrainsdogsandcats.blogspot.hk/2013/12/armenica-beautiful.html Source: http://itrainsdogsandcats.blogspot.hk 2014-P AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL SERIES - ARCHES SILVER 5OZ NGC70 EARLY RELEASES
The same thing (but not for shipment as he did it already but for preorder of the 4-th 2014 coin). I begin to worry if everything is good with him. It's strange that such a reliable person and old member of this forum is absence for a long period of time. Wish him good luck!
I also hope iluvbeanz is okay...you folks who have his direct (personal) contact info, check in with him/her and then let us know here if all is okay. .
Bought an ATB at jmbullion. The coin I received has lots of small hair scratches (wipe damage) and even bit of toning. Have to call them ask for a replacement. But I do not think I will get a satisfied coin from them. It appears jmbullion is not targeting to collectors.
Sorry guys, I've been traveling for a few weeks so couldn't be on the forum much. I just started another group buy for this upcoming subscription, so PM me if you want in.
The ones sold on JMBullion are not collector's edition. Those are just standard bullion ATB coins, so quality will reflect that. It's pretty common for the bullion ones to have a bunch of scratches, even when they come encapsulated. It's really a hit or miss with the quality of the bullion version. The collector's edition with the "P" mark on the obverse has much better quality because they're handled and treated as collector's coins. You're almost guaranteed a MS69 or MS70 with these. So make sure you bought the correct edition before calling them out for scratches and dings.
I am not talking about the "P" collector's version. The bullion version I bought from MCM and APMEX are all good. The one I received from JMbullion looks like "used".
It's a complete crap shoot. Some will look great right out of the tube and some will look like they've been run over by a truck. Has very little to do with where you purchased it.
Good to know. With the same premium, I would rather buy more Australian 5oz lunar coins which guarantees high quality finish. If I have enough money
They are starting to ship out the Great Sand Dunes coins. Mine is scheduled to ship out tomorrow. The subscription of Great Sand Dunes coins is removed. The subscription for Everglades is on now.