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Showing posts from May, 2017

A Primer on Coin Grades

As an experienced buyer and seller of a variety of coins and antique jewelry, “Kota” Saint Jovite Youngblood works to supply collectibles to a network of dealers. His company, Youngblood Metals Mining, has been in business in Monrovia, California, for seven years. Saint Jovite Youngblood’s previous experience with coins includes a management position with Miracle Mile Coin Center in San Marino. Professionals grade previously circulated coins according to a standard scale that descends from 70 down to 1 and includes a system of descriptive adjectives. These descriptors range from “AU,” or “about uncirculated,” all the way down to “PO-1,” or so “poor” that most if not all of the identifying features have weathered away, making a piece close to unrecognizable. Not surprisingly, most coins on the market today fall somewhere between these extremes. The second-highest grade achievable, “XF” (sometimes abbreviated “EF”) indicates that a coin is “extremely fine.” Such coins display only mi

Kirk Gibson's Iconic Pinch-Hit Home Run

A business graduate of Case Western Reserve University and member of the Professional Numismatic Guild, "Kota" Saint Jovite Youngblood has over a decade of experience purchasing collectible coins and antiques. When he isn't busy seeking product as president of Youngblood Metals Mining, Saint Jovite Youngblood enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The last time the Dodgers won the World Series was in 1988, when the team beat the Oakland Athletics in five games. Orel Hershiser was named World Series MVP, but Kirk Gibson was responsible for the defining moment of the series, which happened in Game 1 and set the tone for the next four games. Trailing 4-3 to Oakland and down to its last at bat, Los Angeles sent Gibson to the plate, who had previously been declared ineligible for the series due to injury. With a runner on first base, Gibson hit a 3-2 pitch from Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley into the stands, giving the Dod