Looking for new countries

First off I want to thank the community for helping me achieve my goal of 300 Countries! I wouldn't have been able to afford it if not for all the great swaps over these past few years.

Now that I have reached my goal of 300 I am spending time organizing my collection I have recently done a complete overhaul of my swaplist and can finally say it should be 99.9% accurate with all coins grades and values according to Krause listed. I am continuing to add coins to my swap list each day so it's always growing. While I am occupied doing this I would still like to swap if anyone is interested right now I am interested in swaps where I can add atleast 1 new country to my collection or add to my African, Arab, and Micro Nation portions of my collection.

I am willing to swap multiple coins for just one to ensure it is a fair swap if need be. I am willing to swap worldwide so if you can help me please let me know. Also all coins on my swaplist are also for sale.

Here is the list of countries that I am still looking for:

Aksum
American Samoa
Argentine provinces
Austrian Netherlands
Austrian states
Belgium - Feudal
BES Islands
Bohemia
Brittany
Byzantium Empire
Carthage
Celtic Britain
Celtic Danube
Central African Republic
Central American Republic
Central Asia
Cilician Armenia
Cocos (Keeling) islands
Crimea
Crusader states
Dahomey
Demerara & Essequibo
Dominica
Egypt (ancient)
England
Etruria
France - Feudal
French Cochinchina
Frisia
Fujairah
Gaul
German New Guinea
Gold Coast
Greece (ancient)
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Hawaii
Hejaz
Hispania (ancient)
Hungarian states
Hunnic Empire
Iles de France et Bonaparte
India - Danish
India - Dutch
India - French
India - Mughal Empire
Islamic states
Italian Somaliland
Ivory Coast
Judea
Kiau Chau
Livonia and Estonia
Lundy
Madeira Islands
Malta, Order of
Mesopotamia (ancient)
Mexico - Revolutionary
Moldavia and Wallachia
Montserrat
Moravia
Nabataean Kingdom
Nepal (ancient)
Niger
Numidia
Persia (ancient)
Phoenician cities
Puerto Rico
Ragusa
Ras al-Khaimah
Roman provinces
Russian Caucasia
Scotland
Seborga
Senegal
Sharjah
Siberia
Spanish states
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
Swiss cantons
Tannu Tuva
Tonkin
Umm Al Qaiwain
United States - Pre-Federal
Windward Islands

Some obscure little places on that list. I may be able too help you out with a few more scarce ones but you'll have to pay big too get the Gold Coast or Dominica off me !

There was a really nice Mexican Revolutionary coin on offer by one of our members in this same forum.

I've got several of the above countries, without searching - Livonia, Spanish Netherlands, India (various mogul & ancient) , probably a few others. I reckon you're at that point where things start to get crazy expensive now. There's still a bit of low hanging fruit around though and that's the great thing about numista, the way it puts you in touch with fellow collectors around the world who can find the coins that we can't. Lundy Puffins are pretty easy to find, at least for UK collectors, Swiss Cantons too. US pre federal are expensive but plentiful.... I'd probably look at knocking these off the list first. Good luck Matt.

I've updated my swaplist and am adding more coins each day. Let me know if anyone can help.

Matt

I can help with:

French Cochinchina
India - Mughal Empire
Islamic States
Korea (Ancient)
Livonia
Siberia
Tonkin

But I don't think simply coins in your swap list are good for exchanging these.

I was able to remove Spitzbergen from the list now that I picked up this set for $20




Also Liege got removed since I was able to pick one of them up.

Was able to knock off Korea today with this little guy


Korea 1898 1/4 Yang KM#1117

Antigua and Barbuda with this big boy


1970 4 Dollars KM#1

And Benin I finally got this Beauty


2011 100 Francs

Hi

which coins from Madeira Islands are you missing ?
Can you get me a coin of Antigua and Barbuda like the one you have?
Thanks, regards

rogério

Quote: "sadoca"​
​
​Hi
​
​which coins from Madeira Islands are you missing ?
​Can you get me a coin of Antigua and Barbuda like the one you have?
​Thanks, regards
​
​rogério

​Thank you for the reply Rogério

I currently have no coins from The Madeira Islands so any coin listed on the site would be a new addition for me. I also don't know where to get you one of the Antigua coins other than from EBay like I did for it however I would stay away from any coins being shipped from china as they are often fakes or replicas.

Matt

I want to thank Walt (WALTBERT) for helping me add country 307 Livonia so now I can check it off the
list.



I was also able to get this 1941 25 Øre to make Number 308 Faroe Islands

Your wife's going to shoot you in the groin.

Quote: "pnightingale"​Your wife's going to shoot you in the groin.

​I just bought her a Ninja for the kitchen so I think I can squeak by a few coins

Just got number 310
Congo Free State
1887 5 Centimes

Regarding Spain - Civil War, it should be relatively easy for you to buy the 1 and 2 pesetas Euskadi set. They are going for around 20 euros in UNC, plus postage.

Thanks

I looked them up and they are pretty cheap for one of them but I think I have spent enough over the past few weeks I might just see if there are any that people would be willing to swap for even if I have to trade multiple coins for just one. Hopefully I can possibly swap for one or two more countries before I have to go spend money again.

Matt

I forgot to add 311
Lorraine

Is there anyone out there that can help me add another country?

Matt

I wonder about this coin:



date is (16)16 ? -- if yes... it is a Suczawa fals. Because in 1616 Riga was a polish city, and second Christina was born in 1626.

I want to thank KK4TE for helping me finally add another country after a few months. I am up to 312 Countries by adding Biafra!

Matt

Sealand brings me to 313



Matt

Sealand will not be a part of your country count. It is not for mine.

Quote: "Oklahoman"​Sealand will not be a part of your country count. It is not for mine.

​It increased the number on my dashboard

So sorry! You are correct! And im glad too...i am one country closer...it is my Sharjah coin that has been uncoined...not my Sealand coin!

Matt I most say you are doing a great job.

Quote: "ALLRED1950"​ Matt I most say you are doing a great job.

​Thanks Daryl I hope you enjoy that book

Matt

I just added a Demerara & Essequibo 1813 Stiver to my swap list. It's pretty worn (hence the $2 value) but the portrait is nice.

I wished i swapped. But i am glad to know that is a reasonable country to acquire.

#314 Liechtenstein finally filled in the last open spot on my map


#315 Saint Kitts and Nevis

Awesome!

Quote: "pnightingale"​I just added a Demerara & Essequibo 1813 Stiver to my swap list. It's pretty worn (hence the $2 value) but the portrait is nice.

Quote: "Oklahoman"​I wished i swapped. But i am glad to know that is a reasonable country to acquire.

​I'm seriously considering buying a $50 bill and mailing it to you just for that one coin ($2 for the coin, $48 to cover your postage). I'm too afraid of said bill being lost on its way to you, however (and also a bit afraid that you still won't add tracking even if I pay for it, and/or won't listen to any complaints if the coin gets lost even if you do add tracking).
That said, I'm assuming that if you have the coin for $2 it means that I might be able to find another example that isn't too much more worn than yours for less than $20 eventually.

Quote: "Myeackle"​
​#314 Liechtenstein finally filled in the last open spot on my map
​
​
​#315 Saint Kitts and Nevis

​Sorry for asking - approximately how much did the Liechtenstein coin cost you? Was it more or less than $50?
Same question for Saint Kitts and Nevis (and for the Antigua and Barbuda coin above, for that matter).

On-topic - about the only countries on the list that I have (and/or can easily get) and that aren't illegal for me to mail are Central African Republic and Tatarstan. (I recently found a seller with a bunch of the former that they didn't care about not being the more common BEAC; the latter just plain goes for $5 a set here due to being local.)
I also have (and/or can easily get) some extras from Byzantium Empire, France - Feudal and Siberia (and an awful amount of Nabataean Kingdom coins that I can't enter because they aren't listed, and the only reason I don't have any coins from Crimea is because they're a pain to identify and I never cared enough), but those coins are illegal to send out of my country.
You don't really have much in your swap list that interests me, though (I pretty much see only one non-reserved coin I definitely want that isn't very expensive, and it's an awfully rare one... okay, on second look, I didn't see you had doubles of this coin, which would have been a new country for me).

I have the good fortune to have access to plenty of coins and occassionaly I turn up a gem like the Stiver. As I only collect coins from a handful of countries I pick them up for others I know need them. I reckon I could have got far more than $2 (several people have expressed an interest) but it's not about the money. I guess it's an investment in people and relationship building. Matt's a friend, we know each other in person. One day he's going to find a coin I really need and return the favour.... I reckon it's the secret to turning a good collection into a great one. Most of the time when I'm coin shopping I have an informal list in my mind of friends who look for certain things and if they already have them or don't need them, they go into my swap list.

Just a note with regards to postage. I'm happy to arrange for any type of postage at cost, ranging from the simple cost of a stamp to hand delivery by motorcycle courier! However I would make an honest attempt to persuade a more cost effective option. I just wouldn't feel comfortable asking $50 for a $2 coin, although to be honest I'd feel even less comfortable paying the $30 for registered mail myself ;) A single coin can be mailed anywhere in the world for under $2. Sure there's a risk, but the worst that coul happen is that you would lose $4.

I don't entertain "lost in the mail" claims any more because I believe they are almost entirely fraudulent. In over 50 years collecting coins and trading them across all parts of the globe I've had exactly two parcels actually vanish out of thousands. I just can't understand these people who are making multiple claims every week. They are either lying to score free coins or living in a part of the world where theft is rampant in which case it's their problem to fix, not mine. I do however provide proof of postage, either a PO receipt showing a parcel mailed to City X in Country Y or just a photo of the stamped envelope in the case of regular mail. I've done my part and my obligation is ended. I expect the same in return.

​The problem is that I had a bunch of probable genuine "lost in the mail" cases with stuff send to me - my new post office sucks at notifying me, which in at least one known case resulted in the item going back to sender because by the time I realized it should have arrived already the holding period had passed; and when I was due to receive some coins from New Zealand, sent back in October, I decided to go there and check directly every three weeks just in case, and they still say I don't have anything (though New Zealand is rather far away, so maybe nothing had arrived yet).

I'm not interested enough in that specific coin to go past Matt's reserve; I just thought that I have literally never seen any other example of this country for sale (outside of eBay, where I'd have to use something along the lines of the motorcycle courier just to send the money for the item, since I don't have a PayPal account and most of the other payment methods I can think of are explicitly against their rules).
I'll check your swap list for something less ridiculous (and preferably not reserved) - at the same $2 price I would be just as interested in, say, this type (I couldn't find any stuff of that country anywhere either), and it's at least something where your idea of "only $4 to lose" seems to actually apply.
Sadly I don't seem to have anything that interests you specifically (you have too much stuff already).

My lady wife would entirely agree with your sentiment that I have "too much stuff already". Ah, yes by all means keep an eye on my swap list, I constantly adding new coins. We can work something out, I'm not that hard to deal with. (Just added "Malta, Order of") I've swapped coins from so many obscure countries.... if I'd kept them all I reckon I migjht be the only member of the "400 Club".

Mailing stuff is always going to be a gamble. The odds are worse in some countries than others so the best you can do is to take all possible steps to conceal the coin inside a regular envelope and pray for the best. I'm dubious about using registered mail. It seems to me that you're paying $35 for a large "please sreal me, I'm valuable" sign.

Quote: "pnightingale"​Mailing stuff is always going to be a gamble. The odds are worse in some countries than others so the best you can do is to take all possible steps to conceal the coin inside a regular envelope and pray for the best. I'm dubious about using registered mail. It seems to me that you're paying $35 for a large "please sreal me, I'm valuable" sign.

​That makes sense! I didn't think of it that way before, and I don't think any of the people who sent me coins earlier really used $35 postage (though I did end up paying similar amounts when I sent stuff myself).

As for "too much stuff already" - what I wanted to say is that, in your own words, you "already have most of the mid/late 20th century issues", and between that and the whole "technically illegal to send pre-1966 coins out of my country" thing, I wasn't sure if there's anything I could offer you that wouldn't cost me silly amounts of money (more than $50).

#316 French Guiana

I have India - Mughal Empire and Spanish states.

Quote: "druzhynets"​I have India - Mughal Empire and Spanish states.

​Please let me know if there is anything on my list that interest you.

Thank You
Matt

#317 Spain-Civil War


Matt

#318 India-Ancient

#319 Mongol Empire

#320 Tatarstan

Matt

Quote: "Myeackle"​#317 Spain-Civil War
​
​
​Matt

​Hi, this is made out of nickel, right? The color of the pic is a bit misleading.

Quote: "fryant"​

Quote: "Myeackle"​#317 Spain-Civil War
​​
​​
​​Matt

​​Hi, this is made out of nickel, right? The color of the pic is a bit misleading.

Yeah your right it's just the flash in the picture.

Matt​

Ok. I was asking because there are some copper trial strikes which are considerably more expensive than the regular nickel version, and with the flash effect it looked like it might have been one of them.

Quote: "fryant"​Ok. I was asking because there are some copper trial strikes which are considerably more expensive than the regular nickel version, and with the flash effect it looked like it might have been one of them.

​I didn't know that but it's definitely the regular one still happy to add it to my collection

Matt