Penguin Pete, Author at Penguin Pete's Greatest Hits

Netflix’s Adaptation Of Death Note – Just One More Failure

Seen the Netflix movie version of Death Note? Hated it for being Twilight but with a Ferris wheel scene for no reason? Forehead still numb from facepalming as you witnessed complete character flips that made no sense?

Nah, OK, maybe you didn’t do all that, but I’m here to explain why Death Note is a can of hairy worms for just about anybody to try to adapt into a movie, why the anime is the best we can get – potato chip scene be damned! – and why the original manga stands alone in a class by itself.

Notable Collector’s Silver: The Peace Dollar

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

It was the very last circulated silver dollar ever produced by the US Mint. It’s not a particularly expensive series to acquire – the key dates do tend to be pricey, but the series is so much shorter, after all, and nothing like the complexity of Morgan dollars.

But it has an astounding story to tell.

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4 Proven Secrets to Finding Hidden Value in Your Collection

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

Any serious collection eventually gets its own maintenance and upkeep hassles. You make an inventory system, it gets too cumbersome, you invest in software for it, you need binders and slabs and holders and boxes and labels… Eventually you want it insured, at which point you’ll want to know (if you hadn’t wondered already) what the whole collection is worth, in total.

Well, here’s some handy tips to better appraising your collection, via spotting the hidden values in some items which you may have overlooked. Because finding out that it’s worth more than you thought it was is like finding free money…

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The Saga Of The 1933 Gold Double Eagle

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

The Royal Canadian Mint recently completed melting down over two hundred thousand gold coins, after selling what they would to collectors. The coins were $5 and $10 denominations unearthed in a vault at the Bank of Canada, which the Canadian government simply decided it was time to fire off.

This brings to mind the melting of United States gold coins, in particular the 1933 Gold Double Eagle – and why it’s a fascinating saga that still drags on today.

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Five US Mint Oversights You Probably Didn’t Know Exist

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

We like to think of US Mint personnel as intrepid perfectionists. These are people whose ties are tied with the same knot every day and who come to a full, complete stop at every stop sign, right? But the fact is, they’re human like anybody else. They make mistakes. there’s quality control measures in place of course, but the quality control people make mistakes.

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How To Build An EDH Deck For Magic: The Gathering

I’ve copped a new squat over at 123ish.com, where you’ll find my new guide to building an EDH deck in Magic: The Gathering. It’s a fun little topic I’ve been meaning to jabber about anyway. I lay out a beginner’s template and explain the basics, and link to several time-tested resources.

Hope to see you all across the playmat from me!

Five Surprising Reasons Why Morgan Dollars Are Rare

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

Collectors of the Morgan dollar series might feel that their quest to complete the series is stacked against them. As opposed to other coin series, Morgan silver dollars are harder to come by than you would otherwise think, considering the mintages. The story of why they are so scarce forms a fascinating insight into history and economics.

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Five Coins That Returned a 3-Year 200% Profit That You Didn’t Buy

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

It can be tough to know if a new coin is going to perform well or not. It’s an exercise that’s half speculation and half divination. If you had the opportunity to obtain any of the following specimens but decided to pass, be prepared to groan when you see what you missed out on!

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Five Surprising Factors That Affect Precious Metal Prices

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

Sure, we all know that the political and economic climate affects the prices of silver, gold, and platinum. But we too often forget that precious metals are also a commodity in the first place. There’s a lot of markets outside of coin collecting that impacts the prices of coins. Sometimes two or more patterns even overlap to produce a chaotic result.

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Current Silver Mint Products Wrap-Up

This is part of a series of blog posts I wrote for a coin collecting site circa ~2015 that seems to have disappeared off the Internet. Note any prices mentioned in this series are from 2015.

Silver as an investment is starting to get some buzz again. The prices on many products at the US Mint lately have started to look very attractive. Sites like MoneyMorning.com are hinting that the market for precious metals is looking good now.

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