I started collecting coins when I was 9 years old in the summer of 1986.

While staying at my grandmother's house, I found a Wheat Cent in some pocket change and asked her about it. She smiled, disappeared into another room, and came back carrying a stack of old Whitman coin folders. We spent the next few days going through them together, filling in gaps, checking dates, and discussing the coins' history. That was the moment the hobby took hold.

The Indian Head Cent quickly became my favorite. Even today, I still think it's one of the most beautifully designed coins ever produced.

Over the decades that followed, collecting became a constant part of my life. I bought, sold, traded, made mistakes, learned from them, and gradually built the kind of experience that only comes from years in the hobby and the marketplace. I've been active on eBay since 2003 and have spent time in not only coins but also sports cards, comics, trading card games, rare books, and other collectible markets.

That broader experience taught me something important: every collectible market runs on knowledge, timing, condition, and psychology. Coins are no different.

My professional background includes nearly three decades of military and public service — experiences that sharpened the attention to detail, research habits, and investigative mindset I now bring to numismatics. But at the core of all of this, I'm simply a lifelong collector who still enjoys the hunt as much as I did in 1986.

The Strike Report was created to help collectors better understand the modern coin market — especially the information most people overlook. Population shifts, auction trends, grading patterns, undervalued certified coins, and market behavior all tell a story if you know where to look.

Each issue covers a Key Date Deep Dive, population and registry data, hammer prices from recent auctions, mint news, error and variety coins, market intelligence, and The Hunt — a curated selection of undervalued certified coins with direct eBay affiliate links. The goal is clear information, honest analysis, and a deeper understanding of the hobby.

The Strike Report publishes bi-weekly every other Monday morning. It is free to subscribe and always will be. A supporter tier is coming for readers who want to help keep the publication running.

The Strike Report is part of the Collector City family. You can find us across these platforms:

The Strike Report is published for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this publication constitutes financial, investment, or legal advice.

Raw coin identification is based solely on available photographs. Always submit raw coins to PCGS, NGC, or ANACS before purchasing at a significant premium. When in doubt, do not buy raw.

The publisher is an active eBay buyer and seller operating as The Mana Report store. No coin currently listed for sale in the publisher's eBay store will ever appear as a recommended pick in The Hunt section.

This newsletter participates in the eBay Partner Network and may earn a commission when you purchase through Hunt section links at no additional cost to you.