What's the biggest financial homerun you have made in numismatics?

fivecents · February 9, 2007 12:27AM

Maybe you bought a coin raw and submitted it to a TPGS. Cracked a coin out or crossed a coin over. It doesn't even have to be a coin, it can be anything relating to numismatics.

Lets here some stories.

MadMarty · February 9, 2007 12:28AM

Easy, a 1962 Frankie I paid $7 for, came back from PCGS a MS66FBL!

guitarwes · February 9, 2007 12:32AM

I'm a small fry, so mine "home run" will seem like a "bunt" to many on these boards, but I bought a $10 and $2 1/2 dollar gold piece from a Pawn Shop once for $125 each.

Sold the $10 for $320 last year and still have the $2 1/2..........

AND......Jumped on the 20th ANN. SAE bandwagon early and bought several at the mint's price.....waiting on these to hit $500/set.....which I believe they will and then CASH IN!

wes

fivecents · February 9, 2007 12:33AM

I remember that Marty. Didn't you buy it for $7 raw, submit it, it came back MS66FBL and you sold it for around $12,000?

holeinone1972 · February 9, 2007 12:33AM

Sorry I am a rookie.

Bought a 2006 w plat for $1300 slabbed a ms70 value now at $4k yeah wish I would have bought 10

jmj3esq · February 9, 2007 12:35AM

Paid $4.50 for a 1966 Kennedy half. Sent it to PCGS. It graded MS67. I sold it for about $2,700.

itsnotjustme · February 9, 2007 12:37AM

Ike Purchase: $1.80
Grading/Shipping Costs: $15
Grade: MS67
Value: High
Result: Proud member of the finest Ike Collection in the World!

Pistareen · February 9, 2007 12:38AM

I've convinced several different people to give me a check every two weeks just to sit here and screw around with coins. If that ain't a home run, I don't know what is.

mirabela · February 9, 2007 12:39AM

I bought an accumulation of 1982 & 1983 souvenir sets, both the official mint kind & the private company kind, priced at $7 each.

RYK · February 9, 2007 12:39AM

Strangely enough, my biggest short-term percentage gainer was probably a coin book deal.

On ebay, I bought a copy of Kagin's book on Territorial gold for $40 or so. Oh, yeah, in the fine print, the auction also included David Akers complete six volume encyclopedia of US gold coins. I immediately sold five of the six volumes for about $225 total (and kept the sixth and Kagin's book).

RYK · February 9, 2007 12:40AM

<< I've convinced several different people to give me a check every two weeks just to sit here and screw around with coins. If that ain't a home run, I don't know what is. >>

You win!

AUandAG · February 9, 2007 12:40AM

Bought a small collection of gold coins from a neighbor who was moving. Paid fair prices we both
thought. Coins were in old scruffed up square plastic holders and looked every bit of average.
Seller indicated that he got them from a boss as a bonus over a couple of years. Well.....one was
a 1905 2 1/2 gold dollar... Paid him $190 and he was tickled. Cracked it out and wow it was nice..
Sent to pcgs and it came back MS65 and put up on ebay and got $2700 for it. Neighbor was pleased,
I was pleased and the buyer left excellent feedback!
bob

pf70collector · February 9, 2007 12:43AM

A proof set 70 bought for $1500 in 04 and sold it for $5200 this year. 2004 plat proof from U.S. Mint for $720. 10 Rolls various year ASE's bought in 04 have doubled just from bullion alone. I regret not buying a 96 roll when they were going for $600 a roll.

ziggy29 · February 9, 2007 12:43AM

Very telling about the current state of the hobby when most of the home runs involve coins which suddenly became "worth" many times what was paid for them just by putting them in plastic. It's a big part of the reason why I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with, and jaded about, the hobby.

410a · February 9, 2007 12:44AM

"I'm holding some american eagles one ounce at $300 plus juice.
or approx $320/per ounce. Then of course I have dollar cost averaged all the way up to now so, I have to go figure. Recently, I bought all kinds of MODERN CRAP and made $$$$ every step of the way and without long 3-5 years hold times. In 1989 I bought an MS 65 1878 CC Morgan Dollar at $2250. and saw it rise to retail $5,000.
Sold it along the way up. maybe $1250 profit in short time. Never had any big big scores just a lot of opporunity, some I never took.

DennisH · February 9, 2007 12:44AM

Upgraded an MS62 PCGS 1901-P Morgan to MS63.

ttown · February 9, 2007 12:45AM

2006 W Platinums.....is that numismatics

dunerlaw · February 9, 2007 12:45AM

Bought 23-s merc on ebay for $450, came back MS65FB which is worth around 6k.

Wolf359 · February 9, 2007 12:53AM

Bought an attractive, raw BU 1900-O on eBay for $70, came back from PCGS 1900-O/CC in an MS65 holder.

fastrudy · February 9, 2007 1:03AM

I know that everybody is going to think I am one of those 'modern crap' collectors, but, after 40 years of collecting, I never made more money on a coin than the one oz platinum eagle purchased from the mint this year. Go figure!

rec78 · February 9, 2007 1:04AM

I bought a nice F+ 1802 half cent off a local bid board for $50 with a very nice planchet. Sold it (like an idiot)

for $1000. This coin is now worth over $5000. And now i still need one for my album.

Veep · February 9, 2007 1:04AM

A couple of years ago, I went to a local auction that was attended by several area dealers. I wound-up with a $10 Indian for $455 and a 1941-S Walker for $75. Both slabbed as MS65's at PCGS and sold for $4,675 and $1,375 respectively.

More recently, I bought a raw '93-S Morgan for $2,550 at auction and sold it for $3,750. For sure, I've had some tough losses too, but fortunately they are getting more and more infrequent.

By the way, I do pay my taxes on the gains.

coinpictures · February 9, 2007 1:07AM

Russian proof ruble I bought 6-7 years ago for $75. Invested another $100 in NCS and NGC fees. Sold it for $1,500.

tradedollarnut · February 9, 2007 1:10AM

I bought the Olsen specimen of the 1913 Liberty nickel. A year later, somebody wanted it and made a strong offer.

410a · February 9, 2007 1:15AM

Gee, Tradedollarnut, sounds not much different from any of my experiences.......

Russ · February 9, 2007 1:20AM

Bought a group of four proof sets on eBay for $85. Two were 1964 sets with Accented Hair Kennedys. One graded PR65DCAM. The other graded PR68DCAM, and is the last one PCGS graded nearly four years ago.

Russ, NCNE

Shamika · February 9, 2007 1:20AM

Biggest percentage gain was a 1925-S Lincoln I purchased from a Bank Note dealer at a coin show for $8. It was weakly struck so he had it graded VF. In truth is was MS63'ish. I sold it on ebay shortly thereafter for ~$230.

Biggest financial gain was a PCGS MS65RB S-VDB picked up on eBay for $1,400. I traded it in another deal several years later for $3,000 in value.

Fairlaneman · February 9, 2007 1:29AM

Selling my whole collection back in 1988 before everything hit the skids. Pure Luck.

Ken

FullStrike · February 9, 2007 1:33AM

<< I bought the Olsen specimen of the 1913 Liberty nickel. A year later, somebody wanted it and made a strong offer >>

Big deal, big man.

During the 70's i bought a so-called roll of AU Morgans for about $114.00. The coins were so BU I sold em all for about $7.00 EACH.

<< I'm a small fry, so my "home run" will seem like a "bunt" to many on these boards, >>

Guess I'm more with guitarwes than the tradedollarnut

jamakin · February 9, 2007 1:40AM

I have not sold yet but one of the 20th anniversary ASE sets that I bought from the mint graded 70/70/69 at PCGS. I used my 8 free submission coupon to get it graded so my cost was $100 +shippping.
I want to sell it but I just can't bring myself to do it!!
It's like hitting the home run ball and not running the bases. I'm standing frozen in disbelief waiting to see if it is just a pop fly ball.

richardshipp · February 9, 2007 1:41AM

My favorite. Bought when I was a kid from a dealers "junk box" for about 25 cents... didn't know what I had until almost 40 years later

ColonialCoinUnion · February 9, 2007 2:05AM

Bought a colonial coin on Ebay for $40 and sold it for $8,250.

ziggy29 · February 9, 2007 2:09AM

<< Bought a colonial coin on Ebay for $40 and sold it for $8,250. >>

You suck.

Longacre · February 9, 2007 2:09AM

I just got lucky and bought a $10 gold eagle from a dealer and then next month Trends increased significantly for some reason (I still don't know why). I sold it for about a $1,500 profit. Again, it was pure luck and no skill at all.

planetsteve · February 9, 2007 2:12AM

<< Very telling about the current state of the hobby when most of the home runs involve coins which suddenly became "worth" many times what was paid for them just by putting them in plastic. It's a big part of the reason why I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with, and jaded about, the hobby. >>

Well... aren't those tales basically about finding a vastly underappreciated coin, becoming an advocate for its recognition, and assisting demanding collectors with their quest for exemplary coins -- all while helping to improve the accuracy of the pop reports?

ziggy29 · February 9, 2007 2:16AM

<< Well... aren't those tales basically about finding a vastly underappreciated coin, becoming an advocate for its recognition, and assisting demanding collectors with their quest for exemplary coins -- all while helping to improve the accuracy of the pop reports? >>

But does anyone really think people would pay 2x as much for a raw 65-caliber coin as a raw 64-caliber coin if there weren't slabbers putting numbers on a coin and registry sets to fill?

Hint: Think back to the "old days" before slabbing and compare the difference between "choice BU" and "gem BU" coin prices to the difference between (say) 64 and 66 today. The difference, IMO, is the number and the plastic.

Russ · February 9, 2007 2:18AM

<< << Bought a colonial coin on Ebay for $40 and sold it for $8,250. >>

You suck. >>

Yep, that's an example of the top tier YOU SUCK!!!™.

Russ, NCNE

clarkbar04 · February 9, 2007 2:19AM

My mom used to have a reupholstery business and found a 1932 D washington in an old couch. I got the coin a decade or so ago and sold it for $130 last year. That's my idea of a home run!

centmaster · February 9, 2007 2:21AM

I pulled a 1990D nickel out of my change a few years ago and sold it for over $1200 after it came back as 66FS- a pop 1 at the time.

planetsteve · February 9, 2007 2:24AM

I can see protesting about craven crack-outs looking to make, say, $1000 by turning a solid or strong MS64 into a weak MS65. OTOH, if a very rare condition half dollar is sitting in the collection of some dingbat who wants $7 for it, that coin needs to be rescued.

As a sometime stamp collector, I've been a bit irritated with the grading of stamps. The authentication is nice, but that's been available for a long time. Those collectibles are a hell of a lot easier to grade than coins, and the 100-point grading has put a lot of fresh, superbly centered issues out of reach. That's great for sellers, but disappointing for buyers.

planetsteve · February 9, 2007 2:25AM

<< I pulled a 1990D nickel out of my change a few years ago and sold it for over $1200 after it came back as 66FS- a pop 1 at the time. >>

MS66 quality out of circulating pocket change? Now that's collecting -- and suckitude.

MoneyCollector · February 9, 2007 2:30AM

Most fun: I paid $32 for a NGC AU50 '32 Washington. Thing is it was a '32-D. Had NGC reslab and sold for $450.

Most profitable: 2006 Mint offerings - platinum, gold and silver!

centmaster · February 9, 2007 2:33AM

<< But does anyone really think people would pay 2x as much for a raw 65-caliber coin as a raw 64-caliber coin if there weren't slabbers putting numbers on a coin and registry sets to fill?

Hint: Think back to the "old days" before slabbing and compare the difference between "choice BU" and "gem BU" coin prices to the difference between (say) 64 and 66 today. The difference, IMO, is the number and the plastic. >>

Ziggy, that is exactly the reason that TPGs were needed and created. We want the coins we know are better than most of the rest to be recognized as such. The antiquated terms you spoke of leave a great deal of latitude among the grade. That's why they aren't used very much anymore. Looking back at the "old days" is great, but we tend to remember only the good things. We don't remember the average collector getting ripped left and right by cleaned or overgraded coins.

seanq · February 9, 2007 2:38AM

I've been slowly submitting full step nickels that I colected in the late 1980s, many which were purchased for well under $2 each. The best hits so far were a $3 1953-D that went MS65FS and a 1979 that came out of a roll ($2 face, bought for $3) that went MS64FS. Both sold for well over $200 each.

From a pure profit standpoint, I won a 1936 Lincoln DDO#1 on eBay for $65, PCGS graded it AU55 and I sold it for about $625.

Sean Reynolds

Geoman · February 9, 2007 2:38AM

I bought a smaller sized coin collection a year ago, which included just common date US silver coins, such as Franklins, Peace Dollars, Morgan Dollars, a few Mercury dimes. All well worn, which I paid slightly over melt for them. Along with the collection was a bunch of common date wheats, and some world coins. Nothing special. In fact, I paid less than $200 for the collection.

Included in the collection were 4 worn silver certificates. I don't collect paper money, and didn't want those. The person selling the collection insisted I include those as well, as she was just going to turn them into the bank. So I gave her $2 a piece for the three $1 silver certificates, and $10 for the one $5 silver certificate. Turns out the $5 silver certificate was a very rare note, with only 3 known pieces. I sold it for $800. Unfortunately, I couldn't contact the person selling the collection again, as she met me in a netural place and didn't give me her phone number, as I thought I should give her some more money for the $5 silver certificate.

$5 silver certificate - bought for $10
$5 sivler certificate - sold for $800

My second "homerun" was buying 4 of the 20th Anniversary ASE sets from the US Mint for $400, and selling them for $900.

Murphy · February 9, 2007 2:39AM

1. The greatest would be the Cheerios Sacagawea dollar and cent that I got from buying 4 boxes of Cheerios at Kroger's. I sold the first one here at auction for $1800.

2. I bought a 1960 Proof Set at a dealer in Louisville for $14. It contained a lg/sm date cent worth $300.

BlindedByEgo · February 9, 2007 2:45AM

<< Upgraded an MS62 PCGS 1901-P Morgan to MS63.

>>

Nice on, Dennis!

Once I bought half a bag of silver for 6X face and flipped it for 10X face 6 months later

No plastic was used in the making of that profit

ZoomShadow · February 9, 2007 2:52AM

<<Very telling about the current state of the hobby when most of the home runs involve coins which suddenly became "worth" many times what was paid for them just by putting them in plastic. It's a big part of the reason why I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with, and jaded about, the hobby. >>

Connecticoin · February 9, 2007 3:02AM

I picked off a 1854-O Seated Half for $85 off Ebay. Graded MS64 at PCGS.

Amigo · February 9, 2007 3:04AM

Usually I just make base hits. I often strike out when I go to upgrade coins/paper, and end up netting less after I sell my duplicates.

I have made a few home runs though.

The biggest home run came from pulling many examples of a certain variety coin out of bank rolls. It has probably enriched me and my 2 kids to the tune of 75-100k. I prefer not to disclose what coin it is, it was certainly a once in a life time opportunity. We haven't sold them yet and expect the prices to go higher in the coming years. Sometimes when you recognize an opportunity - you have to move on it. On the other hand, I can't count all the lost opportunities I let get away.

In another instance, I found a note that was incorrectly attributed by CGA. I had it slabbed by PMG and have at least a 15k profit tied into it. I've been able to make several base hits with Currency.

Right now, I'm working on another base hit. A freind has showed me how to make a small but steady monthly profit by searching for a particular coin that I can resell for a few times my cost. Modern Crap. Once again, I can't disclose the particular coin because of competition.

It's been a fun hobby, but my wife thinks I'm an idiot.

Goober · February 9, 2007 3:29AM

Bought an 03-O Morgon for $20, then received $200 trade on a NGC MS-65 03-O priced at $300.

Barber .10 07-s for $80

Just bought an 09 VDB MS-66 for $80

What's the biggest financial homerun you have made in numismatics?

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