USPS open box special - BIG Gold coin edition (picture heavy)

LukeMarshall

I got a call from the post office saying I had a red registered that was a little “smushed”. I asked if they could see the inner contents of the box, to which they replied “if you peel back the flap”. I said I would be down to pick it up shortly - here is what I saw.

Please accept our apology, your package was damaged.... okay,,, it’s not too bad right?!?

Registered mail is touted as the most secure mail, and packages are typically paper taped on all sides and each seam postmarked. When I saw the clear tape covering a separated seam, I began to get concerned... maybe this is what they meant by “red registered”

Well at least there is packaging inside of the packaging, I thought...

I reached through the gaping hole in The box and removed the contents. At first glance I was thinking, “well at least I’m not to big on the extra presentation stuff or I would be a little more upset”

Opening it further reveals the additional carnage, shattered glass... oh wow

On to the other box, paper taped on all sides...
Good an extra precaution,

...except turning it over I see this box is actually opened and paper tape sliced through

Grabbing the PCGS box from within and opening it slowly, even this hard case has been damaged!

At this point my heart is in my throat, am I going to see a coin, or an empty box?

Whew, I’m almost surprised it’s even in there 😅

I know registered mail has a chain of custody and each person who handles the package has to sign off... I have to think that the fear of loosing a job is the only reason she’s still there...

So here it is , the Kellogg $50 restrike made by the California Historical Society out of ingots recovered from the USS Central America shipwreck (say that 3 times fast).

Originally a gem proof, this one dropped a few grades as it looks to be handled at some point.

It seemed to be the only thing in the package that wasn’t broken...

Which is where my story should begin... so I got this really cool BIG gold coin, the predecessors to which circulated in the Wild West

...and man this thing sure feels great in the hand

I wonder how long this has to stay in my pocket until it’s a 58?
What do y’all think?

gumby1234

@LukeMarshall wow that package looks like Ace Ventura delivered it.

Nice looking coin

Drizzt

I'm laughing on the inside.

amwldcoin

If you have a long, regular hiking trail you frequent let me know and I will follow along until that sucker wears a hole in your pocket!

Fishpro

Why was the outside of the box not date stamped? All registered mail packages need to be.

LukeMarshall

@Fishpro said:
Why was the outside of the box not date stamped? All registered mail packages need to be.

The outer box was postmarked/date stamped on all sides and seams, the box that held the coin was inside that, which is usually an extra level of security... box in a box. It looks like the inner box was taken out and sliced into though which is crazy

Mr_Spud

Are you really going to make it into a pocket piece?

LukeMarshall

@amwldcoin said:
If you have a long, regular hiking trail you frequent let me know and I will follow along until that sucker wears a hole in your pocket!

Hiking partner! I’ve always found extra inspiration when running with another... we can also seed the trail with merc dimes for the metal detectorists that catch wind of the treasure

LukeMarshall

@Mr_Spud said:
Are you really going to make it into a pocket piece?

It looks like it has spent some time that way already... so absolutely.

Kliao

Wow that package has been places..... Gad you got the coin safely though. Have to wonder what happened to that box.

Steven59

They could have been considerate enough to break the slab for you - broke everything else. Maybe just rang your doorbell, delivered just the coin, and said - "Here is your coin sir, saved you the trouble"

WinLoseWin

Keep all that stuff together. It goes well with the mishandled coin. Plus it is now a storied piece.

jwitten

Fun read! Should be a cool pocket piece

CalifornianKing

omgggg nooooooo. Why are you turning a proof (restrike but STILL its a super expensive coin) into a pocket piece...

MWallace

I would have refused the package.

Atcarroll

@MWallace said:
I would have refused the package.

They'd have just returned it to the sender, and had anything been missing the sender would have been the one left holding the bag. The USPS employees wouldn't have been held accountable for anything. Sad, but that's the way it is.

Jimnight

There is no excuse for mishandling a package like that!!!

Sorry but that's the way I feel about it.

ricko

Wow.... That is shocking...A registered package in that condition.... Was there any backstory given by the Post Office? It should have been known what happened, since it is tracked and signed for at each point along the way. Cheers, RickO

MWallace

@Atcarroll said:

@MWallace said:
I would have refused the package.

They'd have just returned it to the sender, and had anything been missing the sender would have been the one left holding the bag. The USPS employees wouldn't have been held accountable for anything. Sad, but that's the way it is.

Not true at all. The seller would also not sign for it until the postmaster is standing there to open package and verify the condition, good or bad, of the contents. That way neither the buyer nor the seller would have ever had possession of the package since it was given to the post office. It's then provable that the damage occurred while in the possession of the post office, making them liable.

Just as some insight to the post office, the carrier also should not have signed for or accepted the package for delivery until the condition of the package was documented. Otherwise the carrier would be held responsible for the package.

PerryHall

@jwitten said:
Fun read! Should be a cool pocket piece

It's too heavy for a pocket piece IMO (2.5 X the weight of a double eagle). It'll wear a hole in your pocket.

Lakesammman

Expecting a registered package that's running late ........ now I can't sleep.

keyman64

Wow, what a thread here.

WinLoseWin

@ricko said:
.... Was there any backstory given by the Post Office? It should have been known what happened, since it is tracked and signed for at each point along the way. Cheers, RickO

The USPS experimental program to train elephants for package sorting isn't working out as well as they had hoped.

LukeMarshall

@MWallace
Rejecting it had crossed my mind but instead I documented the opening of it with picture/video.
I’m glad the coin was there but if it wasn’t do you think I would have been stuck holding the bag?

LukeMarshall

@CalifornianKing
I would have rathered the business strike, but since this one had already dropped 8points from what looks to me as spending time in someone else’s pocket, I figured ide pick up where they left off.
I think it will be interested how it wears being an alloy of 887 fine

MWallace

@LukeMarshall said:
@MWallace
Rejecting it had crossed my mind but instead I documented the opening of it with picture/video.
I’m glad the coin was there but if it wasn’t do you think I would have been stuck holding the bag?

I just think your chances would have been better if you had opened it in front of the Postmaster (not a clerk or carrier) before signing for it. Once you sign for it you have accepted the package. Since the package was damaged who's to say you didn't remove the coin before starting the video, or even damaged it before videoing. I worked for the PO for 31 years and it's a CYA job. I was always on the customers side when things like this happened. I helped them to know how to cover themselves and then let them decide what they wanted to do.

LukeMarshall

@MWallace
Thank you for the feedback.
I know we are looking out for one another and it’s good to hear from someone with first hand knowledge of situations like these.

LukeMarshall

@PerryHall said:

@jwitten said:
Fun read! Should be a cool pocket piece

It's too heavy for a pocket piece IMO (2.5 X the weight of a double eagle). It'll wear a hole in your pocket.

I may place it in a satchel, maybe leather, but if it does wear a hole in the pocket then I think @amwldcoin is gonna be tracing my steps looking for it!

amwldcoin

@LukeMarshall said:

@PerryHall said:

@jwitten said:
Fun read! Should be a cool pocket piece

It's too heavy for a pocket piece IMO (2.5 X the weight of a double eagle). It'll wear a hole in your pocket.

I may place it in a satchel, maybe leather, but if it does wear a hole in the pocket then I think @amwldcoin is gonna be tracing my steps looking for it!

LanceNewmanOCC

@LukeMarshall said:

...and man this thing sure feels great in the hand

I wonder how long this has to stay in my pocket until it’s a 58?
What do y’all think?

i'm not sure i believe what i'm seeing (besides the coin STILL being inside the boxes), a numismatic that trims his nails and washes his hands. please tell me it ain't so! what is the world coming to?

GRANDAM

I don't understand why you broke it out of the slab?

The slab looked to be undamaged.

pmh1nic

This is a four WOW tread. Wow what a screw up by the USPS, WOW the coin was still in the box, WOW what beautiful coin and WOW you cracked it out of the tomb!

Snaps

@LukeMarshall said:
@CalifornianKing
I would have rathered the business strike, but since this one had already dropped 8points from what looks to me as spending time in someone else’s pocket, I figured ide pick up where they left off.
I think it will be interested how it wears being an alloy of 887 fine

When was your coin struck? The Coinfacts coins, I looked at, were struck in August and September of 2001. Did they just strike up one coin per day?

LukeMarshall

@LanceNewmanOCC , nails freshly trimmed from nervously biting them off before opening... lol

LukeMarshall

@Snaps said:

When was your coin struck? The Coinfacts coins, I looked at, were struck in August and September of 2001. Did they just strike up one coin per day?

There is a $50 Kellogg thread floating on page one or two with some good information on these... I found this mintage chart which seems to line up with the 5000 max mintage authorized by the California Historical Society

This one was struck on 9/11
@pmh1nic Quintuple wow?