The Prodigal Shilling: a well-traveled coin

lordmarcovan

This 182(?) British off-center shilling was given to me by a kindly coin dealer in Hendersonville, NC, around 1992 or '93. In 1994, when I fell on financial hard times and had to leave NC, I sold it to my friend Michael Swoveland (@aethelred) for $100.00. He sold it on eBay in the early 2000s, and it went out into the wild for many years.

In 2016, by complete coincidence, I stumbled across it again, for sale on the Atlas Numismatics website. There was no mistaking it as the same coin I'd sold 22 years earlier! So I HAD to buy it back, even though it cost five times what I'd sold it for in 1994. It had found its way into a PCGS slab while it was out in the world.

I later sold it back to Michael again, for the higher 21st century price. He had regretted selling some of his British collection. I did make him promise that if he ever resold it again, it had to go to me instead of out into the wild. This one "stays in the family".

So if you were following, since 1992-'93 or so, it went from...

the dealer in NC,
to me,
to Michael,
to eBay and the world,
to Atlas Numismatics,
back to me,
back to Michael.

How's that for a "small world" coin, eh?

Clio

That's a pretty outstanding error. Love it! I can understand you wanting it to stay in the family.

asheland

Very cool story, Rob! That's a cool coin, I remember seeing that one.