What is a "Cheap Coin" that was difficult to find for your collection?
Clio
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So I collect shillings and one of each Monarch. This means there are some relatively recent ones that can be difficult to find unique examples of. For me this was the one:
This coin cost me $10. It's not a particularly high grade but it's the only example I could find with enough character to feel like it belonged in my set. These are notoriously poorly preserved and very few GEM examples seem to exist despite being a fairly recent coin and because of the 50% composition they rarely tone nicely.
It seems this series is cheap enough that I can't find them listed online because it's mostly a waste of time, and the examples I am looking for are likely buried deep in some dealer's bulk boxes.
Because of this experience I was curious if anyone else ran into this issue for relatively cheap coins they needed for their collection.
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The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
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The majority of the coins I have collected since 1998 and own now are at least somewhat difficult to buy.
The image below is of a 1769 Peru 1R. I can't find a better one and have seen it a handful of times. Cost was $43. Mintage recorded at 112,800.
Latin American Collection
I have been working on and off for a while now on a BU "One Coin Per Country" birth year set. The hardest ones to find are the ones that catalog for under a few dollars. Like you said, nobody bothers to list individual coins valued that low for sale.
I don't think that's a cheap coin for most of us.
https://images.pcgs.com/CoinFacts/37247762_169041687_max.jpg
This coin is extremely rare as an uncirculated and cost a princely $3.59! Find another? Probably not
Well, just Love coins, period.
Didn't you write a thread about this piece? If I recall correctly, it was pretty interesting.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
As a sidelight to my main interest in Canadian coins, I collect WWII coins from now-defunct countries and governments in exile. Much of the zinc stuff is conditionally scarce but can be found with patience. In completing the Slovakian set (1939 to 1945), a little bronze piece, the 1942 twenty halierov (KM #4), was a memorable search. I looked everywhere for one for about four years. An undamaged one in EF finally appeared on E-Bay. I was able to buy it for $35 on a max bid of $500, I suspect largely because Krause had it priced at $25.
I don't have a handy picture of this unassuming little coin, but it sure is a tough one to find and way, way underpriced. The Kremnica mint changed to aluminum planchets at some point in 1942. I do not know but guess almost all of the reported 6.5 million mintage (for both the bronze and aluminum versions) must have been struck on aluminum planchets. The 1942 aluminum version is common as dirt.
http://www.victoriancent.com
Charles III Album
Charles III Portrait Set
Charles IV Album
Charles IV Portrait Set
Anything from North Korea
This copper French Antarctic Territory. X#E15a. Supposed mintage of 30, only one seen in 10 years
Cheap is relative, these are hard to find reasonably priced… I got them for melt +$50 each.
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Yes, I like to use this coin as an example though I probably have more interesting coins...
Well, just Love coins, period.
GB George VI silver coinage in GEM plus seems tough. As a side note, I bought an older Blue Whitman bookshelf 20th Century Britain type set - but only the second volume was available that starts with the shilling. So for George VI, I was able to find and buy some inexpensive proof example that I used for the set. Sort of a fun side project that I am not taking too seriously.
I have more fun seeking out GEM Mexico One Peso coins. And these are not easy but finding those with the look is really a challenge, but not expensive until one tries to find the 1918, 19, 20 and 21.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Back when I collected them, it took me quite a considerable time to find 1949 and 1960 English florins in top grade. I finally found them visiting an older gentleman's house back in my MN days, where I bought quite a lot of his Brit collection on the spot. He had lived in the UK and taken to collecting. He had a good eye for quality (and quantity - rolls of modern predecimal stuff).
It took me years to find this one, don't know why, $30. Still want an 1895P, more than $30.