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Coins you *painfully* regret selling

renomedphysrenomedphys Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited May 25, 2023 3:57PM in U.S. Coin Forum

I have a lot to list here, but let's start with only one. This is the only coin I ever bought from both Stewart Blay and Brian Wagner, who were co-owners. I remember it was over breakfast at a Tampa FUN show. Sold in 2014 for nearly twice what I paid in a moment of perceived financial weakness. Here we go:

It went into Pete Miller's collection, and then disappeared, being replaced with another 66DCAM, but not the same coin. I went to try and buy it back when his collection sold, but alas, it had been switched! I know it still exists, but have no idea where. I hope whomever swindled it out of Pete's set is enjoying it.

I hope some of you can help water down my grief with a few posts of coins you also regret letting go. If this topic persists, I would love to post some more.

edited to add: this coin was ex: Dale Friend. Another giant in our field whose kindness toward other collectors will be dearly missed.

Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes

«13

Comments

  • DNADaveDNADave Posts: 7,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh boy. I sold a nice 1783 8 reales that wasn’t a part of the elcazador shipwreck recovery. I made the coin at pcgs and at the time there was only a handful in the population.

  • jesbrokenjesbroken Posts: 9,992 ✭✭✭✭✭

    These 3 coins, while not nearly the most valuable, were my favorites and when I sold my IHC set, I stupidly let them go.
    Jim




    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
  • WCCWCC Posts: 2,571 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Several world coins, one being an 1875 NGC MS-64 Boliviano.

  • DNADaveDNADave Posts: 7,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    X42. But I used the money to pay off my mortgage about 10 years ago. I know I’ll never replace some of them but it was worth it.


  • jacrispiesjacrispies Posts: 915 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This guy I regret selling. It has such an attractive circulation cameo and honest appearance that I can appreciate now. At the time I sold it because I was strictly looking for higher grade halves. At least I still have the photos😢

    "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
    BHNC #AN-10
    JRCS #1606

  • goldengolden Posts: 9,586 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Back in the mid-1970's, I sold a 1900 and a 1905 Proof $ 2 1/2 Gold. Both would probably go 66 Cam today. Dang.

  • ironmanl63ironmanl63 Posts: 1,972 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @renomedphys said:
    I have a lot to list here, but let's start with only one. This is the only coin I ever bought from both Stewart Blay and Brian Wagner, who were co-owners. I remember it was over breakfast at a Tampa FUN show. Sold in 2014 for nearly twice what I paid in a moment of perceived financial weakness. Here we go:

    It went into Pete Miller's collection, and then disappeared, being replaced with another 66DCAM, but not the same coin. I went to try and buy it back when his collection sold, but alas, it had been switched! I know it still exists, but have no idea where. I hope whomever swindled it out of Pete's set is enjoying it.

    I hope some of you can help water down my grief with a few posts of coins you also regret letting go. If this topic persists, I would love to post some more.

    edited to add: this coin was ex: Dale Friend. Another giant in our field whose kindness toward other collectors will be dearly missed.

    Man that is a gorgeous coin!

  • keyman64keyman64 Posts: 15,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 25, 2023 7:58PM

    I'm not sure about "painfully" but the below coins I sure wouldn't mind having back! This list is shorter since I was able to track down and purchase two other coins back in the last 6 months. That really makes me happy. I know where one of the below coins is and maybe I will have a shot at it if it ever becomes available. Fingers crossed.

    One (if I made it a priority, I could likely buy a higher grade example today)
    https://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1787-cent-massachusetts-cent-horned-eagle-xf45-pcgs-ryder-2b-a-w-6040-r3/a/1219-3014.s

    Two

    Three (special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    Four (this one has special meaning to me)

    Five (this one has special meaning to me and is also special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    Six

    Seven (special memory with this one & special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    And probably no more than a half dozen or so Mercury Dimes

    Out of the 195 coins in my registry sold inventory, I really thought it would have been a lot more. There are a few that never made it into my registry, I sold and wished I had back. I'm content though.

    "If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64
    Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners. :smile:
  • FlyingAlFlyingAl Posts: 3,202 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That 1864 is one of the most gorgeous Indian Cents I have ever seen. Wow!

    Perhaps you’ll find it again one day.

    Coin Photographer.

  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,529 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I sold a PCGS P01 1913-S quarter that I would buy back if I could find it. I paid $500 and sold it for $1,000 a couple years later. Sold it in a weak moment. Incredible, original coin.

    Dave

    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 9,294 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 25, 2023 8:25PM

    I regret selling my 1888 S Morgan dollar in MS 63 OGH, even though I made a lot of money on it. It was sentimental to me, as I had it since 1995. I did replace it with a MS 64 OBH, so that made me feel a little bit better.

    I had a really nice 1935P MS 64 Walker that I paid $100 for and sold it for just $50 to an unscrupulous dealer. It’s worth over $200 today. That was really my fault and I’m just mad that I let myself be taken advantage of like that for such a small amount of money. It was a very good lesson, if nothing else….

    I also sold some common date Morgans for about $35 each prior to 2020. They are all worth about $125 apiece, now.

    Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,177 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    Mike
    My Indians
    Danco Set

  • rec78rec78 Posts: 5,734 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I sold a 1802 half cent only because I made quite a big profit on it. It was one of the nicest 1802 half cents that I have ever seen grading F/VF. Then a few years later, I started collecting 1/2 cents by date and have not found a similiar coin, even at 5X the price that I sold it for. Also sold a brown unc. 1864 New Brunswick 1/2 cent.

    @alaura22 said:
    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    She made you sell it? Hmmm? :|

    image
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,964 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I sort of regret selling the set of circulated Indian cents I collected in high school. I get nothing for it, $390 plus a 1964 Proof set. It would have been interesting to have had a set of raw coins to study. Collecting raw British and Roman Imperial coins have shown me the joys of life without plastic. I think some day, before too long, the cent series will be ended, and interest in them will be strong.

    My biggest regret is still the item I didn’t buy. It was an 1801 Thomas Jefferson inaugural medal in silver. I foolishly listened to bad advice when I should have trusted my own judgment.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • ChangeInHistoryChangeInHistory Posts: 3,036 ✭✭✭✭✭



  • HillbillyCollectorHillbillyCollector Posts: 609 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 26, 2023 4:40AM

    A 1862 $5 in PF-65starCameo NGC.
    That coin had whispy hairlines under magnification which always bothered me. I doubt it would have crossed to PCGS, better than 64 and CAC agreed.
    I did quite well on it but if I had held until now, whoa!😉

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have not sold many coins. However, I do miss my gold Britannia set that I sold about a decade ago. They are beautiful coins.... Cheers, RickO

  • liefgoldliefgold Posts: 1,676 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have sold a lot of gold dollars over the last 30 years of working on this set. There is only one coin I regret giving up. This 1880 gold dollar has a mintage of 36. I bought it from a board member here. I bet it is in a different holder, with a different grade today.



    liefgold
  • SmudgeSmudge Posts: 9,514 ✭✭✭✭✭

    When I sold my classic commemorative set year’s ago I should have kept the Hawaiian.

  • pruebaspruebas Posts: 4,521 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BillJones said:

    My biggest regret is still the item I didn’t buy. It was an 1801 Thomas Jefferson inaugural medal in silver. I foolishly listened to bad advice when I should have trusted my own judgment.

    Sadly, this is all too common. It happened to me as well (but different coin).

  • maymay Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I wish there was a cry reaction. :'(

    Type collector, mainly into Seated. -formerly Ownerofawheatiehorde. Good BST transactions with: mirabela, OKCC, MICHAELDIXON, Gerard

  • alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,177 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rec78 said:
    I sold a 1802 half cent only because I made quite a big profit on it. It was one of the nicest 1802 half cents that I have ever seen grading F/VF. Then a few years later, I started collecting 1/2 cents by date and have not found a similiar coin, even at 5X the price that I sold it for. Also sold a brown unc. 1864 New Brunswick 1/2 cent.

    @alaura22 said:
    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    She made you sell it? Hmmm? :|

    Yeah, she found out that I bought it and not enough money to get the TV so, to keep peace I told her to take it back to the coin shop and sell it :'(

    Mike
    My Indians
    Danco Set

  • OldIndianNutKaseOldIndianNutKase Posts: 2,700 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @keyman64 said:
    I'm not sure about "painfully" but the below coins I sure wouldn't mind having back! This list is shorter since I was able to track down and purchase two other coins back in the last 6 months. That really makes me happy. I know where one of the below coins is and maybe I will have a shot at it if it ever becomes available. Fingers crossed.

    One (if I made it a priority, I could likely buy a higher grade example today)
    https://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1787-cent-massachusetts-cent-horned-eagle-xf45-pcgs-ryder-2b-a-w-6040-r3/a/1219-3014.s

    Two

    Three (special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    Four (this one has special meaning to me)

    Five (this one has special meaning to me and is also special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    Six

    Seven (special memory with this one & special because PCGS certainly wouldn't grade this one today)

    And probably no more than a half dozen or so Mercury Dimes

    Out of the 195 coins in my registry sold inventory, I really thought it would have been a lot more. There are a few that never made it into my registry, I sold and wished I had back. I'm content though.

    You are truly nothing more than a dealer trapped in a collector's body. You definitely need psychiatric help to reconsolidate into one body or the other........

    OINK

  • lkeneficlkenefic Posts: 8,160 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:
    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    Ouch! I used to have a wife like that too...

    I sold a partial Morgan Dollar date/MM set to satisfy a tax bill... sold a mostly completed 7070 with an AU 1873 Trade Dollar that sold for $175 at the time...

    ...where's my Kleenex... ;)

    Collecting: Dansco 7070; Middle Date Large Cents (VF-AU); Box of 20;

    Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
  • Cougar1978Cougar1978 Posts: 8,197 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are numerous ones sold very narrow spread mainly due to cash flow considerations.

    Coins & Currency
  • TrampTramp Posts: 686 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No pics unfortunately. Never thought to take pictures of my coins or collection back in the early 80's. Sold my complete Lincoln Cent in Dansco collection while a Junior in HS so I could afford gas and my girl friend. What a mistake. Complete w/ 09 S, 09 SVDB, 14-D, 22 no D, etc all in XF - MS. The 09 SVDB was what we would call today a RB MS64 I won at a coin auction in '82 and paid $750, which was a lot of money for me back then.

    USAF (Ret.) 1985 - 2005. E-4B Aircraft Maintenance Crew Chief and Contracting Officer.
    My current Registry sets:
    ✓ Everyman Mint State Carson City Morgan Dollars (1878 – 1893)
    ✓ Everyman Mint State Lincoln Cents (1909 – 1958)
    ✓ Morgan Dollar GSA Hoard (1878 – 1891)

  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,104 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Years ago I purchased two OGP proof sets that were very nice.

    I eventually traded one of the sets, keeping the one that I thought had the nicer half dollar.

    Both half dollars were eventually graded.

    This is the half dollar I kept. It graded PF66.

    This is the half dollar I did not keep. It graded PF67+ :(

    I kick myself for trading the proof set. :'(

  • EddiEddi Posts: 506 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rec78 said:
    I sold a 1802 half cent only because I made quite a big profit on it. It was one of the nicest 1802 half cents that I have ever seen grading F/VF. Then a few years later, I started collecting 1/2 cents by date and have not found a similiar coin, even at 5X the price that I sold it for. Also sold a brown unc. 1864 New Brunswick 1/2 cent.

    @alaura22 said:
    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    She made you sell it? Hmmm? :|

    1802 Half Cents in higher grades are really quite scarce. I am not surprised yo regret letting her go. Do you have a picture of it by any chance ?

  • alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,177 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @lkenefic said:

    @alaura22 said:
    My wife at the time made me sell my 1909-o $5 gold back in the 70s to buy a Sony trinatron tv................Sold it for $300! Probably would grade at AU50 or more.

    Ouch! I used to have a wife like that too...

    I sold a partial Morgan Dollar date/MM set to satisfy a tax bill... sold a mostly completed 7070 with an AU 1873 Trade Dollar that sold for $175 at the time...

    ...where's my Kleenex... ;)

    LOL, yeah and the best/worst part, I left two years later..............
    looking back, that was a really expensive TV :o

    Mike
    My Indians
    Danco Set

  • mikee999mikee999 Posts: 619 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I made this coin

  • TPRCTPRC Posts: 3,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think the best answer I can give is "all of them!"

    Tom

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,964 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rays said:

    I wish I had known when you were selling that. It would have been a good companion for my 1796 Quarter.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • SoCalBigMarkSoCalBigMark Posts: 2,791 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @FrankH said:
    All of these.

    :'(

    Isn't that the dollar that went into the TDN collection?

  • TwobitcollectorTwobitcollector Posts: 3,366 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Positive BST Transactions with:
    INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
    coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71

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