Latest minor victories?

shirohniichan

Anyone have any victories finding coins long on their want lists?

Mine is a small silver minor I've been searching four years for, and it isn't scarce (let alone rare). I finally found an 1837 Capped Bust half dime in VF that wasn't cleaned or offered at an EF price! Perhaps it really is scarce, because it took much more time and effort to find than I had imagined!

Now if I can only find that 1876 Romanian 1 leu...

Sylvestius

<< <i>Anyone have any victories finding coins long on their want lists? >>




What you mean like that penny i've just bought? It took a while...




<< <i>Mine is a small silver minor I've been searching four years for, and it isn't scarce (let alone rare). I finally found an 1837 Capped Bust half dime in VF that wasn't cleaned or offered at an EF price! Perhaps it really is scarce, because it took much more time and effort to find than I had imagined!

Now if I can only find that 1876 Romanian 1 leu... >>




Some coins are particularly scarce in certain grades, often in the middle grades! There is a shortage of VF coins in some areas, often because they are the ones that tend to stop in people's collections.

Number of reasons for this, firstly because for collectors on a budget it's sometimes the best they can afford and thus they keep them whilst shedding lower grade specimens. Dealers on the other hand don't always like taking VF specimens, because they can get stuck with them, "too good for the junk collector, not good enough for the high quality specimen collectors" thus since some dealers are reluctant to take them, they tend to remain with the people that were trying to sell them and they usually stop there. I had a dealer turn me down two weeks ago on a VF 1675/4 sixpence because it was too middling. Luckily another dealer took it though.

But congratulations on your find though, it's a great feeling when a coin you've been looking for, for so long turns up... and it's worth the wait cos it makes you treasure it all the more!

You do realise now that you'll be tripping over VF examples for the next few months don't you? I've already started seeing a few Athelstan pennies turn up, luckily the two examples i did manage to find had already been sold which makes me feel not as bad. Up until a few weeks ago i'd never seen one for sale, ever! Since i'm now no longer looking it turns out at least two more were on the market recently too just before i got mine... funny how things work out!

ajaan

I was able to get a Canadian 1884 5c from a forum member. That only leaves me one more to go to complete my set of those little buggers.

cladking

<< <i>

Now if I can only find that 1876 Romanian 1 leu... >>



I thought I had seen a couple of these in low grade until I looked it up.

shirohniichan

Dealers on the other hand don't always like taking VF specimens, because they can get stuck with them, "too good for the junk collector, not good enough for the high quality specimen collectors" thus since some dealers are reluctant to take them, they tend to remain with the people that were trying to sell them and they usually stop there.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

I've only come across the "scarce" varieties in TPG slabs. I guess those are the only ones worth selling with any frequency. I've also come across other coins on my want list raw, but selling as a full grade better than they actually are. For example, I jumped at the chance to get the matching 1837 Capped Bust dime in "VF20", but it turned out to be more worn than the lightly cleaned one I judged to be Fine. It didn't even look that appealing, so I couldn't see spending VF money for it.

newsman

I had been looking for one of these for 25 years.