What is the best deal(s) you have ever gotten? (Upgrades, cherrypicking, etc.)

OffMetal

(coin related, of course )

Brag here!!

papabear

1921 Peace $ ef - au detail's $20

cladking

There are many.

I've got a few great collections that are essentially free by being built up through trading.

I bought my 1976 type I Ike that should go 67 for a buck.

A few of my better clad quarter varieties came out of circulation.

Russ

These:



Russ, NCNE

fc

none. when it comes to half eagles it seems dealers know
what they have all the time. i often try to look at worn half
eagle pictures in the hope of seeing a faint faint D or C mint
mark and getting a rip, but PCGS always seems to catch
things like that ;-)

coltgus

I bought a 1926-S Saint PCGS MS64 from Heritage for $3800. I thought it might 5 and tried but no luck ( hard to make a 5, big bucks ) so I put it in the next Heritage auction and it hammered for $9000 for a total of $10,350. Those bidders thought it was a 5 too. The auction was August 1998.

Regulated

I had a 30-point upgrade once, but it didn't amount to a huge score.

777

A ms 1879cc GSA for $4750. came back ngc graded ms63] ...A sealed gsa cc dollar which I sold here that turned out to be an 81cc, then purchased it back from the buyer for a profit, sent it to ngc, came back a 66.. A 1857s $20. ss central america in pcgs au58, I purchased it from a jewelers shop for $1700, sold it the same day for $3200, I also sniped a few ebay bargains recently profiting $1250ea. [rare for ebay] The list goes on and on....

Cladiator

Got this one for less than $50 in trade. It ended up bringing me over $1800 upon sale. Unbeknownst me it's a one of a kind. The guy who bought it from me got a 5 digit coin for cheap lol

Coxe

A few that come to mind.

1949-S 50c for $46 ... sent to NGC and slabbed at 65DPL ... sold for $375
1876 20c for $400 ... sent to NGC and slabbed at 62 ... sold for $975
1909-S VDB 1c NGC 66RB ... bought for $1,550 ... sold for $4,900

Got a log of great cherrypicks. Some that come to mind.

1878 7/8TF VAM-31 PCGS 64DMPL for $200
1878 VAM-9 ANACS 60PL for $800
1880 VAM-23 NGC 50 for $160

Top one would have to be an 1888-O VAM-9 NGC 66DPL that I got for aroiund $4,000. I am sure it must be worth more than that.

fcloud

Both gifts from my wife in 1977.

Coinhusker1

Percentage -- Bought an 1898 Morgan for $22 raw, slabbed MS-66

Dollar - Wise - Bought a 1908 Saint for $505 raw, slabbed MS-65

netrubicon

I bought a 1853 Arrow and Rays Half in XF-40 from a dealer who was convinced it wouldnt grade anywhere for 70 or so dollars. I also bought 2 quarter eagles 1913 and a 1927 by asking a woman at a garage sale if she had any old coins. She produced a jar of circulated wheats when I saw gold near the bottom. Bought those from her for 100.00 bucks. One Au58 the other 61 Its nice to get a deal every now and then.

SmallSizedGuy

Several years ago I found a 1860-S quarter in fine in a group at $6 each.

More recently, at one of the smaller shows around here, a dealer bought a ziplock bag of Mercury dimes. I was looking at other coins at the time of purchase, and the dealer told the seller he really didn't do much with silver but bought them. After he bought the coins, I made an offer to the dealer to buy the dimes. He looked at a few and said OK. When I got home and went through them, there was a 1921-D in fine in the group.

LincolnCentMan

I bought a bunch of raw BU 49-P lincolns from a ebayer. He wouldnt sell them to me direct, even at higher prices than his auctions were ending at. I won about fifteen from him over the coarse of about two months. I probably made 8-9 in PCGS 66RD out of the batch ($200 coins).

David

techeff

Paid $400 for this one in an ANACS 64 VAM 203 holder. It's not in a PCGS 65 holder with the VAM designation. Pop 1/0 with the VAM...

AlfredE

My best cherrypick was pure luck and no skill of my own. I got a 1964 Kennedy Half in a PCGS PR69 for about $25.00 on ebay 3 years ago, and realized after the fact that it was an accented hair. Sent it into PCGS and they put it on the label. It's not Cam, but still a nice lucky find.

Also bought a 1900-O Morgan dollar raw on ebay(when I didn't know any better) for $20.00, and it's now in a PCGS MS-65 VAM 15 (Doubled Stars) slab. Again, dumb luck.

ddbird

My best was a toned Peace dollar bought for about $35...

Just closed at $550.

Nothing too big, but a big deal for me.

Colorfulcoins

Spent $10 and submitted a 1955-D NGC MS67 Roosie to NGC for both * and FT designation. Came back with both and also an upgrade to a MS68! First and only time I've gotten an upgrade on a designation review!

baccaruda

I consider this one one of my best scores. It's an old ANACS photocert MS63/63. Got it for $20. You just can't find nice tone on a Peace - not for $20 at least.



Minor score on this one. Great lustre and eye-appeal. Bid Board $70.

Coppernicus

My most memorable (not necessarily my most profitable) was a 1949 Lincoln in an NGC MS 66RD holder that I paid $30 for. I cracked it, submitted to PCGS and it came back 66RD. After comparing it to the 66RD in my set, I sold it on ebay for $350. Not bad for a $30 grading fee and P/H/I both ways.

I just got an OBW roll of 1955-D Lincolns (TRULY UNOPENED!!!) that could be my best "deal" - The first three I looked at were pristine. Haven't had the time to go through the rest, but the roll was stored very well. Maybe a 67RD or two?!!!!

Mike

Artist

I took a hazy 1939 Walker from my childhood collection to Long beach for an opinion - and was told PVC. Submitted to NCS and then NGC and now it is in an MS67 holder. Probably paid $10 for it back in the 80s.

SamByrd

I had a decent deal it was an ebay listing of v and buffalo nickels these were metel detector finds, it was listed as an estate item with poor pictures both red flags, I asked a few questions and was the high bidder I ended up with a a decent 1871 shield nickel an 1885 v nickel as well as 20d and some other better buffalos, the 85 was corroded but not bad its still in my set, I did have to pay the lofty sum of $44.00 for around 40 coins.

TwoSides2aCoin

I bought a hoard for $6500.

So far, I've found a 1950 D/S Washington Quarter in about MS65(unsubstantiated as of yet), a 1937 Doubled Die Obverse Washington in for grading right now, an uncirculated roll of 47 D Walkers in for grading (thinking there might be a market shaker in the lot), a roll of uncirculated 49D and 50D frankies(4 midrange frankies in for grading).....

I'll have to get back to the thread..... So far, this one is the best I've ever gotten for a cherry pick , and I'm only just started. I've seen a roll of 50D, 60, 61 , 63 and 64 blast white Roosevelt dime rolls, as well as a few rolls of silver Washingtons that are uncirculated.

But to this day, my favorite was the seventy five dollar Wisconsin low leaf won on ebay that I sent to PCGS and it came back 66.... sold it for almost 900. Now its up to 1275

jonathanb

1860-O 10c, purchased raw as part of a lot that cost $407, sold the rest of the lot for $400, now PCGS AU-58 pop 1/0






1855 $1 gold, purchased raw as part of a lot that cost $1000, sold the rest of the lot for $600, now PCGS MS-63






1789 Washington "Linked States" inaugural button, silver-plated copper, 34 mm. Albert WI-4A. Cobb 9. Sullivan GW-1789-9. Baker 1003A. Currently being examined, but preliminary opinion says genuine. Paid $50, worth $3000-$8000 if genuine.

Coppernicus

jonathanb - That dime is way cool! And to hear that it was in a "hoard" in AU condition... What a great find!

I can only hope for a similar result...someday.

Mike

Deadhorse

Bought a batch of 150 circ Morgans for melt value on eBay 3-4 years ago. Terrible picture of a pile of old worn brown Morgans and a sloppy presentation page. I think there were only two bidders other than myself.

All were common, nothing better than fine grade in the lot, most much worse than that, just melt silver........save for two.

An 89-CC and a 90-CC both in better condition than the others in the lot. I guess the seller was telling the truth when he said he didn't know anything about coins and they were a gift from his Grandfather.

Sold them both at a show within a couple of weeks. Paid for the entire lot and put a few hundred extra in my pocket in the process.

Pure luck, but it's always better to be lucky than good.

drwstr123

Picked up this 1922D ob eBay for $130.00.

When it arrived I saw this:

Resubmitted and the result:

Only 3 finer.

Cameonut

Some neat stories so far, here is mine:
I found multiple 1961 doubled die Franklins in a batch of unopened proof sets purchased at ask.

PerryHall

I cherry picked an 1881/0 half eagle at a flea market for $140. It later slabbed at AU58.

OffMetal

Wow! Big profits

WaterSport

Picked up a RAW 1984 DDO Lincoln for $80 on Ebay. Sent it to PCGS and it came back MS 66! (PCGS guide is $500)

BTW drwstr, That is a beautiful weak D Lincoln!

WS

Peaceman

This was a $10 dealer junk box find.... PCGS MS-63

SanctionII

Lots of cherrypicks over the years. Many raw CAM/DCAM proof coins from the 1950's are my some of my favorites, including a 1951 CAM penny grading at least PF65 or 66 Red and a 1956 CAM nickel grading at least PF 67. As for SMS CAM/DCAM coins, also many raw coins over the years including 2 1966 CAM pennys, a 1965 nickel that has a remote shot at DCAM and a 1967 quarter that in my view is a lock DCAM, probably grading at MS66 or 67.

Also picked up at a local shop a 1914D penny for $100.00 that probably is a VF30 and a 1909S penney for $100.00 that is probably an MS 65 or 66 RB. Have been offered much more than what I paid for these coins.

elwood

Ask me after Baltimore next week

FullStepJeffs

A 1953-S 5 step Jefferson from a dealers junk box at a show... $.50 (I now ask where the junk box is)

A "complete" (38 - 02) BU Jefferson Nickel set with most if not all of the early coins toned exactly like my icon coin, which is in the set and is easily a MS66 5FS coin... $150

5 1997-D's Jeffersons all which graded MS66FS out of a roll from a dealer... $5

Almost every single Jefferson RPM & DDO/R's I cherrypick... I mean buy from dealers.


Steve

MICHAELDIXON

Proof 20c piece in an old PCI AU50 holder.

Musky1011

$3.02
check out die cracks both sides

still can't figure out how to post pics

Veep

At auction, with several dealers in the room, I bought a gold type set for $3,500. I figured that I had about $450 in the $10 Indian. When it made MS65, I got $4,850 for it. I sold the rest of the set for $2,400. At the same auction, I bought a 1941-s Walker for $175. It slabbed at MS65 at brought me $1,350.

Another time at auction, I bought a bag of silver Washingtons and found four 1932-Ds. Three came back MS62, and the third at MS63. That was a good day!

Another time, I bought a bag of about a thousand circulated Buffalo nickels and found an XF 3-Legger.

There are others, but that's enough for now.

Craton

Purchased raw in a proof set for $40 bucks. Sent it to PCGS and it came back a PR67DCAM

segoja

How about a 1966 SMS Half in 68ucam FOR $8. That's a nice return.

How about a 1940 rev 38 nickel for $14 that graded PF66. Not bad (Proof nickles were only worth that at that point)

Also bought a Hawiian in poor light. Seller said it was AU and wanted AU $. Bought it, graded MS65. Wish I had kept that one.

Trinketts

<< <i>Purchased raw in a proof set for $40 bucks. Sent it to PCGS and it came back a PR67DCAM
>>



No way that DCAMs by todays standards...

Craton

<< <i>

<< <i>Purchased raw in a proof set for $40 bucks. Sent it to PCGS and it came back a PR67DCAM
>>



No way that DCAMs by todays standards... >>



You are correct ...... but it's not a "today" type coin. I'm sure that you know the difference between the quality of CAM coins from pre 1970 to current.
It wasn't the best image to show off the contrast either. I take them as they are and do do any fancy things to try and make the contrast more then it really is.

Craton

<< <i>

<< <i>Purchased raw in a proof set for $40 bucks. Sent it to PCGS and it came back a PR67DCAM
>>



No way that DCAMs by todays standards... >>



Here it is post slabbed.

Rob41281

not a major score but on ebay a year or so ago i won an auction for a roll of circulated franklin halves, no pics, just said roll of circulated franklin halves i think i bid 60$, when the roll arrived it was a roll of 40 havles

ricko

I received an unslolicited offer for a PCGS slabbed 1995W ASE, way below market. Checked the listing with PCGS, was able to 'hold' the coin prior to paying.... and purchased it. have now quintupled+ my investment. Cheers, RickO

Geoman

My best is a 1929 $5 bill I bought for $10, and just sold it for $800. It's 1 of 5 known.

My best coin was a 1932-D quarter (G-4) I bought for $25 in 2001, and sold for $100 in 2004.

mgoodm3

Nothing really special. I bought a 1863 Indian cent raw for about $90 and got it into PCGS 64 plastic.