Heading off on a treasure hunt!

mbogoman

I got a call from my broker and best friend the other day. He had received a call from the caretaker of one of his very elderly clients. Apparently the caretaker found two suitcases full of coins in the closet. The coin collection belonged to the elderly woman's late husband. They have no heirs and the woman could use the money. The caretaker asked my broker buddy if he knew of anyone who could help with assessing the collection, and that's where I come in. The only info I was able to get from my conversation with the caretaker was that there were a lot of "mint" boxes. So my expectations are a lot of fairly modern stuff, but you never know...

This is my first treasure hunt. I'll post tonight with what I found...

Cam40

AUandAG

I'm on edge!

bob

mbogoman

Well, let me start by saying it was a lot of fun even if it didn't amount to much. There were two suitcases, stuffed to the gills with US mint boxes, plus several small bags of odds and ends. The selection was weird to say the least. It was mostly proof and mint sets, and mostly from the 80s. Here's the rundown

Mint Sets - 1990 (30), 1988 (10), 1981 (5), 1989 (1), 1971 (4) and 1970 (5, no small dates)
Proof Sets - 1990 (20), 1989 (15), 1988 (15), 1987 (95), 1986 (20), 1985 (40), 1984 (40), 1983 (15), 1982 (5), 1981 (5), 1972 (5), 1971 (5)
Commems - 1982 Washington Proof (box of 25), 1982 Washington Unc (box of 25)

108 mixed Silver dollars, including two 78 CCs (f-vf) and one 83 CC (vf)
$75 face value of Franklin, Kennedy and Walker halves
$38 face value of Washington and mostly slick SLQs

Edited: Just the facts. I'm tired of defending my character.

BaseballAbs

I wish I could go on a treasure hunt.

coindeuce

I was on a treasure hunt today. A customer showed me some Iphone images of a friends gold coin. He wanted to know why gold coins were made in Denver in 1843. Yes, I now own a Large D quarter eagle !

CaptHenway

The 1987 half dollar was only in Proof and Mint sets, like the 1970. Everybody expected them to go way up. They never did because people like him bought them in quantity.

DorkGirl

djm

<< <i>Commems - 1982 Washington Proof (box of 25), 1982 Washington Unc (box of 25) >>



Did you buy these??

I would be interested in them at melt. Let me know.

erwindoc

Bet it was still fun to do!

CarsonCityGold

<< <i>Unfortunately, the widow is quite a few quarts low upstairs >>



Perhaps wording this a little more kindly would have been more appropriate.
Hopefully they will not accept your offer and you will learn to speak more professionally.
Speaks volumes about your character.

mr1931S

The widow should get a second opinion....

djm

<< <i>The widow should get a second opinion.... >>



Please be more specfic:

The value of the coins or

<< Unfortunately, the widow is quite a few quarts low upstairs >>

mbogoman

<< <i>Perhaps wording this a little more kindly would have been more appropriate. Hopefully they will not accept your offer and you will learn to speak more professionally. Speaks volumes about your character. >>



Sorry if I offended you, but lambasting my character is way out of line with the little information you had to work with. The widow has severe memory problems and babbled on incoherently for most of the 2 hours I was there. I was very polite and patiently answered all of her repeated questions. Numerous times I showed her examples in the Red Book that backed up what I was telling her. Not once did I lose my patience. I even explained my offer - how I had built in a small premium for my time and hopefully a profit (I offered about 10% back of melt) and that she might be able to do a little better if she shopped around. Remember, all of this took place under the watchful eye of the caretaker.

I respect my elders - that's the way I was taught. I was also taught to politely ask questions when I didn't have all the information instead of forming erroneous conclusions based on incomplete data. I certainly would never accuse someone on a public forum if I knew so little about the situation. I take care of my 90 year old mother-in-law who also have memory issues. She knows it and initiates jokes about it - usually by the third or fourth time she asks me something she starts realizing that she has already asked it, and then says something funny.

I didn't think I needed to go into detail about the widow's mental state, it's really none of your business. I felt that the term "a couple quarts low" summed it up, albeit with a little levity to soften things a bit. No malice or insults were intended. I spent time, effort, and drove 40 miles round trip to perform this favor and happily did it gratis. And you have the nerve to question my character. Next time you want to display your ignorance, use the PM function, that's what it's for. Now get a life.

AUandAG

Wow, that was an interesting read....weird what some people collect/save/hoard.

I think we have all seen similar tastes and quirks.

Makes it a really interesting "treasure hunt" every time!

Hope you end up with them.

bob

johnny9434

i was hoping ya hit the jackpot. next time

lkeigwin

Sounds to me like you handled it very professionally, Jim. With dignity, respect and patience. Goodness is always rewarded in the end.
Lance.

JamesMurray

"I didn't think I needed to go into detail about the widow's mental state"

You didn't , in fact you neednt have mentioned it at all far less in the way that was done. I think it does say a lot about the kind of guys going around , it was a witch being visited yesterday and today its a babbling old widow thats a few quarts low to use terms applied. It doesnt look good nor is it humorous in my own opinion.

mr1931S

Please be more specific:The value of the coins or<< Unfortunately, the widow is quite a few quarts low upstairs >>

The value of the coins.She needs to excercise "due diligence." The OP should be encouraging her to take the direction of getting another opinion.Then we could give the OP the benefit of the doubt here regarding the somewhat cross-eyed remark about the widow's mental state,which as has been pointed out,adds nothing,in fact detracts from his otherwise interesting story of the treasure hunt.

I told her the bulk of the value in what she had was the silver and that it was the only thing I was interested in.

My suggestion is to make the widow a decent offer for EVERYTHING,all contained in the two suitcases.Realize that by doing this you would essentially make her day.You would be honoring her deceased husband.That,in my opinion,would be a class act.

Make your best offer for everything and figure it out what to do with the mint boxes,okay?

ambro51

Holy Crap what a load of junk. As if he were a poster child for buying the wrong stuff. Geez if he had just bought genuine generic us gold coins... Or any of us could rattle off so many other REAL coins that could have been bought during those years for that money. Ugh. Hurts to read that inventory. (check the slq maybe you have a PO01 1916 would be the best coin there)

coinlieutenant

Lot of money in that pile of "junk".

Welcome to coin dealing. This is generally the stuff you get.

mr1931S

A real player of a dealer should be prepared to make a fair offer for the entire collection/accumulation,whatever term floats your boat, and not just cherry pick the good stuff and leave yet another American widow with the "junk" as some of you are saying about the mint and proof sets.

Those sets would sell like hot cakes on ebay.

mbogoman

<< <i>A real player of a dealer should be prepared to make a fair offer for the entire collection/accumulation,whatever term floats your boat, and not just cherry pick the good stuff and leave yet another American widow with the "junk" as some of you are saying about the mint and proof sets. >>



The suitcases had been stored under the bathroom. Of the proof set boxes that were opened, about half exhibited moisture damage. An ethical person would not try to sell them on Ebay knowing that they had issues. I'm not going to say anything further than that because the "character" police on this board are not worth the time and effort to fight.

mr1931S

Geez if he had just bought genuine generic us gold coins... Or any of us could rattle off so many other REAL coins that could have been bought during those years for that money.Ugh. Hurts to read that inventory. (check the slq maybe you have a PO01 1916 would be the best coin there)

The Carson City Dollars would be the best coins? As for buying REAL coins,it's kind of a relative thing.One mans treasures are another mans junk.The deceased mans collection survived him and is what it is. His widow deserves whatever money the collection will bring from a person who is acting not only in his own interests but hers as well.