What's the longest amount of time it took you to acquire a coin on your "must have" list

Manorcourtman

I have been searching now about 7 years for a 97-O Barber quarter in PCGS XF45. It's an R5 coin in XF-AU grades. This date and grade has never been offered in auction according to CoinFacts and is a pop 8 coin in 45. Well yesterday I finally located one and my long journey has come to happy conculsion!!! What's the longest amount of time it took you to acquire your "must have" coin?

Lakesammman

8 years or more - posted the completion of my CWT short set last week as 2 coins from the Tanenbaum estate finally became available.

seanq

Twenty years, give or take a few months.


Sean Reynolds

bronzemat

The coin in my avatar. It had to have a good tone, decent weight, reasonable price. Its a pretty scarce coin but thanks to 4 years of waiting & Josh/Civitas, it is now mine as of a few months ago. I couldnt be happier.

For U.S. coins, it was a seated liberty dollar & a trade dollar. I had always wanted 1 of each as a kid but couldnt afford them till I was an adult. I got back into collecting in 2008 and I acquired both types in early 2009. So about 20+ years for those two types in decent grades. VF30 for the Seated Dollar, AU58 for the trade.

COALPORTER

<< <i>Twenty years, give or take a few months.


Sean Reynolds >>



I was going to say that. Several coins have been out of my price range since I was a
little kid. I thought by now, i would have enough $$$$$$$$$$, but nope!

123cents

4 years.

mozin

It took me 35 years to buy my 1807 Small Stars Capped Bust Half Dollar. When bought it was NGC 53, but crossed to PCGS as only XF 45. The unusual wear pattern for this marriage led PCGS to downgrade the coin.

renomedphys

I have occasionally chased individual coins for a year or two before reaching a deal with the owner, be it from a dealer holding out for a higher price, or from a collector who just doesn't want to sell. There are several coins in the latter category that will probably have to wait a few more years, or even decades, when presumably the owner will pass and the collection will become available. And there is a specific coin in the former category that I would love to buy but can't afford, and probably won't be able to for years to come.

Zoins

<< <i>Twenty years, give or take a few months.


Sean Reynolds >>



Congrats! Yours was a great story Sean. Sometimes it's good to ask vs. wait.

I have a piece I've been searching for about 7 years now. It's the last piece in a set. I should probably ask as you did as prices are going up in this series. The search is part of the fun but at some point, I'll probably start putting out feelers.

halfcentman

It took me eight years for me and Lisa to find the perfect 1800 Half Cent.

This was it. It was sold in the Lake Michigan and Springdale Collection from ANR in June 2006.



I MISS THIS COIN!!

SmEagle1795

I was supposed to only have to wait until today (~4 years) but I had to drop out as the underbidder on several fantastic lots in the Ars Classica auction this morning. My bids were already massively over previous sales and I simply couldn't justify another increment.

Elcontador

It took 8 1/2 years for me to find an acceptable Heraldic Eagle Bust $ in AU.

After nine and a half years, I'm still looking for an "all there" CBH in a PC holder in MS 65. I have seen several, but the asking price is more than I want to spend.

roadrunner

My "affordable" dream seated quarter took me 11 yrs to finally acquire after I blew the first 2 chances 11 and 9 yrs earlier. Owned that coin for 18 yrs.
And 37 yrs since I first saw it, there's been nothing even close to challenge it.

LogPotato

I'm still waiting.

rays

I've been looking for a VF-ish LE wreath cent for over 10 years. They are very hard to find with choice surfaces.

LeeBone

Still cannot find the certain Date/Mint Morgan in the certain PCGS grade I`m looking for.
Been about 7yrs +/-

LindeDad

I have a coin that I won't put on the list as it's costs exceed my net worth in the grade I want it.

DennisH

42 years... a 1967 Canada double-struck ("Diving Goose") dollar.

SkyMan

It took me seventeen years. I started collecting DCAM Franklin proofs in the latter 1980's. I was born in 1958, and found out in 1989 that there was only one die from 1958 that produced DCAM Franklins with frost and contrast comparable to the best of the series. The die only produced probably 12 - 18 coins with the ultimate level of contrast. In 2006 I was finally able to find and purchase one of these puppies.

raycyca

About 40 years. My Dad always wanted a 1909-S VDB. We went through bags of pennies for years, found a few 1955 DDO's. Traded one for a car. While alive, he never got one. I wanted one to complete his set, or mine, which ever came first. Now as an adult, I was able to get a PCGS AU-55. NOW my Dad's set is complete. I wish he were here to see it. (

tradedollarnut

Ever since I started the trade dollar set in 1996, I'd been searching for the mythical NGC MS66 1877. What's funny is that last year I finally found it (yuck) and within months acquired the coin that is now the sole PCGS MS66.

So 15 years

calaban7

<< <i>It took me seventeen years. I started collecting DCAM Franklin proofs in the latter 1980's. I was born in 1958, and found out in 1989 that there was only one die from 1958 that produced DCAM Franklins with frost and contrast comparable to the best of the series. The die only produced probably 12 - 18 coins with the ultimate level of contrast. In 2006 I was finally able to find and purchase one of these puppies.

>>



Very nice puppy !!!

howards

25 years plus and still looking for a couple of must haves.

TahoeDale

Jeff,

I know how particular you are, when trying to find the "all there" 65 CBH. And nine and 1/2 years is a long time
considering there exists some fantastic 65's( and way too many fair to average for the grade ones).

Maybe you needed to start your search 15 years ago, when they were priced more reasonably, as I seriously doubt you
will find a seller who will part with the pq coin for Elcontador dollars.

But good luck, anyway.

LanLord

I don't know yet

STONE

2-4 years for several pieces.

Several coins I've still waiting to acquire just the right piece!

droopyd

Once I had the money, not more than a few months.

Colorfulcoins

Never more than 3 years..........after which I've generally and then I've given up! But I'm now onto a new set - about 2 years in and we'll see if I can persist beyond the 3 year mark.

keyman64

Still searching for several Merc Varieties after 2.5 years. I imagine I could be searching a long time for some.

Baley

I've been working on a complete US type set like Bill Jones' since 1976, this year I got a 1796 dime and 1805 half eagle for the first time, so 36 years so far. And counting for a score more types.

With luck it will take 15 or 20 more years to finish

SaorAlba

<< <i>Twenty years, give or take a few months.


Sean Reynolds >>



Great story and great coin too, worth the long wait.

For me, I saw a Syracuse tetradrachm about 10 years ago that has haunted me ever since. Prior to that I waited probably 10+ years to buy a Bust dollar that I liked because I wanted an all original coin with no trace of any cleaning.

cupronik

39 months from the first time I laid eyes on it! No coin ever owned my soul such as the coin in question did.

GeorgeKellogg

I searched for over 16 years for a Dahlonega gold piece from the Louis Eliasberg Collection. I bought this piece in the 1999 FUN auction of the North Georgia Collection, with lots of help from Gold Rush Gallery (Al Adams). I was a novice collector in 1982, when the Eliasberg gold sale took place and didn't participate. The photo is courtesy of BluCC.

Dave99B

Been looking for a 1901-s Barber VF quarter since about 1986. So I guess we are talking 27 years? Yikes.

I'm a bit picky. My example needs to be fully original so it matches by nearly complete VF set (missing only the 01-s and 13-s).

If it takes another 10 years, I can wait. I'd rather wait, than settle on a sub-par example. Plus, patience is a virtue, right?

Dave

HoledandCreative

After several decades, still looking for a holed, not plugged 1796 or 1797 Bust Half Dollar. I do have hole filled with a filled hole example but still have the dream of finding one before I lose interest.

rec78

About 30 years or more. A 1901-S barber quarter in vg to match the rest of my set. I bought this coin from Teaparty about 9 years ago, just before the big price increases for this date (Whew--Glad I got it then-because if I had to buy one now I probably wouldn't.) I kept putting it off because it was not a priority, then I got tired of the hole in album and just bought it.

Bob

MFH

The Barber series has a few show stoppers that I have yet to locate
in the grade that blends in with the balance of my specific collection.

The 1897-O Dime in AU 53-58 has been on my want list
since 1994 when I first started collecting. My first two sets
had MS coins, and my newest set has a presentable 35. Even
choice 45's are almost impossible to locate problem free.

rainbowroosie

Still looking for a 1961 P roosie in 67 with "real color" --- been looking since 1989....

DeliaBug

Since 2001 when I sold several sets and started a single new one I am still waiting for a quite a few.

noow

The NGC Multi-coin sample slab. Been looking for around a year or two now.

johnny9434

8 years as well.