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LordM's OPERATION PAPERCLIP 2013 (CoinZip won the final drawing)
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,212 ✭✭✭✭✭
Welcome to Operation Paperclip 2013!
This is a numismatic trading game based on the "One Red Paperclip" premise.
In other words, I'll start with next to nothing, trade up a little bit each time, and see how far I've gotten after all my trading at the end of one year's time.
The original "red paperclip" story involved a guy who started out with nothing but a single red paperclip, traded it for a fish-shaped pen, traded the pen for something else, and so on down the line, until by the end of one year's trading he ended up with a house! Sure, that guy had plenty of help along the way, and indulgent trading partners (publicity never hurts). I had some indulgent swap partners in last year's paperclip game, too. But I did a drawing and split the proceeds with one of them at the end. Despite several stalls and some long disappearances by yours truly, I think last year's Operation Paperclip was a success.
THIS IS THE MAIN TRADING THREAD.
Read below, scroll down to see the latest item in play, and PM your best trade offer for that item.
Items offered for trade should be at least marginally numismatic in nature, though I'll be considering a little bit of everything: US coins, world & ancient coins, exonumia, and maybe even currency. I'm pretty eclectic in my tastes and try to be open-minded.
To give my potential trading partners an incentive to let me "trade up" a little each time, I'm offering a kickback.
At the end of the year, or perhaps just after New Year of 2014, I will sell or split up the final lot, and split the proceeds (50/50) with one of the year's trading partners. I will draw that person's name using a random number generator.
Furthermore, the random drawing will be done by trade number, so if anyone has done multiple trades with me in the course of the year, they'll be getting multiple chances to win half of my proceeds in the year-end lottery. (This probably served TorinoCobra71 well last year, as he had contributed more than one trade and therefore had more chances to win the final drawing.)
SUMMARY (scroll down- the most recent trade will be at the bottom)
Swap #1, my initial investment, was a gift from some kind soul (I'm ashamed to say I forget who), for my old "Holey Coin Vest".
I don't know what it is worth, but it cost me nothing, so that's where we'll start. From nothing, essentially.
Swap #1: British pewter medal struck for Queen Victoria's Jubilee, circa 1887.
Offered by: lordmarcovan, 1/1/13 (the initial swap starter).
Value estimate when offered: unknown (cost = $0.00).
Traded to: Jinx86, 1/15/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED (Jinx86 confirmed on 2/12/13).
Swap #2: 1963 prooflike Canadian half dollar, .800 silver.
Offered by: Jinx86, 1/15/13.
Value estimate when offered: $9.35 (based on 1/15/13 spot silver price alone).
Traded to: JaLP, 1/21/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED (JaLP confirmed on 1/29/13).
Swap #3: 1899 USA Barber half dollar, G4.
Offered by: JaLP, 1/21/13.
Value estimate when offered: $11.55 (based on 1/21/13 spot silver price).
Traded to: TorinoCobra71, 1/21/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED (TorinoCobra71 confirmed on 1/30/13).
Swap #4: Three circulated silver Washington quarters (1940, 1956, 1958-D).
Offered by: TorinoCobra71, 1/21/13.
Value estimate when offered: $17.27 total (based on 1/21/13 spot silver price).
Traded to: CoinZip, 1/22/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED (CoinZip confirmed on 1/29/13).
Swap #5: 1964 silver Kennedy half & six British coins, 1862-1954.
Offered by: CoinZip, 1/21/13.
Value estimate when offered: $19.63 total (based on $11.63 spot silver price for the half plus $8.00 for the British coins).
Traded to: JaLP, 2/15/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED- (JaLP confirmed on 2/24/13).
Swap #6: 1915-D Barber quarter (VG+) and Cheerios Millennium promotional Lincoln cent.
Offered by: JaLP, 2/15/13.
Value estimate when offered: $21.50 total ($14.50 for the quarter and $7.00 for the cent).
Traded to: "The Man In Black" (an anonymous lurker, who told me to give these away), 2/20/13.
The "Man In Black" chose not to keep these items, told me to do a giveaway, and illini420 won the drawing on 3/4/13.
Shipping status: RECEIVED (illini420 confirmed receipt on 3/9/13).
Swap #7: 1911 Mexico "Caballito" peso, Long Ray variety, ANACS AU50 details (polished).
Offered by: "The Man In Black" (an anonymous lurker), 2/20/13.
Value estimate when offered: $58.00.
Traded to: nobody- rolled into Swap #7B, below, when The Man In Black kicked in 19 MORE coins!
Shipping status: (See Swap #7B, below)
Swap #7B: Twenty US and World coins, 1843-1966, including a slabbed Mexican "Caballito" peso and three silver halves.
(More scans in message posting.)
Offered by: "The Man In Black" (an anonymous lurker), 2/23/13.
Value estimate when offered: $120.48. *
Traded to: LochNESS, 3/1/13.
Shipping status: SHIPPED (lordmarcovan personally mailed these on 3/14/13).
Swap #8: A mixed lot of US and World proof sets and slabs, plus some mint set remnants and Canadian cents.
(More images here.)
Offered by: LochNESS, 2/23/13.
Value estimate when offered: $132.23. *
Traded to: lordmarcovan, 4/22/13.
Shipping status: PENDING
Swap #9: 1854-O USA Seated Liberty half dollar, VF35.
Offered by: lordmarcovan, 5/16/13 (in place of an unsuccessful lot* offered 4/22/13).
Value estimate when offered: $155.00 (lordmarcovan's cost).*
Traded to:
Shipping status: shipped
PLEASE NOTE: If this thing should seem to stall sometimes, or I totally vanish... don't fret. I've been known to disappear completely from cyberspace, sometimes for weeks at a time. But I'll catch up on my PMs when I come back and we'll get the ball rolling again. So far, I've always come back... eventually. Hopefully I won't do any multi-month-long disappearances like last year. I'll try to stay caught up. Just be warned, I do go into "hermit mode" occasionally.
Oh- and if you post a trade offer here, do be sure to PM me as well, so I know to come back over here and look at it!
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Comments
Read over last year's Paperclip thread. That should give some idea of how all this works. It's fun... c'mon, join in!
A circa 1887 British medal struck around the time of Queen Victoria's Jubilee.
Holed for suspension, as many of them probably were. Approximately the size of a US half dollar. Note that though Victoria was celebrating her Silver Jubilee, this particular medal is not struck in silver. (Edit- no, whoops- it was her Golden Jubilee in 1887. Eh, whatever. This ain't gold, either, obviously.) It appears to be pewter or some kind of similar white metal. It has some scuffs and scrapes, but is still not unattractive. I have no idea what it is worth. Probably not much, but hey, it didn't cost me anything, and it's kind of neat, and Operation Paperclip 2013 should launch with something insignificant but interesting, right?
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
PS- some research- there seem to be a zillion types of these. For this type, I found only two examples. This one was active as of 1/3/13. That seller wants GBP 15.95 (about US $25.97) plus shipping, but that might be optimistic. Like mine above, it lacks the pin, but it's definitely nicer than mine. On the other hand, this one, with its nifty little crown-shaped pin attached, sold for only $7.99 on 12/3/12. (Probably because the seller wanted a rather greedy $7.95 shipping). So what's mine worth, as-is? Who knows. You decide. I'd love to see a ten-dollar trade on it, but we're starting out at zero, so step right up and make an offer.
Bueller?
Bueller?
Hm. Guess that one's a non-starter, huh.
Well, hey, it's better than a red paperclip, right?
Jinx86- thanks! I accept that offer.
If you'd be so kind as to hold it for the next person down the line, I'll send you the Victorian medal.
So I guess that means we're done with Swap #1 and move on to Swap #2, now?
A nice Prooflike 1963 Canadian half dollar (.800 silver).
Offered by Jinx86, who estimated its approximate value at around $15.00, which sounds reasonable to me. To be conservative, though, I'll just declare its trade value at the spot silver price, which as of this posting is $9.35.
Thanks, Jinx86!
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Will add one of the following large copper/brass coins to the Canadian half.
1919 China 10 cash
1901 Straits Settlements 1C
1879 Russia 3 Kopec
An 1899 USA Barber half dollar, G4.
Well worn with some stains here and there, but a full reverse rim. Spot price/melt value is $11.55 as of 1/21/13.
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
He's basically offered three quarters for my half dollar, so it sounds good to me. So far we've just been dealing with bullion, anyway.
So, here we are at ...
SWAP #4
Three USA silver Washington quarters, dated 1940, 1956, and 1958-D.
Just your average circulated pieces. Spot silver value as of this posting is $17.27 total.
He just sent some quickie cellphone pictures, so forgive the focus issues. That's better than no pictures, and they'll do for this swap.
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Maybe somebody will step up and offer eight or nine silver dimes.
Or, if they're feeling generous, a worn-out silver dollar.
Or ... something. Could be anything.
That's part of what makes this swapping thread so fun. We never know what's gonna be on the table next!
Since I am a blind middleman in most of these deals and the coins I briefly "own" never actually cross my hands, I am relying on my swap partners to let me know how everything went.
We want everybody happy here!
Keep me updated, and I'll update the summary post at the top of the page.
A 90% silver USA 1964 Kennedy half plus six British coins dating 1862-1954.
Figure the Kennedy at melt value, which as of this posting is $11.63. (Hm... that's spooky. 11/63... November, '63... get it? But I digress.)
I figured the 1862 Brit halfpenny at VF, and assumed it to be the most common variety, making it a $5.00 coin by Krause values. And if it is XF, which it looks pretty close to, based on that reverse photo, then the value leaps to $28.00 just for that one coin! (Plus the cherrypicking possibilities could be interesting if it turns out to NOT be the most common variety!) But I am calling it a $5.00 coin to be conservative.
I figured the 1946 Brit large penny at $1.00, though in XF it would also be a $5.00 coin. (This one looks close, but I don't think it is full XF.)
I figured the other four (the 1937 and 1954 halfpennies plus the 1910 and 1916 large pennies) at $2.00 total. (Basically a buck apiece for the pennies and call the halfpennies a freebie.)
So, $11.63 plus $5.00 plus $1.00 plus $2.00.
The total declared value estimate for this lot is therefore $19.63. (Brr... there's that spooky 1963 JFK coincidence again. But I digress... again.)
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Eh, bummer.
C'mon, somebody get us unstuck, even if I have to trade down a little.
Amat Colligendo Focum
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<< <i>Just my thought should make a rule only us coins or gold or silver to many people don't want foreign >>
Other people can make that rule on their trading threads if they so desire. I happen to BE a world coin guy, so no such rule here. The only rule here is that something has to be numismatic in nature. Of course I do try to consider which trades will be more popular than others when considering what's being offered, and gold or silver are always good.
After some delay, I will be putting Swap #6 up shortly.
A 1915-D Barber quarter (VG+) and a Cheerios Millennium promotional Lincoln cent.
(Actual photo of Barber quarter offered, stock image of Cheerios cent)
The quarter was offered by JaLP. While it looks like a decent coin, I was initially reluctant to take it on because by itself it seemed a tad light for the current swap. But after we had stalled for a while, I changed my thinking, and JaLP also sweetened the pot a little by adding the cent.
The quarter was discussed as being "Fine-ish". I don't think it's quite there, though there are several letters of LIBERTY on the headband. I think it's more of a VG+ coin, personally. Let's say VG10 for the sake of argument. Numismedia trends are $12 VG and $17 Fine for the moment, so split the difference and we've got a $14.50 declared value for the quarter.
For the Cheerios cent, I went to eBay and searched all the closed auctions that had free shipping. These ranged from $3.36 to $12.00. Averaging that, we come up with a declared value of $7.68, but let's just call it an even seven bucks.
So the total declared value of this lot is $21.50, if nobody disagrees.
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Thanks for playing, everyone.
I've had some ideas for a more equitable distribution of the proceeds at the end of the year, maybe. I will post a poll about that shortly.
Poll is posted now.
The USPS tracking number is 9400109699938408429024.
When the game stalls, what would everyone think about my making substitutions?
Provided I didn't step up the value of the current swap more than about $5 over what was on the table?
In other words, what would everybody think of my re-entering as a swapper now and then, for more than just the initial swap?
I don't see much wrong with it- this is mostly my game, after all- but I didn't do it last year for fear it would "mess up the stats" somehow.
But if I'm only kicking it up a notch, by say, no more than five additional bucks in value, I don't see the harm?
Or even a substitution of equal value, just to liven things up a bit if the current swap has gotten stale?
I think I'll reserve the right to step in and do that in the event of a stall, provided I don't up the ante too much.
Most of the time I'll be on the sidelines, moderating and watching.
For all this talk, this year's Paperclip thing hasn't taken off quite like last year's, if memory serves. I haven't had multiple offers to weigh on any particular item, anyway.
But it's only February. The year is still young.
We're about to be unstuck, and I predict this next one is gonna go pretty fast. (Well, I hope, anyway.)
What's more interesting is that it was put forward by a mystery man (I'll just call him "The Man In Black").
And this mystery man said he really doesn't have any need for the items in Swap #6, so those are gonna be rolled into a separate giveaway.
After all the anonymous generosity lately and good karma goin' around, I feel a bit awkward accepting this "swap" (donation, really).
(Say, did you see the ancient Roman ring some mystery person just sent me out of a clear blue sky? It's my latest avatar. I had to give away some Roman coins over on the World Coin Forum to balance out the karma a bit. But I digress, as usual.)
So yeah- keep an eye for Swap #7- considering where we've been so far in this year's Paperclip game, I think you'll find we've kicked it up quite a bit. And watch for the giveaway of Swap #6. I'll have JaLP ship that to the drawing winner when the time comes.
I couldn't refuse this offer, as it came out of a clear blue sky, just like the Roman ring thing. And in this case, I think it's to everyone's benefit, as it moves the Paperclip progression along.
Thank you, Mystery Man.
More on this in a little while.
PS- I promise this isn't just some stunt I invented to give the Paperclip game a boost. It really did appear out of the blue, in my PM inbox. At first I thought the Mystery Man was offering a trade for a different item I had up for sale. It didn't initially dawn on me that it was a Paperclip trade offer because it seemed too nice.
Click here!
Once there are 20 or so votes in the poll, I'll go with whatever value consensus that produces, and we're off to the races.
Warning- it's another Darkside item.
But despite the innate "anti-foreign" bias on these forums, I think you'll see why it's a big trade up. For starters, it's a big, dollar sized silver coin in a slab. And an extremely popular design. The mystery donor said he likes world coins and wanted to keep a Darkside presence in the Paperclip game. He doesn't want the items in Swap #6, so as mentioned, I will be doing a giveaway drawing on those shortly. I do intend to insist that he split the proceeds at year's end when that drawing comes up, however. IF his number (#7) happens to be drawn.
But that is months away. Who knows where we will be then.
Hey, I'm very encouraged by this sudden development. We might see some gold again, like last year. Or some cool trade dollars and stuff like that. We're not there yet, but getting closer...
SWAP #7
(Update: we'll call this "Swap #7A" now that there is a Swap #7B. In any event, disregard this and refer to #7B, since 19 more coins got added to this one!)
A 1911 Mexican "Caballito" peso with ANACS certification as AU50 details.
Yes, this is a "foreign" coin, and it's been polished, but it's still a big ol' piece of silver with a beautiful and popular design.
Plus, it's our first slab this year, and the melt value alone is worth more than Paperclip swap #6 was!
The "problem" notation makes it a bit of a wild card, but melt value is about $22.30 as I type this, and it should trade above melt.
How much above melt is the magic question. For that reason, I've posted a poll over on the World Coin Forum to help us assign a trade value to it.
When this poll exceeds 20 votes, I will go with whatever consensus is reached and we'll call that our declared value for this item.
My personal guesstimate was about $60.00-65.00.
My Krause catalog (a few years old) says $75.00 in XF and $200.00 in UNC. If this were a problem-free coin, it would fall somewhere in between those numbers.
As-is? We'll see.
You've also by now read about our mysterious "Man In Black", the anonymous lurker who basically donated this coin, since he didn't really want Swap #6.
So Swap #6 is now live in a giveaway thread.
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Sure enough, I already have an offer on the table for it.
It is:
<< <i>...a nice looking 1899-O Morgan Dollar in PCGS MS63 which seems to be a little better date than the most common of the dollars. Surprisingly, the coin is very nice for the grade, all white and lustrous. Greysheet on the coin is still $58 bid (as of 2/8), but the last few auctions have gone around $70. >>
I checked Numismedia and found the value to be $68 there, and $72 on the PCGS priceguide.
One additional person has mentioned he is also going to make an offer on the Caballito above, but as of this post I do not yet know what that will be.
If nobody else steps in with something more appealing, regardless of the results of the Caballito value assessment poll, I'm gonna accept the offer of that 1899-O Morgan. I'll give us until sometime tomorrow (well, Thursday) afternoon to see what other offers come in, and to let the person who put the Morgan on the table get his pictures ready in case I do go with that.
So if you like the coin in Swap #7 above, be quick and step up with a more tempting offer, or it's gonna be gone!
Thanks, everyone.
Update:
OK, this just in. Here's the other offer on the table.
<< <i>...an 1877cc 25c in pcgs AG03 !
Quite a charmer actually, very even wear with a touch of goldish toning.
Heritage has one that sold for $25 and one for $42
AND, a 1953 d Frankie anacs 64 with some funky cool album crust ! $35 ish >>
No final decision until after lunchtime tomorr- uh, today (Thursday), and until I've had time to scratch my head a bit and see the pix, but I think you'll agree with me that either way, things just got a lot more interesting here.
I'm so relieved to be out of the Cheap Coin Doldrums. *whew!*
Don't get me wrong- I still love cheap coins- and we started this from nothing, basically- but getting interesting swap offers is definitely easier once a certain threshold is passed. Now that we're up into slab territory and bigger and even MS coins are offered, I think we've handily passed that threshold.
Stay tuned!
And again, step up on the Caballito peso before lunchtime Eastern, or it's gone! You've got to top both of the very fair offers above.
Things just got even MORE interesting.
I told the person who offered that MS63 Morgan that I accepted his offer, and was going over to the Testing Forum to draft the thread updates.
It was pretty much a done deal.
But then a PM flashed in my inbox.
It was the mysterious "Man In Black" again.
BTW, if you were wondering, that is just a nickname I gave him. It is a subtle and semi-obscure pun on his forum name, but that's all I'll say.
I do not know him from the man in the moon. He has a basic forum profile, obviously, but I do not recall ever seeing him around before he PM-ed me yesterday. So he's almost as much of a mystery man to me as he is to you. I now know what state he lives in but that's about it. I do not even know his real name.
Oh- and I swear I did not make him up. He IS a real person and not a Paperclip publicity stunt. Here are some quotes:
<< <i>Lord M
Don't take any offers till you get the package,....There's more to be had in this trade than just the peso....
We're going to kick it higher!! >>
So I said,
<< <i>Oh, no. Wait. Don't kick it TOO much higher.
Yikes. What else did you put in there?" >>
He said,
<< <i>Just a few odd pieces that will bring out the light siders and perhaps the bullion boys as well.
Give it till tomorrow when you get it in hand if you can.
Hope you enjoy....I know that I am. >>
So there 'tis. The Man In Black said I should hold off on trading the Caballito peso, above.
Not only has he shipped it (overnight- for 36 bucks- yow!), but he says there is some OTHER stuff in the package.
He wants to step this up even MORE!
So now not even I know what is going to be on the table for Swap #7.
(We'll call the update Swap #7B, since it's essentially a sweetening of the peso deal already offered.)
I guess we'll know tomorrow (Friday). I'll be home and not at work then, so I should be able to sign for the mystery package and will try to find time to photograph the contents and post them before I have to go off to work the graveyard shift Friday night.
So stay tuned!
By the way- note to other mystery men (and -women) who might be lurking out there watching all this:
It was never my intention to solicit outright donations for this thread. After all, it is at least partly a for-profit venture, to benefit myself and the drawing winner at the end of the year. We do rely on a little bit of generosity to bump each trade a notch up the ladder and keep things moving, but there's no need to go overboard.
That being said, since our mystery man DID see fit to gallop in with an over-the-top offer, just to spark things off and have fun watching, who am I to stop him?
Can't wait to see what the mystery items are tomorrow.
You've gotta love it when the plot thickens... and then thickens again.
This morning, however, I was awake, fully dressed, and standing outside on the front steps when she drove up and stuck some mail in the box, then rolled off.
Hm.
Inside the box was an orange Express Mail package claim slip.
Dunno for the life of me why she failed to stop and honk or even see me this time, but maybe she was behind on her route and had to catch up.
So our Man In Black's mystery package he so generously overspent to ship so quickly is downtown at the post office, 20+ miles away.
I work graveyard tonight and get off too long before the PO reopens Saturday morning, so maybe in the early afternoon I'll have to make a special trip and go fetch the goodies. (I've got overseas eBay packages to ship, anyway).
Sorry for the delay, but we'll blame it on my sweet little old rural mail carrier lady.
So we'll just have to remain in suspense until Saturday late, most likely, or even Sunday-Monday, if I don't have time to take the pix and all that.
I'll get Swap #7B up and running ASAP, though, I promise.
(If anybody even cares enough to be watching and waiting besides me.)
<< <i>(If anybody even cares enough to be watching and waiting besides me.) >>
GGGGRRRR.......I'm watching & waiting
Coin Club Benefit auctions ..... View the Lots
The peso is here, of course, and looks quite nice for a polished piece, actually. It's not got that awful chromey look of an overpolished coin. Sure, it did get rubbed, but picked up a little bit of secondary toning to mitigate that and accent the design a bit. At a casual glance, it almost looks "prooflike" rather than "polished". A very lovely coin, despite the problem notation.
And there were nineteen other coins; one British and the rest United States. The British coin is a Fine+ 1843 copper half-farthing of Victoria. The US coins are ten G-VG Indian cents dating from 1882-1905. There is a VG+ 1869 nickel three-cent piece with clashmarks on the obverse, two common VG Buffalo nickels (1935 & 1936), a 1942 Walking Liberty half in VG, a 1951-S Franklin half in VG, and an AU 1966 Kennedy half. So we've got some additional silver there. There are also Red BU replicas of a 1793 half cent and a 1793 Chain cent with the "COPY" stamp on the reverse.
This stuff was all received loose in baggies. I've sorted it now but will put it in 2x2 holders and the 2x2s into a 20-pocket page for ease in scanning them. The coins were shipped in a new canvas US Mint $25.00 quarter bag but I'll keep that since I coughed up the 2x2s and pocket page and labor. The Man In Black also included three coins for me (a Seated half dime and No Stars dime plus a German coin), to reimburse MY shipping to the next swapper. (I haven't even examined MY goodies as of yet). So how's that for generous, huh? First 36 bucks to overnight it, then he pays for it to go on to its eventual destination, too. There's probably a halo beneath that black hat of his.
Pictures to follow, and I'll screenshoot an Excel spreadsheet for the value estimates, for ease in tallying it all up. But there it is, in preliminary form, so you can start tallying it up in your own mind and getting your trade offers and your own pictures ready.
In the future, for my own sanity and swapping simplicity, I'd probably prefer to stick with smaller lots. (Unless they're all uniform, like rolls or bags of a single type.) But the added wait and work for getting this swap together will certainly be worth it. I'm sure we've quite easily crossed the hundred-dollar threshold already in late February, and that didn't happen in last year's game until July.
So our benevolent Man In Black has definitely kicked in the turbochargers for the 2013 Paperclip game! I tip my Holey Coin Hat to him.
OK... so now, without (too much) further ado, we come to...
SWAP #7B
Twenty US and World coins, 1843-1966, including a slabbed Mexican "Caballito" peso and three silver halves.
You may disregard Swap #7A now.
It was rolled into this one when the mysterious Man In Black dropped his second bombshell by adding the other 19 pieces you see below.
Since this lot got rather complicated, I took some time to put the coins in 2x2s and a pocket page.
Full image of the slabbed Mexican peso from Swap #7A
Scan of obverses
Scan of reverses
(PS- sorry the scans aren't fantastic. I actually did two sets and thought I had used the somewhat higher-resolution versions.
But now I see they're only barely adequate. Should've cranked 'em up a little more.)
Here's the rundown for you, anyway:
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
All coins are here and packaged and ready to ship to whomever steps up with the best swap offer.
I'll leave this offer on the table until the end of February, and then it's on to Swap #8, whatever that turns out to be.
This would have been up hours sooner, had my internet connection not gone out at home. I'm now back at work on the graveyard shift, enjoying a different set of computery glitches, but at least here the connection is a little bit more reliable and a lot faster.
What I think I'll do is leave this one on the table for offers until the end of the month. I promised illini420 to listen to his offer first and foremost since I had accepted his trade offer on the peso before the Man In Black heavily sweetened the pot here. This doesn't mean I'll automatically accept whatever illini420 offers, though. This lot is wide open and available for the moment, so step right up and offer your trades!
I tried to be fair when assigning the swap values here. Hopefully the more conservative things like the free replica coins (which should at least have a $3-5 novelty value each?), and my figuring the silver at melt, should make up for any discrepancies. I arrived at the $58.00 estimate on the peso simply because that was the lowest quote discussed on illini420's trade coin (@ Greysheet bid.) So I had a real-world offer on the table for at least that much. The $58.00 figure also happens to be pretty much in line with the Darkside poll I ran earlier, and is less than the Krause XF price on that coin, so I'd say it's quite fair for a slabbed (if polished) AU50.
Been a tad busy at work, plus I was out of town this last weekend.
(On the Gulf coast of SW Florida, eating steaks off a backyard grill, swimming in a pool, and even getting a tan- so nyah nyah to you poor frozen Northerners.)
SWAP #8
A mixed lot of US and world coins, slabs, proof sets, and mint set remnants.
This lot was put forward by LochNESS.
(The member by that name, I mean. Not the monster. Haha. We had enough mystery in that last lot, with the sudden appearance of the "Man In Black".)
Like the previous swap (#7B, above), we have another rather complex, hybrid lot comprised of a lot of different things.
I personally hope we'll move back to simpler lots, but considering the progress we've made so far, I can't complain, and I don't think anyone else will, either.
As before, I did a little spreadsheet to help us sort it all out, and I think I was pretty conservative with the values.
The loose coins are all figured at face value, so you can't get much fairer than that. The two proof sets are significantly discounted from their catalog values, which seem to have spiked in the last few years. The slabs are conservatively estimated, in my opinion. The slabbed Czech coin could be the jewel in this lot, since it's a low-mintage silver issue, much of which was later recalled and melted. It's a tossup whether that or the proof sets will be anyone's favorite segment of this lot. Yes, we're still dealing with world coins a bit (apologies to those narrowly-focused "US only" folks), but I for one like to see some variety. Some, including our mysterious "Man In Black", have agreed with me on that.
There are also plenty of additional pictures here.
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
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I'm still watching...
Eventually somebody will step up with a swap offer of some kind, I think.
I have had one person who offered a partial swap for the Czech coin in Swap #8, but I would prefer not to break up the current lot, for logistical reasons.
Maybe the complexity and variety in the last two lots has made it harder.
Hopefully we can move back to single coins or slabs (or at least smaller lots) soon, but one takes what one can get in the swapping game!
It's all good.
But the three-piece slab lot I put up ALSO went almost a month with no takers, forcing me to switch it out again. There were some cool NGC slabbed ancients in that lot, but I guess they're more my cuppa tea than everyone else's. Eh, to each his own. So I guess it's time to get back to single-coin Paperclip lots, and good ol' mainstream USA material, at least for now. So now, here is the updated, new...
SWAP #9
A nice, original 1854-O Seated Liberty half dollar from a casual sideline collection I've been working on lately. Pedigreed to a numismatic author, too, though it's outside of that author's primary focus. Ex- Rick Snow (Eagle Eye Rare Coins), and forum member "renomedphys" before that.
The majority in a forum grading poll went with a VF35 grade on this piece. As of this posting, the Numismedia trends on this coin are $102.00 in VF20 and $192 in XF40. As a VF35 it should be closer to the latter number in a retail sense, but I am going to declare the trade value on this piece to be $155.00, which happens to have been my cost.*
Larger obverse photo
Larger reverse photo
PCGS/Photograde standards
Who would like this item? What will you swap me for it?
Hope we can get back out of the doldrums.
I wish I had a coin with a picture of a ghost town on it
Amat Colligendo Focum
Top 10 • FOR SALE
I did get one offer on the item currently in play, but thought it best to pass, as it was neither a coin nor a piece of currency. Well, it was paired with a coin, but the more valuable item in the pair was actually a piece of electronic equipment. One that does have some numismatic applications, true enough, and a nice little gizmo, no doubt, but I didn't want to risk going even further afield just now.
So here we have a US coin on the table, problem-free and original, to the best of my knowledge. And I think the assigned value on it is fair, though not a screaming steal or anything. I am surprised to have not gotten any other offers. (Bueller? Bueller?)
Hopefully Paperclip will eventually wake from its slumber.
Eh. We swappers have to be patient sometimes, until the right swap partner comes along, right?
I also think it's about to be gone.
Amat Colligendo Focum
Top 10 • FOR SALE
I'll post Swap #10 soon, I promise, but it's another biggish lot rather than a single item, so I had to make another spreadsheet (*groan*).
Will upload pix and spreadsheet and get the new swap on the table soon, I swear. Been too busy at work or had too many other irons in the fire between the forums and eBay business, so I've been waiting for the dust to settle.
The next swap will be a good-sized lot of US proof sets. Nothing terribly early. Now, I know modern proof sets are not exactly red-hot, but before you stifle a yawn, let me say this is a BIG pile of proof sets (at least 20, including a date run from 1968 to 1984 and then some), and there are also three pieces of silver bullion added in (two Canadian silver dollars and a US silver Eagle).
Stay tuned, and thanks for watching.
And as to the stalls in this thread, I'm not terribly concerned. After all, we've already gotten up to at least as much as (if not a tiny bit more than) Paperclip 2012 did all year. So in starting from nothing, I'm pleased with how far it's gotten so far, and we're not even three-quarters of the way done with the year yet. Naturally much of this is owed to the generosity of "The Man In Black" in Swap 7B.