NewP: 1795 O-103a half dollar, and its perilous travels

I sold my 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar a couple of years ago, desiring a better example without problems or ugly adjustment marks. The replacement coin appeared out of the blue last weekend on Northeast Numismatics' site, and I was able to secure it before the next willing buyer came along. It's a PCGS F-15 graded example, an O-103a variety with a large reverse cud (R-5 variety, R-5 die state). It is free of heavy marks and has natural gray surfaces without distracting blemishes. There are a couple of unfortunate pinscratches on the cud itself, which I suppose is logical, given that the cud is the highest point of the reverse design. Overall, it has the color and look that I wanted, it's a rare variety, and it's strong for an F-15 in my opinion.

My photos:

Seller's photos:

Now the fun part: getting it from Boston to my house, which is basically due west on I-90 near the NY/VT border. Northeast did a great job choosing Registered Mail, but the rest of the process was a comedy of errors. By Friday, the tracking info. showed that it had not gone to the Albany, NY distribution center, but ended up in Jamaica, NY instead. Even worse, it's Out for Delivery. Whoa, Nellie. I do not need to see this coin out for delivery in Queens! I am far enough north that I'm nowhere near NYC. What is it doing down there, and why don't they just take it to Tony Soprano's house in Joisey and hand it to him already?

At this point, I figured there was going to be a problem, so I put a security camera on my mailbox. If the carrier shows up and dumps an empty, cut-open box in there and makes a mad dash up the street with no signature, then I've got it on video. I already had two coins stolen out of the mail here in the Albany NY area, one of which was torn open, and the other of which was deliberately handed off to a crooked friend who signed for it. They got caught immediately and I got that one back, but that's two coins lost in three years, and I have ordered less than 30 coins during that span.

Saturday comes and goes, and I'm relieved to see the coin depart for Albany on Sunday, though I suspect it's a cut open box at this point. It arrived in Albany yesterday, but it did not cross the river this morning, and did not go out for delivery. Like an idiot, I turned off the camera and went for groceries. Only one hour later, I get the delivery update: delivered, left with individual. What individual? The guy with the ski mask and the crowbar hiding out in the bushes? The sketchy lawn service people? No, my carrier just chucked it in my mailbox, skipped the signature, and took off. REGISTERED. They get fired if they lose it, right? Well, maybe not if it was delivered and "left with individual."

I went out to the mailbox just in time to see a total stranger walking right by it. The coin was in there, and I got it. How stupid was I for turning off the camera? How stupid was I for believing that the tracking info. was correct, and it was not coming today? How unlucky was it that the coin showed up during the one hour I haven't been home since last Thursday? These are "pandemic times" we live in, and my security cameras are going to be doing overtime whenever there's a coin coming in the mail. Lesson learned, but no tuition paid (this time).