What is the best coin you've handled raw?
braddick
Posts: 24,343 ✭✭✭✭✭
No slabbed coins. None, even in plexiglass holders.
What is the BEST coin you have handled raw?
(Careful not to drop it!)
I recall reading a story as a youngster of a dealer or collector who would carry an expensive coin (like a high relief St. G.) in their pocket.
For me, it is probably a couple of Peacock-toned Ike dollars back in the mid-80s.
peacockcoins
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it would take some thinking but the 1829 10c curl base 2 is one that sticks out. as it was being handed to me, of course, it went sailing and rolling across the floor! thank goodness that coin show had carpeted floors almost as rare as the coin!
edited to add:
1796 & 7 half dollars. lots of meat left but they were almost certainly details coins. they were in the front jeans pocket of the dealer like pocket change. LOL
ALMOST held a 1795 1c s-79 raw but it got sent out too quick, understandably but enjoyed the private examination upon its return. no biggie, just about 600k. lol
I've had this coin for 20 years and it is one of my favorite Buffs. Joe Best(crazyhounddog) photographed it for me 4-5 years ago.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Great thread @braddick
I do not have one, but I will enjoy the answers here
boston
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Mine's not incredible but it was enough to impress the hell out of me. I was at my very first big coin show (the old Santa Clara Coin Expo), I think it was the year 2000. Coin was a 1797 Draped Bust $1 in VF. The punch line of the story...yes...I dropped it on the cement floor. The loudest "ding" I've ever heard. I swear everyone within 30 feet of me turned and looked. I picked it up, gave it to the dealer, he inspected it and said, "Eh, looks ok to me. No harm no foul." One of the more embarrassing moments in life for me. Felt like a complete boob.
Back in the late 1960s I helped a fellow collector / coin club member put away his set of proof seated, Morgan and pattern dollars that he had displayed at I show. I was admiring his 1895 proof Morgan when he told me it was the last one he purchased to complete his set and said he overpaid a whopping $8.80 when he bought it.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
For me it has been some US 18th century silver and copper coinage at some local shops.
Plus some US mid 19th century proof coins that came into a local shop inside of a small cloth bag containing a number of circulated 19th century coinage.
Quite fun to hold these raw coins in my hands. And I did not drop them
An 1883-O $10 gold in high AU condition
Other collector's coins.
What ? They were gold.
If “handled” is owned, then it would a Chain Cent or 1796 Quarter, both graded VF by leading services.
a
Harlan Berk invited me upstairs during a visit to Chicago. I enjoyed a bit of a show-and-tell for a half-hour or so. It must have been a slow day for him. After I selected a couple of relatively inexpensive ancients to purchase, he gave me a copy of his book and said, "You want to see something cool?"
He disappeared into the back and brought out a very nice tray of exceptional coins. They were all raw, of course. They were the cream of the crop, some unique, and all raw, of course. About half were gold. He said, "Pick them up, look at the reverses, enjoy them!" I picked up a couple of them. The level of trust he demonstrated, having just met me, was surprising.
Some were 6 figure coins, (even more?). Being relatively ignorant of ancients, I was in over my head immediately. I wish I could even remember what they were!
Here's the writeup I did about the visit back in 2013:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/884357/fun-visit-to-harlan-berks-shop
THE 1794 dollar.
What an experience!
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
When I bought that coin raw in 1988, I liked it so much I couldn't bring myself to put it in a slab, at least not for a number of months.
Other highlights have been the Childs 1804 $1, now graded 68, and the 1849 $20 and 1877 Half Unions at the Smithsonian.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I originally purchased her as an PCGS AU53 CAC. Cracked her and she came back PCGS AU55 CAC. Sold her at a moment of weakness.
1818 50C Overton 112 PCGS AU55 CAC
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how would you estimate such coins have survived the insurmountable amount of chaos, getting from there to here, intact in such condition? kinda blows my mind when i think about the sheer volume of quality gem 18th & 19th century coins that have survived what they have. (and tons of world coins as well)
Never forget it ... Spring of 1990 ?
Was allowed to hold and examine a complete Pan Pac set in the original purple velvet box, and take out each individual example to look at them more closely at Northgate Coin in Seattle.
Comparatively speaking I was still a newb, and not sure I ever sweat as much from my nerves. I'm also pretty sure I've never held anything more valuable in raw rare coins. IIRC I think the value of just one of the $50.'s was worth as much or more than the house I purchased in Seattle in late 1991.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
John Jay Pittman used to bring 6 figure coins to the local coin club all the time. Raw and in his suit pocket.
Remember seeing John Jay Pittman at the RNA shows and club meetings back years ago, with some of his incredible coins too.
If best means $$$$ I have 2 2019 S Enhanced Reverse proof ASE that are raw, but I don’t equate value with best. And there is no best coin, like I posted before before, each coin is special. So for me the best coin(s) is my raw set of Coins from Portugal. They cover the history of the monarchy to the first republic to the dictatorship of the 2nd republic all the way to the modern era. A time of profound chance and the coins show it.
My current registry sets:
20th Century Type Set
Virtual DANSCO 7070
Slabbed IHC set - Missing the Anacs Slabbed coins
For me, a couple of my CC Morgans and a St. Gaudens double eagle. Love holding big gold raw... Cheers, RickO
Walked into my local coin shop about 20 years ago, which no longer exists today, and went right to the front counter. The owner reaches under the counter and tells me to hold out my hand. I do, and he drops an 1852 $50.00 octagonal California Assayers gold slug into my hand. I was speechless! Wish I had the means back then, I would have bought it. I’m sure it resides in a third party holder today.
For me, a 1937D three-legged buffalo. When I was in High School, I took care of a neighbor's yard while they went on vacation in the summer. He was a co-worker with my dad and knew I collected coins. One year when he returned from vacation, he showed me the nickel. The story was that he grew up in Montana and apparently many of the three-legged nickels were released there. His brother had many examples. He gave me the coin as part of the payment for caring for his yard. Its VF and I still have it. This was in the 1960's.
Does "in KoinTains" count as raw? At the end of the ANA in Baltimore where they had the grand reunion of the 1913 Liberty Head nickels, as he was taking down the exhibit (which had been moved into the Security Room, the then-Curator let me hold all five pieces in my hand while I checked them out with my loupe.
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excellent post and education/observation.
that kind of stuff is USUALLY what i end up talking about with numismatics.
perhaps a new quote in the making, "if you want a history lesson, look at your money."
edited to add: wonderful organizational system. the easy-to-read cards are great teaching tools.
A matte proof Lincoln in a 2x2, although it had an old cleaning.
Young Numismatist
It was some years back while visiting Bellevue Rare Coin and the owner, I think his name is Ryan, asked if I wanted to see something super cool. Of course I was game and in short order he had handed me a gorgeous and raw 1895 cameo Morgan. Said it was about 100k if I wanted to take it home. Left quite an impression though I wasn’t able to add that to my collection.
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
That I owned? 1888/7 IHC that graded mid AU.
Just in general? Pan Pac oct $50 that graded 65.
"It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
That’s a pretty awesome story about the Owl. Thanks for sharing. I hope you purchased that Owl post hoard find as prices dropped quite a bit since 2018 (I think nearly by half of what they were previously across all grades/strikes).
I was most impressed by the heaftiness of a 1.2 oz. raw gold 50 peso.
Gold has a world price entirely unaffected by accounting games between the Treasury and the Fed. - Jim Rickards
that's right. i did hold an octagonal pan pac. it was rumored to have been found in a house/building that was being torn down and it had suffered some severe contact with something that bent it all to crap but still retained virtually all of its detail, so i'm guessing it was wood or the like that bent it and not machinery.
i imagine someone with a little know-how could have flattened it back out quite a bit. not enough so that it would be hidden but look a lil more eye-appealing. although seeing it bent to crap brought a certain amount of humor/joy at the irony of what happens to some things in this life and how they got there or the like.
a mid-au 8/7, shoo wee.
Thanks; yeah, I bought it last year.
I posted this earlier, but it disappeared. So I'll re-post it.
When I was a kid, I collected coins, but only those in circulation. But I loved all coins. During a visit to NYC, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; I bought a replica Athens Owl tetradrachm.
I am many decades removed from being a kid, and decided that maybe I could buy a real Athens Owl tetradrachm. My wife, while highly-supportive of my desire for such a remarkable thing, saw a better use for it than just sitting in the safe, rarely looked at.
So I searched long and hard for the right one, and collected all the loose change caught in our sofa (in order to buy it; every nickel helps
), and bought it. It was in an NGC Ancients slab (I wasn't going to spend so much on a coin that hadn't been authenticated), graded ChAu; its strike is well-centered, and it is lovely. We took it to an excellent jeweler with whom we've done lots of business, and explained that we wanted the coin cracked out, and put into a bezel for a necklace, but in a way that would not damage the coin.
They were enchanted by the assignment, and did an excellent job. Yes, I know that some will consider this to be heresy (even though the coin is well-protected from damage (other than very slight wear from wearing the necklace); I don't care.
So now I've handled this 2500 year old coin. And we get to enjoy it every time my wife wears it (which is fairly frequently).
Glad to hear that. I bought my Owl this year.
New England Shilling and a Willow Tree Sixpence.
There is a magic to owning something that circulated during the golden age of ancient Athens!
Back in the early 1970's I owned a 1900 and 1905 Proof $2 1/2 Gold. I would guess that they would grade at least 66 CAM or DCAM today.
King of Siam proof set!
I wear clothes when handling coins.
This 1891 Proof Morgan is probably my favorite.
Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.
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i know i've already answered and put more than one example but i would like to add many of my discoveries, which after many years, only a few/couple of many of them have been reported to have been found. across several series.
it makes me feel VERY fortunate to have found these coins and have had the privilege to have my modest name attached to them for a lil bit of numismatic glory. it sure was HARD, fun and interesting and immeasurably enjoyable having worked with the people i did in bringing those coins to light.
Well they are British coins, but would three unique coins and another with available coins 3 count? All raw.
1952 Great Britain Proof Halfcrown (not known to exist until 1997) - unique
1952 Great Britain Proof penny (also not known to exist until 1997) - unique
1933 Great Britain penny - three available to collectors
1808 Great Britain penny - unique
Well, just Love coins, period.
I printed inserts for my flips just like yours, right down to the font. Most of my raw Lincoln cent varieties and foreign clips are now in holders like that.
To answer the OP's question, it was probably an 1873 Seated Dime DDO that eventually graded AU58, I cherrypicked it and took it out of the 2x2 to photograph before selling it. It's the one now pictured on the Seated Dime variety website for the variety.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Pondered this for awhile. Probably a couple mid-grade Chain Cents.
Dave
From the ANA
the 1913 V Nickel
and the 1804 Dollar
Let’s see,
VDB proof cent
1795 $10
A half disme
A LOT of early copper
But really nothing worth more than a hundred grand. Maybe $60k tops
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
I was at the Child's sale and I held that 1804 silver dollar, but it wasn't raw then. It was in a big plastic holder if i recall correctly.
In the pre-slab days (About 1973) a 1913 V-nickel in a capsule (does that count?)
I have an 1804 dime in my album.
Most people do.
And yes, I managed to drop it on hardwood it while it was raw.
I placed two 1933 double eagles, a UHR, 3 1804 dollars, and an 1849 $20 in an unlocked box and carried it across the Smithsonian while the museum was open…