Show & Tell. Share your coins and a story.

ironmanl63 · February 1, 2023 3:37PM

I thought it would be nice to have thread were you can share a photo of your coin or coins along with a story. No parameters.

I will start with this 1875 Indian Cent. I saw this coin being auctioned at Heritage and was prepared to pay moon money. I sat down ready to go to battle expecting a war. As it turned out I won the coin easily at a fraction of what I was willing to pay. The coin actually sold for under price guide. This is one of my favorite coins. It is graded MS65RB and is Photo Sealed. Green CAC as well.

Walkerlover · February 1, 2023 3:39PM

Beautiful eye appeal

Mr_Spud · February 1, 2023 4:04PM

Here’s a coin with a story. I have the coin graded now. The story beneath the picture is a copy and paste of the original post from 2006 when I won the coin in the arcade 🌞

MrsSpud had a conference in Myrtle Beach last week and took me with her for a little vacation. Down in the Pavilion area they have a bunch of arcades along the boardwalk. We went into one that had a number of old mechanical baseball machines and stuff like that. They also had machines where you put quarters in and little cranes move back and forth sometimes pushing them over the edge (you win the ones that fall over the edge). We played those for a while and avoided the Skeeball and other games that gave out coupons when you win. We figured that the coupons you exchange for prizes were just for the kiddies. That is until we saw that, besides the usual stuffed animals and plastic widgets, they also had coins in 2X2's in some of their prize cases. Most of the coins were low value coins like worn indian head and wheat cents for 500 coupons or Unc. 1964 Kennedies for 1000 coupons and slider Morgans and Peace Dollars for 2000 coupons. But then MrsSpud spotted a decent looking 1888 V Nickel for 1500 coupons. She pointed it out to me and I couldn't believe it, I thought it must be an 1883. But sure enough, it was an 1888. So we started playing the games that gave out coupons.

Most only gave out a few coupons at a time, until we found a rotating quarter machine that pushed coins off the edge of the turntable sometimes when you dropped the coins down a chute. Only it paid off in coupons rather than actual quarters like the other ones with the little cranes. It also had two holes in the turntable that, if you dropped the coin with just the right timing, a plastic scraper would push the coin near or into the hole. You got a jackpot bonus of 100s of coupons if the coin went down the hole. Well, me and MrsSpud figured out the timing thing and won the bonuses several times off all of the machines. About $60 later we left with the V nickel, an aluminum thermos coffee mug, a stuffed cow, a deck of cards and some smartees.

P0CKETCHANGE · February 1, 2023 4:05PM

My set of CAC proof walkers are all in 66 or 67 holders. I wasn’t willing to spend up for the key date ‘36 in gem, so I’d been seeking an attractive 64 with original haze/toning (to fit the rest of the set). One morning I was casually browsing CoinFacts, and this coin jumped out immediately—I traced it to a Registry set, and messaged the owner. Long story short, we made a deal we were both happy with. It was the first (and only) time I’d hunted down and acquired a coin that way. Now, if I can just find a nice ‘37, I’ll be done with this set!

DNADave · February 1, 2023 6:17PM

This $5.00 scrip piece was advertised by my local coin shop sometime around 2014, but not for sale. The shop owner, Doug Bumgardner, would only trade for 20 Morgan dollars. I tried to get a price, as I only had about a dozen Morgan’s at the time, but he would only trade for Morgan’s.

I had to go buy generic Morgan dollars from my local pawn store to fill out a sheet of 20 in 2x2s and deal was done.

I had been looking for the Campbells Creek Coal Co 50 cent piece for decades and knew that no $5.00 piece was listed. In about 2015 I confirmed this and my piece was added to the 4th edition of the Edkins scrip catalog as an R10, the only example I know of.

Here’s some other scrip from coal companies and general stores on Campbells Creek.

ldhair · February 2, 2023 7:07AM

Back in 1996 I bought this 1866-S Seated Dime. It was listed in a Bowers auction as a low AU. My mail in bid won the coin. In 2006 it went to PCGS and they gave it a 62. Almost a 10X increase in value. Fun coin and I love the crack down her neck to the shield. Several coins I bought from Bowers back in those days turned out to be winners in today's market.
Credit for the great images goes to @messydesk

liefgold · February 2, 2023 3:18PM

I have been looking for this date in a more affordable grade for a very long time.
I bought this one from a non-collector who was liquidating his uncle's hoard. The family discovered a huge accumulation of coins in the uncle's apartment. He was a hoarder and they literally had to climb over mountains of stuff just to get in the place. He had some better date silver coins but most of the gold was generic common date stuff, except for this.

Since the seller and I did not really know each other, we decided to each drive 3 hours and meet at a police station to do the deal.
The real fun part was, as his wife was counting the stack of $100 bills he reaches into the back seat of the car and pulls out a zip loc bag filled with gold coins!!!! Had to be $60k worth. He wanted my opinion on which ones are worth submitting for grading. No super rare dates but some potentially higher grades.
As I was looking at very nice St. Gaudens double eagle in a filthy plastic holder, he says "there is quite a story behind that one". As I mentioned, his uncle was a bit of a hoarder and after his death they were going through literal mounds of stuff at his apartment. Before they were able to finish, the building burned down! They found this $20 gold under water in the basement among the debris. The saddest part of the story was the fire destroyed a 1900's era baseball card collection valued at $150k.

Doug Winter estimates that there are about 100 of these in all grades. Now there is 101! Original mintage was 1,460.

I just received word that my 1856-D PCGS XF40 received a CAC sticker. One of only five in all grades. A total of 101 PCGS/NGC grading events.
Very happy! It adds a little more to a great story.

ironmanl63 · February 2, 2023 5:03PM

Good stuff. I love reading these stories!

ricko · February 3, 2023 8:31AM

Great stories.... I will have to think back on many years of collecting... I know of a couple of interesting acquisitions, not sure of any major stories... Well, here is a recent one. I found this in the reject slot of a Coinstar... Cheers, RickO

ironmanl63 · February 4, 2023 12:25PM

This is a coin in which I believe is a Moose. The coin was being auctioned at Stacks back in 2018 on a Friday in June. Just so happens that my wife and I were invited to a Friday Wedding that started around the same time as the auction. My wife insisted that we had to go. We decided to go an hour early so I could park somewhere and bid on the coin. I was waiting and waiting for my lot to come up and the wedding was about to start. Finally the lot comes up and it was a battle. I do not know how many bidders there were but I wound up paying double PCGS guide. As soon as I won the lot we had to run to the wedding to be there on time. I love my wife for putting up with this but she knows how I am.

According to the price guide I am still underwater on the coin. It is currently graded PCGS MS65 with CAC green in a rattler holder. I believe the coin is wickedly under graded. I will not crack it out as love the coin the way it is now. I am going to submit it to CAC along with another coin for a possible gold sticker upgrade. I have posted this coin before with photos from before I figured out my white balance. I like these a lot better.

asheland · February 4, 2023 12:28PM

@liefgold said:

I have been looking for this date in a more affordable grade for a very long time.
I bought this one from a non-collector who was liquidating his uncle's hoard. The family discovered a huge accumulation of coins in the uncle's apartment. He was a hoarder and they literally had to climb over mountains of stuff just to get in the place. He had some better date silver coins but most of the gold was generic common date stuff, except for this.

Since the seller and I did not really know each other, we decided to each drive 3 hours and meet at a police station to do the deal.
The real fun part was, as his wife was counting the stack of $100 bills he reaches into the back seat of the car and pulls out a zip loc bag filled with gold coins!!!! Had to be $60k worth. He wanted my opinion on which ones are worth submitting for grading. No super rare dates but some potentially higher grades.
As I was looking at very nice St. Gaudens double eagle in a filthy plastic holder, he says "there is quite a story behind that one". As I mentioned, his uncle was a bit of a hoarder and after his death they were going through literal mounds of stuff at his apartment. Before they were able to finish, the building burned down! They found this $20 gold under water in the basement among the debris. The saddest part of the story was the fire destroyed a 1900's era baseball card collection valued at $150k.

Doug Winter estimates that there are about 100 of these in all grades. Now there is 101! Original mintage was 1,460.

I just received word that my 1856-D PCGS XF40 received a CAC sticker. One of only five in all grades. A total of 101 PCGS/NGC grading events.
Very happy! It adds a little more to a great story.

I remember that story, it’s one of my favorites and the coin is spectacular!

asheland · February 4, 2023 12:35PM

Not a whole lot of a story here, but this bag of junk coins, plus a few decent ones mixed in, but a real eclectic mix, in a ziplock bag, no less, comes into the shop where I work and this bust quarter was in amongst the coins, once the lot was purchased, I requested the coin be sent promptly to PCGS and when it came back, I promptly purchased it and it’s in my collection, one of my favorites:

Now:

FlyingAl · February 4, 2023 12:52PM

This 1942 was really my first big coin purchase for $171 I think. A few years ago, that was a huge amount of money for me and I really wasn't sure if I should stretch that much for it (I had barely started getting into 36-42 proofs about six months earlier). I finally went for it, given that I was in love with the color and excellent detail. I was ecstatic when I opened the package and saw the coin, even though it's a technical 66 with a color bump IMO. It was this coin that really hooked me on 36-42 proofs, and I don't think I'll ever sell the coin.

Shamika · February 4, 2023 5:02PM

Great thread.

jacrispies · February 4, 2023 8:39PM

A few years ago, I was actively on Craigslist everyday, keeping tabs of every coin related item that was posted and removed. I spotted a listing that could have been easily overlooked by anyone else who was doing the same thing. The title read "Coin Collection $5000" and the description contained a one-line, vague sentence saying that the seller had a coin collection for sale.

Me, at the time a high school student that responds to every Craigslist ad posted whether strange or not, saw this as a potential golden opportunity. The seller got back to me quickly and sent an excel spreadsheet of the collection by email. There was everything from BU Morgans, foreign crowns, foreign and U.S. gold, and bullion. Everything common but some nicer things.

We negotiated an offer of $4,000 sight unseen, and I was to drive to his house soon. Thinking of how much money I had, I realized that I was cutting it close. Driving to the bank after school, pulling all my cash, and counting it all up had me at $4,040. I bought the collection for $4,000 and had $40 cash to my name afterwards.

I sold a lot of the collection, kept a lot, and broke even with cash but kept over $2,500 in coins. It was a huge deal at the time and I am glad I made it work!

Pictured below are two gold pieces that I kept. Considering that I didn't have enough money to buy expensive coins with $4,040 in my bank account, this was a major breakthrough into building a collection.

Moral of the story: Respond to those strange Craigslist postings because the weird ones are the best ones.

FreeThinker · February 6, 2023 3:58PM

This is part of my original Lincoln cent collection that I assembled as a cub scout from 1963 to 1965. Nearly all of these coins would have come from rolls that my father brought home from his drugstore. My brother and I spent hours and hours searching rolls to fill out our old blue Whitman folders. We saw steel cents in nearly every roll, although the number of wheat cents continued to decline. Later, in high school, I wrote in the dates while filling out the remaining empty holes with coins from circulation.

Dad was a pharmacist and bought Cecelia Park Drug in 1953 (that's my older brother behind the lamppost). Our family lived in the small apartment above the store when I was born in '55, so this is my birthplace. One of the last drugstores in town that featured a soda fountain, Dad closed the store in 1982. Today, interestingly enough, the building is home to a coin shop.

silverpop · February 6, 2023 4:20PM

well this 1932D worn Wheat penny was a gift from my wife's sister, she knew i collected coins so she found this and gave it to me yeah seen better days but i'm not caring about the shape it's in but the thought

dsessom · February 10, 2023 1:11PM

Back in 2010-2011, I was working on my first set of V nickels which was an AU set. Mike Hayes sold me this 1883 NC, and I was shocked when I got it in hand. It looks proof-like. He had bought it at David Lawrence in 2008, and their photos do it no justice at all. Mike helped me a lot learning about the V nickel series. This was one of the first graded V nickels I ever had, and even though it's one of the most common dates (if not THE most common), I will never sell it because I got it from Mike. My he rest in peace.

DLRC Photo from 2008:

More accurate depiction of what it looks like in hand:

ironmanl63 · February 10, 2023 1:23PM

@FreeThinker said:
This is my part of my original Lincoln cent collection that I assembled as a cub scout from 1963 to 1965. Nearly all of these coins would have come from rolls that my father brought home from his drugstore. My brother and I spent hours and hours searching rolls to fill out our old blue Whitman folders. Steel cents were in nearly every roll, although I remember the number of wheat cents was already declining. Later, in high school, I recall writing in the dates and filling out the remaining empty holes as I found the coins I needed in circulation.

Dad was a pharmacist for over 50 years and as a young man just a fews years out of college, he bought this business in 1953 (that's my older brother behind the lamppost). Our family lived in the small apartment above the store when I was born in '55, so this is my birthplace. One of the last drugstores in town that featured a soda fountain, Dad closed his business in the 1980s due to declining business and finished out his career at the local K-Mart. This building, which first opened as a drugstore in 1914, has since housed many small businesses. Today, interestingly enough, the place is home to a coin shop.

Very cool story and what a coincidence of the shop becoming a coin store.

ironmanl63 · February 10, 2023 1:24PM

@dsessom said:
Back in 2010-2011, I was working on my first set of V nickels which was an AU set. Mike Hayes sold me this 1883 NC, and I was shocked when I got it in hand. It looks proof-like. He had bought it at David Lawrence in 2008, and their photos do it no justice at all. Mike helped me a lot learning about the V nickel series. This was one of the first graded V nickels I ever had, and even though it's one of the most common dates (if not THE most common), I will never sell it because I got it from Mike. My he rest in peace.

DLRC Photo from 2008:

More accurate depiction of what it looks like in hand:

Very nice AU coin.

oih82w8 · February 10, 2023 3:47PM

One of my first batch of crossovers to our host. She was in an OWH ANACS holder MS63FH. PCGS thought the same. And JA liked her as well.

Maywood · February 10, 2023 4:05PM

This coin was being offered raw as a 1940 Proof Jefferson Nickel in a local Coin Club Auction that I couldn't attend due to work. A few days later a dealer I know was at another club we both belonged to and while discussing the previous club auction he showed me the coins he'd bought, one of them being the Proof Nickel. When I saw the reverse my eyes almost popped out of their sockets and he sold it to me for $5. I submitted it to PCGS and it graded PR67, at the time it was a pop 7 with none higher.

Zach98 · February 10, 2023 6:09PM

This seated liberty dime was the first slabbed coin I ever purchased. My local auction house that I used to go to with my father would give kids $20 or so dollars to bid. I was probably about 14 at the time. I love it. One my next projects will be making a type set of other seated liberty coins.

ironmanl63 · February 10, 2023 6:14PM

@Zach98 said:
This seated liberty dime was the first slabbed coin I ever purchased. My local auction house that I used to go to with my father would give kids $20 or so dollars to bid. I was probably about 14 at the time. I love it. One my next projects will be making a type set of other seated liberty coins.

It is amazing how things stick with you from when you were a kid. Nice story and welcome to the boards.

ironmanl63 · February 10, 2023 6:17PM

@oih82w8 said:
One of my first batch of crossovers to our host. She was in an OWH ANACS holder MS63FH. PCGS thought the same. And JA liked her as well.

I like the strike on that coin. It is definitely FN. LOL.

Che_Grapes · February 10, 2023 6:28PM

I became interested in coins through my father - one time he gave me a 1900 Indian cent. I decided to find other 1900 coins to complete a full date set and my first collection was this XF / AU 1900 set:

ironmanl63 · February 10, 2023 6:57PM

@Che_Grapes said:
I became interested in coins through my father - one time he gave me a 1900 Indian cent. I decided to find other 1900 coins to complete a full date set and my first collection was this XF / AU 1900 set:

That is an awesome set!

GoldFinger1969 · February 10, 2023 7:21PM

My 1923-D MS-66....I first started looking and ALMOST pulled the trigger in 2015. I saw a nice one, but the luster wasn't great. I debated and hesitated and then someone grabbed the coin. Then my financial job hit the skids with the market (again !) so I decided to hold off....and hold off...and hold off.

Which led to 2 good things....

First, with lots of dead time between Saint or gold coin purchases ($$$), I got into reading about their history: the coins, the auctions, the collections, the commentaries, the stories, the Hoards. I've accumulated alot of Saint-Gaudens tidbits and interesting factoids which I will be happy to post in PDF or other acceptable formats here in the future.

Second, I finally got my '23-D......at FUN 2020....tried to stretch for a a 66+ or a CAC but close to $1,000 extra so I'm happy with my first "66" coin that also involved the biggest premium to gold that I ever paid for. Hoping to beat it ASAP for either an MCMVII High Relief or a 67 and/or OGH Saint or Liberty Head DE.

We'll see....

emeraldATV · February 11, 2023 12:45AM

The first photo shows a 1969 D image struck coin.
The first photo is Imaging the obverse. it looked a mess and damaged. "The damage seemed to have a pattern"? I thought, Just another damaged cent, just another damaged coin... PMD...there has to be damage that has , that, random scarring, look. This was, and it's very clear, this could happen to any coin. The date shows a concave, random shaped, gouge.
.

.
Later in the search, of the same box, this 1969, image struck, coin makes it's appearance. Inside the same date position area is damage from a tool, creating a concave round creator. The action of the act, left this creator, on the reverse side of the coin, with a raised impression, (pimple like) image of a S.
.

.
I don't make um, I just put it out there, being the truth.

Barberian · March 31, 2023 12:55PM

This 1846 TD was part of a two-coin lot on eBay. The other coin was a nice, original F12 1853 WA quarter. The auction closed at 70% off Redbook for the two combined. Not as good a score as the SLH collector who found an AG 1873 NA open 3 in a four-coin lot for around $120, but still a nice score.

Show & Tell. Share your coins and a story.

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