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You've got half a million to buy a US coin.....
lsica
Posts: 1,574 ✭✭✭✭
So you've got half a million ($500,000) to buy a US coin....no you can't afford the Uber rarities, but it opens up coins you'd normally never be able to think about.
Some rules/conditions
1) It has to exist and be generally accepted that it does (so no 64D Peace or 1933 Washington Quarters 😉 )
2) it has to be a US Federal Coin (and just a single piece
And some things to make the choice easier
1) It's "magically" protected against theft and/or "turning", so no worries about setting up special conditions for its storage.
2) it doesn't have to be currently for sale, the current owner will gladly take your fair offer.
Whacha buyin?
Philately will get you nowhere....
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Ooh I knew this was going to be a fun thread 😉. I know it's a Birch Cent, but please educate us noobs and tell us more...
Yes a 1792 Birch cent.
Obverse: Head of Liberty with flowing hair facing right, date below. Reverse: Denomination in wreath, fraction (1/100) below. This design has been traditionally ascribed to a British artist named William Russell Birch.
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The elusive 1876-CC Double Dime would be high on my list. Some nice 179x gold would also be high on that list.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
S&P 500 index fund.
Then I can buy coins every year for the rest of my life from the income.
Good idea from a practical point of view - but doesn't follow my original rules (hey I'm "magically" protecting it from theft and damage, I think it's fair I get to set limits 😉)
My first choice would actually be a pioneer issue, but if federal I’d go with this.
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There is no $500,000 coin that I would ever own. I'll go one step further: I would never want $500,000 buried in my entire collection. It's like setting money on fire.
1873-cc NA quarter. IF you could buy one for that. Probably not even the details graded one.
I can honestly say there is no $ 500,000 coin that I fancy. Coins in that price area are way beyond my means so I really don't know what I would want. Now, start a new thread and ask what 10 coins for a half million and I'd be up for that.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Not to get all philosophical on you, but until we figure out how to take our wealth to the next world, all money gets “burned” sooner or later, whatever we do with it. Might as well play with it while we’re here.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Half a million , I would just add to my savings, I would take some earnings and keep on doing what I do now, maybe pick up a nice Proof.
Some gold.
My current registry sets:
20th Century Type Set
Virtual DANSCO 7070
Slabbed IHC set - Missing the Anacs Slabbed coins
I have a list of possibilities.
Funny, I didn’t see your post before I posted the same. Although I’m more optimistic that one can be had at a reasonable level.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I agree with Manifest Destiny and MrEureka. Here's the exact coin I'd go for, if $500,000 could buy it.
Doug
1795 Half Dollar or Dollar.
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
I'm not sure if a half mil is quite enough, but I'm absolutely sure if it was, this would be the one. I have lusted over this coin for the better part of 20 years.
FWIW this belonged to Stewart Blay at one time, and somewhere I have other images from when he and I discussed it a dozen years ago. RIP my friend.
.
“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
To adhere to the OP guidelines... probably a nice 1793 Chain Cent or Liberty Cap cent.
...in reality... I'd pay off my house and buy a lesser quality 1793 Chain or Liberty Cap...
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Probably something like this. The PCGS price guide says $400,000. Is that close enough?
Mr_Spud
If I had a half a million dollars, I'd go spend it all on a coin worth a quarter of a million dollars.
The nicest $50 octagonal gold slug from the gold rush era that I could find for $500,000.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
I agree. That's a slightly different issue. But there are limits to how much money I am comfortable burying in my recreation.
I wouldn't get a $5000 per night suite either.
Way too much risk for one coin, IMO.
I have the same amount spread over 800 certified coins, way, way less risk and way more interesting.
As a practical matter, I fall into the "don't put all your eggs in one basket" camp, and would not buy one $500,000 coin.
To play by your rules though, one of the two below would likely be at the top of the list.
If we were all the same, the world would be an incredibly boring place.
Tommy
Type collector, mainly into Seated. Young Numismatist. Good BST transactions with: mirabela, OKCC, MICHAELDIXON
I dunno. I'd probably look for a mint-state small eagle half dollar, if one could be found. Apart from that, maybe a nice Pan-Pac, half-disme, or something equally desirable/esoteric.
But, I'd have a lot more fun spending the same amount of money on a much larger quantity of coins at lower price points.
I imagine in your scenario you somehow magically buy a single huge trophy coin. Sure, it's amazingly fun to have it, own it, and look at it..... for a few weeks. Then, once the novelty wears off, it just sits there and doesn't do anything.
Nothing like a big flashy piece of proof gold!
I'm with you on this one. If $500K rained from the sky on me, I wouldn't spend it on a coin or any combination of coins. Far more important uses for it, free money or not.
Maybe if it was $10MM minimum but I still wouldn't choose a US federal issue.
That about 1000 times my normal-upper range. My usual trophy coin answer is a Gobrecht dollar but I don’t know if any of them take that much money.
I assume this is a deal of someone else’s money and I can take it or leave it…so I’ll take it and figure something out to buy.
I think I could get a Mint State Flowing Hair Dollar for that much. That would work. (Or some proof gold like @Floridafacelifter)
Maybe something like this:
I like the Birch cent a lot, but I think I would go for Eric P. Newman's 1792 copper disme. It sold for just under 500K, but that was almost 10 years ago. If not that, second choice would be one of the impaired silver ones.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
the hawaii five o nickel
1794 dollar
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I hit the LOL button since $500,000 would be a small fraction of what this coin would sell for.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
That $5 million not 500k.
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The best 1792 Half Disme that I could find.
Most of you guys aren't playing along with the spirit of the OP's hypothetical question. It should have been "If you saved the life of a very wealthy person and they wanted to reward you by buying you a coin with a maximum value of $500,000, what coin would you want?"
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Well, I am building an AU+ Large Cent Type Set and this coin fits the bill. This is likely the only one I will never be able to afford, leaving me to settle for a nice VF coin instead. Still, if I had to spend the half mil, and on only one coin, this one would do.
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
Something I could immediately sell so I could use the money to buy an s&p500 fund.
Hey, it's a good down payment 👍
Probably a 1794 dollar or a really nice 1895 proof Morgan. Although there are coins that are much more interesting in the <$100k range that I would prefer to buy several of vs. one $500k coin.
Collector, occasional seller
For me it’d have to be a proof 1895 Morgan dollar, but even at PR68+ PCGS “only” has it listed at $300,000. I guess I’ll just get two of them at PR67, lol.
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
That's the smart thing to do.
That's the exact opposite of what I'm doing at the moment. I'm dumb.
Isn't that already your coin?
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Back from shopping at CoinFacts and found this lovely 1877 IHC in a 66+ for 345,000. That leaves me 155,000 to spend on reconsideration attempts.
Once in a 67 I’ll have my half million dollar coin.
Yes indeed I was just thinking if I wanted to spend that much on a single coin a nice proof $20 just like this….