I had been looking for a Fugio Cent for quite a while; they're not rare, but it's hard to find one whose appearance I like that I'm willing to pay for.
As luck would have it, this one was on one auction site, to end on March 30, while three acceptable ones were going to end on HA yesterday. I've been coy with such a process before, and ended up with nothing, and I've been aggressive in such a process before, and ended up with two coins. I really only wanted to end up with one coin, but not zero or two.
So I bid the maximum I would pay for the first one, and nobody else bid. So I got it for the minimum bid (still one of the most expensive coins I own). Then I watched last night's auctions unfold on HA. All three last night went for far more than I would have paid, so it worked out well for me.
This can be a challenging hobby when one has to watch his pennies!
Ever since I learned about the interesting history of the 1861-O seated Liberty halves, I've been working to acquire a "mini-set" comprising one coin issued while the USA was in control of the New Orleans Mint; one coin issued while Louisiana was in control of that Mint, and one coin issued while the CSA was in control of that Mint.
The first two are detailed earlier in this thread. They were not difficult to find, although the CSA coin was difficult to pay for.
But It is very difficult to find any copy of a USA-issued one, regardless of condition. I was first loser on several auctions over the last couple of years, but those were the only ones I saw for sale.
Then Stack's Bowers, from whom I had not previously bought a coin, had an 1861-O half dollar, graded (but not variety-attributed) by PCGS as XF40, which SB said is a W-01, a USA issue.
I closely examined the included photos (high quality), comparing them to the physical attributes listed for the W-01 variety in Bugert's seminal work on the set; I agreed with their attribution, without any significant doubt.
So I bid on it; the auction closed last week, and I was top bidder!
The coin arrived today, and a close examination confirms, to me, that the attribution is correct.
I'm pleased! Now all I have to do is figure out how to re-submit the coin to PCGS for variety attribution, since their phone system seems to be wonky, and I was not able to get through to a human being after many attempts.
Lucky you. Back in the day I tried to put a set of primary 61-O coins together but never even got close to a US issue coin. I think much rarer than appreciated. James
I'm pleased! Now all I have to do is figure out how to re-submit the coin to PCGS for variety attribution, since their phone system seems to be wonky, and I was not able to get through to a human being after many attempts.
Comments
Thanks! Your March 2, 2023 post on this thread really got me thinking in a different direction; I am grateful!
I’m glad it’s been working out for you and that you’re having fun.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Duplicate,,,,
I had been looking for a Fugio Cent for quite a while; they're not rare, but it's hard to find one whose appearance I like that I'm willing to pay for.
As luck would have it, this one was on one auction site, to end on March 30, while three acceptable ones were going to end on HA yesterday. I've been coy with such a process before, and ended up with nothing, and I've been aggressive in such a process before, and ended up with two coins. I really only wanted to end up with one coin, but not zero or two.
So I bid the maximum I would pay for the first one, and nobody else bid. So I got it for the minimum bid (still one of the most expensive coins I own). Then I watched last night's auctions unfold on HA. All three last night went for far more than I would have paid, so it worked out well for me.
This can be a challenging hobby when one has to watch his pennies!
Ever since I learned about the interesting history of the 1861-O seated Liberty halves, I've been working to acquire a "mini-set" comprising one coin issued while the USA was in control of the New Orleans Mint; one coin issued while Louisiana was in control of that Mint, and one coin issued while the CSA was in control of that Mint.
The first two are detailed earlier in this thread. They were not difficult to find, although the CSA coin was difficult to pay for.
But It is very difficult to find any copy of a USA-issued one, regardless of condition. I was first loser on several auctions over the last couple of years, but those were the only ones I saw for sale.
Then Stack's Bowers, from whom I had not previously bought a coin, had an 1861-O half dollar, graded (but not variety-attributed) by PCGS as XF40, which SB said is a W-01, a USA issue.
I closely examined the included photos (high quality), comparing them to the physical attributes listed for the W-01 variety in Bugert's seminal work on the set; I agreed with their attribution, without any significant doubt.
So I bid on it; the auction closed last week, and I was top bidder!
The coin arrived today, and a close examination confirms, to me, that the attribution is correct.
I'm pleased! Now all I have to do is figure out how to re-submit the coin to PCGS for variety attribution, since their phone system seems to be wonky, and I was not able to get through to a human being after many attempts.
Mark
I was unable to attach these photos to my post above....
Nice coin! You should also pick up the CSA half if you can.
Thanks! I already have both one struck by Louisiana and one struck by the CSA.
Sweet! You got the whole set!
Lucky you. Back in the day I tried to put a set of primary 61-O coins together but never even got close to a US issue coin. I think much rarer than appreciated. James
I was thinking about doing a box of 20... With 2/20 I have the 10% goal line met
How about bring it to a coin show attend by PCGS?