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Post your favorite coin buying story.

I'll start with one of mine.

A little over a year ago I was shopping on eBay and came across an auction for a 1927 $20 gold piece. The seller described it as MS63+ and told a story about an old man that lived close to him that would come in once a year to sell him several $20 gold pieces. He went on to explain that this man's father had buried a long pipe full of $20s a long time ago and this man would sell him only a few a year for enough money to make it through the year.
The picture looked pretty nice so I figured what the hell, I'll give it a try and bid a little over spot. I wound up winning the auction for $340. When I received it I was kind of expecting to be disappointed, but was pleasantly suprised. The coin was really nice. I figured it was probably a 64.
About a month ago I signed up for the the 2 year membership and had the 8 "free" submissions. I sent it in to be graded with some others I had. Yesterday the results for my submission were posted and this one came back MS65. I was pleasantly suprised again. Still not sure I believe the story, but it was interesting and for the life of me I can,t remember who the seller was. I sure would like to know so I could watch his auctions.
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    airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 22,726 ✭✭✭✭✭
    One of those "my father died..." stories where the coin was UNDER-hyped??? imageimageimage
    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
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    mbbikermbbiker Posts: 2,873
    can't you look at your feedback and find the one he left you?

    Congrats, it's very risky bidding on raw gold but it sounds like you found an honest seller, the coin wasn't counterfit and he didn't hype the grade.
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    RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    My favorite coin buying story:

    image

    Those two sets showed up on eBay as part of a group of four that included a 1962 set and a 1963 set. I spotted them at about 9:30 at night within a few minutes of the auction hitting the database. The seller had an opening bid of $20 for the auction and mentioned a book value of $36. I immediately eMailed him and offered $50 for an early close.

    He got back to me the next day and said they were his father-in-law's and that dad wanted more than that. We dickered back and forth for a bit and ended up doing a deal for $85 for the four sets. I sold off the 1962 and 1963 sets as well as all the coins in the 1964 sets, but for the halves.

    The half dollars are now a PCGS PR68DCAM Accented Hair pop 8/0 and a PR65DCAM Accented Hair. Two of only 57 that have ever been designated deep cameo in any grade.

    Russ, NCNE
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    Cam40Cam40 Posts: 8,146
    Post your favorite coin buying story

    Real or made-up.

    Ok a real one, but it wont be as exciting as the one I just thought of posting....

    Needed a `34 D Peace Dollar so I opted for this one slider thats seen better days.
    Anyway,when I got it home and louped it I discovered it is a DDO VAM 4 ? if I remember the VAM right.

    see , told ya. BORING!!!!!! lol

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    MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,729 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Many moons ago, I paid a dealer something like 10K for a nice PR 63+ Gobrecht dollar in a 2x2 marked "Goldberg Dollar". Fortunately (for me), the dealer didn't notice that the coin was the rare variety with the name "Gobrecht" - not "Goldberg" - BELOW base!
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
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    ZerbeZerbe Posts: 587 ✭✭
    Once upon a time there lived a skinny wimp of a man, with a Christian name and called himself a 'coin dealer' and 'wholesaler', mainly to other coin dealers. He lived in the kingdom of Texas.
    He called and offered a gold 1908-s $5 Indian in the grade of MS68 from the kingdom of PCGS, knowing from gleaning the PCGS Registry, that I already possessed a 1908s $10 Indian in the grade of MS68, PCGS.
    He said the coin was newly made and not yet in the POP reports. The coin was sitting in front of him on his desk and I offered him a kings ransom, as it would be the only MS68 $5 Indian in the entire series.
    Monies were sent by pony express which the coin dealer deposited into his account. Eight days thence, the coin dealer called again saying he had cracked the PCGS coin out of its case and sent it to the quiet kingdom of NGC for a sure grade of MS69. I would stand to reap untold riches.
    Dismayed with the lies of Sir Poopalot, I asked for my monies which were sent back two weeks thence.
    Sir Poopalot and I parted. He went on to other 'Ventures', deceiving and performing magic with the little round disks.
    Squire Zerbe of Coinalot.
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    RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭
    Zerbe,

    I'd venture to guess that your story sets a new benchmark for entertainment value.

    Russ, NCNE
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    ARCOARCO Posts: 4,461 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was perusing Ebay one night like I do every night and saw a seller unloading all key date barber halves in Fine-XF grades. He had BIN's on every one. Since I was first on the scene I hit the "see sellers auctions" button and saw all 20 auctions and went through and cherry picked key date coins (they were still expensive), but I got coins that would otherwise have had insane bidding on Ebay and they were key dates that I have not seen the like since in over three years.

    I was in Barber Heaven!

    Tyler
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    barberloverbarberlover Posts: 2,228 ✭✭
    Arco, Barber heaven sounds like a great place to go

    Les
    The President claims he didn't lie about taxes for those earning less then $250,000 a year with public mandated health insurance yet his own justice department has said they will use the right of the government to tax when the states appeals go to court.
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    Well I got this catalog in the mail from Coast to Coast, and.....

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