For me I sold a ms64 dmpl morgan common date with a perfect rainbow. I would probably be willing to buy it for twice what I sold it for now. It was when I had just started selling toned coins I bought off eBay. I have no idea how I found it for $400 when gray was $200 for the same coin. I sold it for $500 but that moment was the biggest reason I stopped buying of EBAY and selling to dealers at the vegas show. I rue the day I parted with it. @Lehigh96 woukd kill me for selling the coin if he saw the coin. Coin for the thread. Not a high value coin but I liked the toning. Again cat selfie included for @Chiefbullsit
This has to be 35-40 years ago, in the very early days of holograms and equipment affordable to the hobbyist. I was at a coin show, and a dealer showed me a 1931-S Lincoln, BU with purple toning. Dynamite coin. He handed me a 10x and said, "Go ahead, take it out, give it a good looking over..." A crowd formed. I turned the 2x2 upside down and gave it a good tap, nothing happened. Nothing came out. Tried to fish the coin out with my fingertip (people weren't so fussy then) but it's like it was glued inside the 2x2. Long story short, there was NO coin, just a holographic film. All the other buyers who had been likewise fooled gathered around, laughing their xxx off. That dealer knew how to make a point. You would SWEAR there was a coin inside. Right then and there, I wanted to spend almost $400 on a holographic setup (but I didn't). Quite a laugh though. Even in the computer age, imagine the benefits of sending a PERFECT replica (costing $1) to a skeptical buyer, then winning him over and making the sale.
I don't know if this would qualify for the worst coin moment; but after my daughter and I finished up attending a coin show in OKC my daughter asked me a question..."Daddy, why did you spend $200 on (2) quarters (.50c) and I can't get my "Hawaii Barbie doll" for $75?" I was embarrassed and bought her two barbie dolls which made her real happy and made me feel better. I had told her she could get those dolls when she remembers to clean up her room before she gets on the computer. Lesson learned; coins are great but making your little girl smile is priceless. Sometimes you need a child to remind you that you are the adult.
I e won and lost at shows, but I'm always been more of a collector than a dealer so that's just part of the game and I accept that. But by biggest coin show blunder of all time is when I dropped a proof 1859 PR-65 DCAM double eagle to the floor. It was in a holder and was fine, but I felt pretty stupid about it anyway. The dealer laughed at me as I handed it back to him while apologizing incessantly. I ended up buying a proof trade dollar from him and it remains one of my favorite coins. To this day I ask him if he has any proof double Eagles for sale and he runs for cover (jokingly of course). I wish I knew his name, real nice guy from Utah.
Coin shows are my favorite source, because there's COMPETITION among sellers for the cash in your pocket, and they know it.
In years past, there was a BIG dealer from Utah named Norman Schultz...? Note, I am not the "Doug" in this story, which would have been mid-1960s. Even in his teen years, Doug’s keen knowledge of rare coins was highly regarded and he became known as a collector who desired particularly nice examples. Information about nice specimens would come his way, and he traveled widely to build his collection. One of his early journeys was to Salt Lake City to meet with 90 year old dealer, Norman Schultz. Mr. Schultz provided several Mint State early American coins that formed the foundation of Doug’s incredible type set. Doug maintained most of the stories of his collection in his own mind, but occasionally shared them with close friends. One coin in the set that Doug widely celebrated as hailing from the Norman Schultz purchase is the fabulous Mint State 1797 silver dollar offered in the pages to follow.
Years ago went to a coin show in Dallas. Bought a high grade Morgan Dollar. At a table, one dealer, ask if he could see the coin which was then in a flip. Next thing I heard was, "Oh, oh" and then the unmistakable sound of ringing of a coin hitting the floor. I couldn't believe it and just stared at him. Smiling, he held up my Morgan and picked up a large washer that he had dropped and had been doing that all day long fooling other people. He thought it was so funny, almost ruined my day.
My worst coin show moment wasn't that bad. It was a one day show and I couldn't make it until 3pm and it closed at 5. I like to make a day of it between cash, trades, and chewing the fat. Everything was picked over, only a few dealers remained, and I felt very rushed.
