I thought I really scored...

So I've been working on a set of braided hair half cents when I come across an 1848 from the Dan Holmes collection. It was in a details slab sighting questionable color (and shows what looks like corrosion at about 7 o'clock on the obverse). But for a proof only year with a very small mintage; the price was really low. I couldn't figure out why such a rare coin was going so cheaply. Does nobody realize how rare of a coin this is? I see that it has only five minutes remaining, so I put in a bid of sixty bucks and nobody increased their bid. I win this "rare" coin for $44 and couldn't believe my luck....

While checking the die markers to determine if it was an original or restrike, I realize that it is not a half cent, but a regular old common 1848 large cent with questionable color and surface corrosion. My excitement faded quickly to say the least. Feel free to make fun of my rookie mistake; you can have fun with it.

 

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I couldn't begin to tell you about my mistakes. So, what do you think you could resell it for? Did you have to pay shipping?

Steve

 

Well, you did coup some provenance........

 

I'm just going to stick it in my stupid buy pile and use it to sweeten a trade somewhere down the line. I tend to not return anything if it was my mistake. The seller didn't do anything wrong here.

 

It costs me more than $44 if I park on the wrong side of the street on street cleaning day here. Personally, I might keep the coin just so I could laugh about it. I think XF details might have gotten me to look at it a little closer, but, whatever, right? Live and learn.

 

Been down that road more than once. At least it was only $44... [emoji6]

 

Hey, and you could recoup the majority of that money, its cool how it is form the dan holmes collection

 

I did this once when someone listed a large cent in the half cent category. Same situation. It was a newly listed buy-it-now and I jumped on it thinking it was a half cent. I fussed about it and they didn't enforce the purchase, so I got out of it.

 

I think we've all been in similar circumstances . Plus the strike is almost prooflike , with nice squared rims and dentils .

 

At one time I was looking for a really rare Seated Quarter variety. I bought several from images. Each time the coin would arrive, I found that it was just my imagination. Anyone need an 1857 quarter? Just joking. I'm not selling.

 

Clashed with flying eagle cent. Been there, brother.

 

I'll bet I looked at a thousand different ones with no luck. I finally just gave up and bought one in a slab.

 

Like yourself and C-B-D, I've done the exact same thing, bidding on and winning a large cent, thinking it was a half cent.
It happens.

 

I was given advise, years ago, by a very sage coin collector, dealer and nut just like me. he told me...

"David, if you aren't making mistakes, you aren't buying enough coins!"

 

I am so glad I'm not the only one making mistakes! To celebrate, I'm posting a pic of Kirkuleez here:

 

Kirk, what have we told you about bidding while cake-drunk

 

Lol... smoking liberty, by any chance?

 

I hoped that I would get lucky somewhat with a rare die variety at least, after all, why would such a prolific collector like Dan Holmes have such a poor example in his collection. So I pulled out the old Newcomb and think that I have a N-8 which CoinFacts calls "scarce" whatever that means. Small victories, woo hoo.

 

Now THAT's some advice I can get behind.....