Greetings fellow members, Taking the lead from JayAg47...(your Stupidest purchase?) It might be of interest to know about our members 'Smartest purchase'. Mine was the complete Mexican gold 50 peso set (1921-1931-hiatus-1943-1947) The set of 16 coins all grade by NGC MS-63-MS-65. J.T.
$100 for this on the bay my best low steal yet, seller's only item ever.The person might of inherited it and just needed money.
I started 1st by paying too much for 2 dates off eBay, both MS-61. After shopping around I found Northern Nevada Coin Co. was selling higher grade dates for less money. I sold the eBays coins and began purchasing the dates I needed, i.e. several at a time. On occasion I had to wait for the coin quality and/or dates to become available. It took me a little over a year to put together this set. Here are the prices I paid at the time(2007-2008) & why I consider it my 'Smartest Coin Purchase': 1921 MS-63 NGC 1579.00 1922 MS-63 NGC 1297.00 1923 MS-63 NGC 1297.00 1924 MS-63 NGC 1276.00 1925 MS-63 NGC 1271.00 1926 MS-63 NGC 1281.00 1927 MS-63 NGC 1271.00 1928 MS-63 NGC 1276.00 1929 MS-64 NGC 1332.00 1930 MS-63 NGC 1287.00 1931 MS-64 NGC 1332.00 1943 MS-64 NGC 1371.00 1-Yr. Type. 1944 MS-65 NGC 1350.00 1945 MS-64 NGC 1238.00 1946 MS-65 NGC 1251.00 1947 UNC. RAW (Seller @ Houston show) 1110.00 16- Count $20,819
This was one of my favorites - heavy on luck, with the main smart component being "I'll have a lot of fun with this even if there's nothing good in it". https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-latest-ebay-pig-in-a-poke.227450/ The "most likely fake" trade dollar was an impaired 1878 proof. I sold it for several times the cost of the lot. The wheats included a 1910-S, a 1924-D, and a 1931-S. That nice Buffalo (darkly toned) was a 1925-S, not 1924-S, but I still sold it for a nice price. And as it turned out, one of the Liberty nickels was a 1912-S. (I'm keeping that one.) Holy cow, that was almost ten years ago! I've got to get back in the game.
Good Lord, how the devil did no one here not comment on that old thread? I'm afraid to, lest I be accused of necrotrophy......
3 that come to mind - my 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter, purchased raw in a lot of 82 SLQ and Barber quarters with bad pictures. The lot was about $380 so that cost me less than $5 for the 1916. The SLQ is graded FR02 Details, Damaged (reverse has damage). Then two NGC body bags - a rare 3 cent 1833 Feuchtwangers Composition with the New York State Seal (looks like space aliens to me!) with altered surfaces (so not encapsulated) for $525 and my only gold hammered coin, a 1422-1461 1/4 Gold Noble Henry VI - damaged. It appears it was on a chain and then pulled off of same (not encapsulated as too fragile for pressure sealing) that I got for $320 after some negotiation. This is the same coin (date / type) that was found in Canada last year raising a question as to when the first Europeans were in Canada. I also really like my accidental 1807 complete set - all very low grade stuff I picked up at (relative) bargain prices. Not shown is my large cent (raw) but I have both the Drapped Bust and Capped Bust 1807 half dollar and the rest the mint produced that year.