What's the dumbest coin decision you ever made?

Yes ma'am.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

That's a killer coin!

 

Another of mine and probably many of us was not buying $20 gold liberty and st gaudens when they were selling under $500

 

At that day I could and was the only one I've ever seen for the date I liked anywhere near that money. One of the 3 coins for my type set I need that'll really cost. Another is the aforementioned chain cent

 

Simple answer: I wasn't...lol.

 

I wasn't offended. If I was afraid of ridicule for my stupidity, I wouldn't have posted it. Thanks C-B-D for your kind words.

Basically, I was so new to this, I thought they were hard to find...doh!

 

I'm wondering what some of the larger dealers around here have done. Probably buying a counterfeit... or paying $1700/oz for gold when its $1100.

 

Bought a electrotype colonial as real too but wasn't a huge loss $100 ish

 

I once payed $20 for the first steel cent I ever saw. I've since purchased 2 more at $1.00 each.

 

When I was actively participating in Cowboy Action Shooting (around 2000-2), I bought some "old west" coins to match my gear. I got 1891-S and 1892-S Morgan dollars for about $20 each and an 1892 Double Eagle for $400. Just a few years later I was happy to sell the Eagle back to the shop for the same money (a slight increase in gold value covered the spread). Of course that DE is now worth $1300.

Rob

 

Bought a 1777... "Continental Currency" for a couple hundred bux when I was 18 or so and my dad almost gave me a kick inna butt. Sold it for 500 to pay bills during "hard times" and felt like a hero. Heritage sold one in much worse shape a couple years ago for almost 300 K. Not about to jump off the bridge over it!....

 

Took a knife and scratched an extremely rare So-Called-Dollar when I was 5 years old to see if it was real gold....like a pirate, Argh! Believe less than 100 of them known to exist. :-(

Sold one of the NICEST Roosevelt Dime P-D-S-S sets around for $600. It had some incredible toners and FT coins. The first 10 coins from page 1 were probably worth that amount.

Bought 2 gold pieces raw, an 1893 $10 and a 1907 $2.50. Thought the $10 looked like AU or worse, so I played with it for a while, clanked it around, left it in my pocket, no big deal not a high grade. The $2.50 was nice though...until I dropped it on the hard floor where it picked up at least one scratch.
Had them graded out of curiosity; the $10 went MS-61 (probably would have been a 63 if I wasn't rough with it) and the 1907 went MS-63 (probably could have been a 64).... :-(

Oh, yeah...I over-dipped an MS Barber Quarter...POOF, there goes the luster!

 

I wouldn't have admitted all that

 

The worst part is anticipating how much money my stupidity will cost me in the future!!!
The horror... The horror.....

 

I paid $30 for five rolls of what turned out to be heavily circulated 1950s wheaties when I first started out. That kinda sucked...
Last spring, I paid $380 for a 1921 peace dollar that may grade ms62, but could very well grade au58. I'm going to send it in, but worry that I might have overpaid. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I'd like to think that both experiences taught me a lesson.

 

Oh the humanity!

 

I bought a book of Roosevelt dimes on eBay. When it came in, the book reeked of smoke and the dimes looked yellow. After talking through the process here on CT I decided to give the dimes a bath in acetone.

I was doing a bunch of other things at the same time, so my mind wasn't completely on the task at hand. When I got back to the dimes in their acetone bath, they were stuck to and in some cases embedded in the bottom.

Like an idiot, I had put the dimes + acetone into a plastic container. It was hard plastic, but plastic none the less. Now many of my beautiful dimes have a plastic coating, and worse of all my wife's plastic bucket is ruined.

 

D'oh! On the other hand, if acetone dissolved the bucket in the first place, it should take the plastic back off the dimes. Soak and rinse them several times with acetone, IN A GLASS OR METAL CONTAINER, and I'll bet they'll be back in shape.

 

Your absolutely correct! Better to buy MS63 Morgans rather than dream about picking up MS65s later on! Later never comes!

 

the first traveling antique show I oficially organized and executed i offered a customer $30 for a 1794 liberty cap with pole in abour F to EF in condition. it was the first time i saw a decent grade of that coin and mixed it up with the draped bust design. she walked of course but there was no malice or harsh feelings. ugggghhh it stil haunts me til this day. Lesson learned for sure.