There is a convenience store I go to often and I have gotten to know the guy who runs it. I asked him to save "big coins" like halves for me and a few times he surprised me with a half. I got an Ike once and a 1968 half dollar once, which was nice. I went in the store one night and asked if he had any "big coins". He said "yes" and pulled this out of the drawer. At first I thought it was an Ike but I was shocked to see that it was an 1884-O Morgan. The night I got it, I was offered $50 for it. Have you gotten a better deal? (Free coins do not count.)
I have gotten good deals before on a few purchases, can never say I conned someone I considered a friend though.
The line about getting out before he changed his mind was a joke. Geez. It has been removed. He knew that the coins were worth much more than face value but he didn't care because he is a good guy. I spend a lot of money in his store and he knows I like coins so he doesn't mind.
I think it's perfectly legitimate to get coins from friends and family who are aware the coins are valuable but would rather you have them because they know you will like them better. My mom worked at a bank and she once got me an entire roll of silver quarters and another of Kennedy halves for face value. Made my day when she told me that! She would also save anything she thought I might like even if not valuable. Example: she once gave me a very strange gold plated 1986 dime that to this day I am sure is worthless but even if not I'd never sell! As far as deals go it's hard to beat getting a coin with sentimental value at face!
I know what you mean. For me it seems like the coins I know I got a deal on are the ones I'm least likely to sell. Something about being the one to recognize the value of it makes it feel like it's uniquely mine... or perhaps I just like my coins too much?
I've told this on other posts before but a few months ago I found a Turkish gold coin in a dealer's world coin junk bin. I bought almost 700 coins that day at 15 cents apiece. That coin had about 1/20 ounce of gold in it and could probably pay for all of them.
A dealer in the neighborhood sold me a 1 Dollar Gold piece from 1857. He was not sure about the originality and so I bought it as a counterfeit for 80 Bucks. Later I sent it to PCGS for authentification and et voila: A straight graded original Dollar in MS63. I sold it a half year later for 700 Bucks and gave the dealer 300 Dollars. He was very happy and is now a friend of mine.
The absolute "BEST" deal on a coin I ever bought was on off-metal 1973-S Eisenhower Dollar which I got at the bank for $1.00. I sold the coin for a substantial premium. The next best "deal" was a specially struck 1971-S Eisenhower Dollar that I paid $10 for at a Long Beach Coin Show. It turned out to be what many consider to be one of the original Prototype Strikes done when Frank Gasparro was strike proofing the obverse and reverse designs for design compatibility. It also had a unique Oberse and Reverse die design of which only one other is known to exist. The finish is somewhat unique in that it closely resembles the finish of the Smithsonian Coins reported in the Aug. 5th 2013 issue of Coin World. These coins are very much similar in finish to the 1964 SMS Coins. All very good deals.
Well, they aren't worth much but I like them as well as my youngest son, a few storrs keep all the wheat cents they get as well as silver dimes, I offer to pay or put change in the change tray, he never wants anything for the coins, over the years I've probably gotten maby a hundred. My goal is a thousand wheat cents, I'm at about 700. My young son will have a collection, I hope he continues, he even checks thoughs coin star machines I cant count how many silver dimes he's gotten, he charges me a quarter for each for his bank.
Paid $150 for this coin. Was told it had been broken out of MS 61 slab previously. Resubmitted it to NGC and it graded MS63.
1812/1 large 8. Cherried from a local dealer. He used to let me have first choice when he bought a bust collection in return for me attributing them for him. When I first lay this aside his only question was "Did you find a good one?" Even after I told him what it was he still sold it to me as a common. He said that he was still getting what he needed out of it. Sadly. he has passed on so I no longer get to pick up little things like this.
In before @bqcoins and his $30 dime set. Best deal dollar-wise might have been the impaired proof Trade Dollar from an eBay junk lot (spent less than $200 for the lot and authentication, got $600+ for it after fees). The knowledge I gained from investigating that was valuable, too, and the entertainment value was pretty high as well. Percentage-wise, it would be any coin I've picked up from the ground. I don't see myself getting into the 4- or 5-figure profit competition unless I'm very, very lucky. I don't work or study or focus enough to match @okbustchaser, @ldhair, @19Lyds, and their peers.
Picked up an AU 1909 S Indian Head for less than $40. It had some corrosion damage so I decided to sell it. Got $340 for it.