It's "White Whale Wednesday!". Post yours as well...

It's "White Whale Wednesday!". The rules are easy. Post a coin(s) that has eluded you for some reason OR one that you finally were able to find and was able to get in your collection.
For me? It's been finding any Half while Metal detecting which includes either a Half Cent, dime or half dollar.
In the coin market? Everything that I can't afford.

 

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Still on my metal detecting bucket list -
Seated Half Dime
3 Cent Coin - Both

 

1914-D lincoln wheat cent. Anyone got an extra?

 

The only white whale I see here is the nearly foot of snow that fell overnight.

 

It took me a long time to acquire an example of the Springfield, Massachusetts baseball medal in copper. I bid it at auction one time, but it sold for less than I bid because the auctioneer, who had a manual system, lost my bid. Finally I got one.



The 1796-7 Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollar was beyound my financial reach for many years. Finally I acquired this one. I would have preferred a VF, but a Fine was what was available.



I looked at a number of examples of the second major type of the Golbrecht Dollar with the stars obverse and open reverse field. I find this one several months ago.

 

My white whale was a Prooflike Capped Bust Half. I was finally able to obtain one in NGC MS-63PL

 

A 1927-D PCGS MS-64 Peace Dollar with a blue label. One day I’ll find one.

 

In 40 years of servicing bank coin counters, I have probably looked through hundreds of thousands of cents in bags while rerunning and testing the machines and have never found a 1909-sVDB.

 

Okay, this coin is a Gold Mohur from The East India Company, weight is 11.66gm that's One Tola. I got one when I had the ducats back in 2022. Terrible pics, I should have wiped off the Queen but at least I can show it off. Really nice box and there was only 100 minted, so that makes it special. Here's the website but here's a warning, their prices are pricey!

https://collections.theeastindiacompany.com/products/mohur-2024-gold-proof-coin#specification

 

This was my white whale for decades, ever since I read about it as a kid. The Canada 1947 50c Maple Leaf Curved Right 7. I recall the estimate is less than 150-200 total were struck with this reverse die for both circulation and specimen. You almost never see one for sale, and MS examples are well into 5 figures. Most collectors settle for a specimen, which I finally did and finally could afford, for my 60th birthday.

 

I'm still hunting for the right Mexico Revolution Durango Muera Huerta Peso from 1914. I have several beautiful Guerrero 2 Pesos in the collection and some other great revolution pieces. Someday!

Example, not my coin:

 

I’m looking for one of these at the right price!

 

I cannot post my white whale. It was a dream too far. I decided to put together a date set of Seated Half dollars but i also decided I would build a complete year set of New Orleans coins. I came up 1 coin short on both sets. 1852-O.
I started on my goal around 1997 and had only 2 coins left by 2008. 1879 and 1852-O. I eventually got the 79.
Stupid fact. I discovered that some moron had over a dozen low grade 52-O coins for sale on E-Bay in 2008. I never used E-Bay so didn't know someone was winning/buying all the VG and below coins and then marking them up by thousands of dollars. He had every coini I had ever bid on for more than a decade. I kept track for several years but never saw him sell one.
In 2015 I sold some coins and made a war chest to go for a higher grade 1852-O. It was still not to be. I had 2 or 3 chances but got sniped/lost each time. Covid came around and the war chest, the bulk of my collection and just about everything but my shoelaces went towards surviving another day. James

 

I have two white whales, both that made me uncomfortable at the cost, but I overcame my nervousness and enjoy them today:

A no drapery seated half (MS62):



And an Eliasberg provenance coin (MS63 CAC):

 

Finding a 1909-S-VDB was the stuff of Aespot's Fables in the 1960s. The only way it’s going to happen is if some kid gets into his parents’ raw coin collection and spends the coin. There were guys who wrote into the coin magazines back then who claimed to hit “strike it rich rolls,” but I took those with a grain of salt. I wasn’t lucky enough to find a 1955-S cent.

 

I didn't "like" this because i don't like it. So sorry you had to go through this. I certainly hope you are "bouncing back"!
I know it's not the same, but I sold almost everything I had collected back in the early 2000's. I really missed it. I was finally able to start again a few years ago. I don't have all of what I had, but I've got some things that I had not had before. But, I had the bulk of what I was interested in before the covid inflation, and the rise in gold and silver prices. That's been rough for my coin budget. Anyway, hope you're successful rebuilding and building an even better collection!

 

I did have one, but I think I traded it on another coin. I'll check and let you know. I do have an extra 1908 S IHC, but it's well circulated.

 

1918? Sorry, I'm not up on SLQ's.

 

@kountryken . I appreciate the support. I have had to sell off most or all of my coin collection several times in my life. I am glad that i have a hobby that can be useful at critical times. I have been self employed since i was 20 years old so part of living that way means accepting a little more risk in life.
It is just opinion but I think the current collection i have is the best collection I have ever built. I have, once again, been building a date set. However, this time instead of just doing Seated Halves I have been using all the denominations.
This time I am also using several bucket coins that I have wanted for many years (decades), plus i am running it from 1837 to 1900. Including many rare varieties and adding my favorite non seated coin. Proof Indian cents. James
P.S. Good luck with your collecting too.