What has been your most memorable numismatic experience?

Working in a coin shop while still in high school. I learned and saw so much. Of course being young and at the time and also didn't weigh much I was elected to repair storm damage on the roof of the shop. The building was an old oil field office moved into town many years prior. Picture a non-insulated wood frame building with a corrugated metal roof. The front was divided into an office and a coin shop. The back had warehouse filled with old farm tools and antiques. I was paid for my work, on and in the shop in silver dollars and sometimes gold. Wish I could have stayed there but college awaited.

 

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A friend kept calling and asking when I would be home. We finally connected and he said he had a bust dollar he wanted me to see. We walks into my living room says, "close your eyes and hold out your hand." When I opened my eyes an 1804 dollar was looking back at me. He later gave me a similar thrill with a 1894-S dime.

 

I would have walked away. That sounds so slimy. I suppose as a dealer if it was still a profitable deal you held your nose.

 

My most exciting numismatic event happened on this very forum. Around 6 years ago, I purchased the Marcus Aurelius denarius below as a birthday present for myself. After posting it in the ancient section here, I logged in a few days later to a 3 or more page thread on the coin. Apparently, I had serendipitously purchased a rare bust variety. The coin made its way to the following website catalog: romanpaulus. And it remains there today. Page 145 (page 6 of the .pdf), still cites "collection of ewomack" and "CoinTalk" in footnote 2 (screenshot below). The coin appears on page 146 (page 7 of the .pdf). This didn't add much extra value to the coin, and it all came down to mere luck, but it was nonetheless exciting to have a coin from my pile added to any catalog.




Marcus Aurelius (161-180) AR Denarius. Struck 161/2 AD. M ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right / CONCORD AVG TR P XVII, COS III in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera, resting left elbow on statuette of Spes set on base. 18mm 3.4gm