This flip didn't go well for this person. They paid $20,250 in 2025 and sold it for $11,000+ in 2026

1. $20,250 at Great Collections
   

https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1428114/1808-Capped-Bust-Left-Gold-Half-Eagle-PCGS-MS-62


2. $11,000 net at Heritage a year later

https://coins.ha.com/itm/early-half-eagles/1808-5-close-5d-bd-3-r4-ms62-pcgs/a/1396-4339.s

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Looks like the buyer in the GC auction overpaid. And I think a lot was forgiven by the graders for that scratch on the head.

 

Someone's going to be sleeping on the couch.
Bad investment planning I guess. What's the old gal valued at anyways?

 

Maybe it gives the old gal some character?? But certainly not MS62.

 

"Stupid is what stupid does" Duh...

 

It’s one of those AU-58 coins that was graded MS-62. The big scratch made it less than choice.

This breaks the myths that all coins bought from Great Collections and Stacks-Bowers can be sold for more at Heritage.

 

Oof. Shed half it's value. That is rough.

 

Actually the auction established its value.

 

This one is graded AU-55. It's the same type. The OP coin has a lot of scruffy mint surface left on it. This one has some general wear. I guess it's a matter of taste.

 

Not a smart flipper, if that’s what the intent actually was. On GC the minimum bid was $18k and they were the only bidder. They paid the full 12.5% bp instead of echeck which would have saved them $450. 13 bidders on HA determined what it’s really worth.

 

This one is my coin. Same grade--MS62, PCGS. I was curious about the GC to Heritage coin because it would have given me an idea of what my coin is worth (I paid closer to the Heritage hammer price for mine).

 

If you look at the GC archive they paid about $5k more than any other MS62. Buy high, sell low.

 

The question is was it an attempt to flip - or was someone just ready to let it go cause they got a better example. Me - when I sell it is always a risk I run. Just not this much money. Lately I have been checking both heritage and great collections results - both sometimes seem to have outliers that sometimes I can't figure out the reason for.

 

It appears that this person didn't know what he/she was doing. The initial purchase for 20k was impulsive. Comps last year when it was purchased was about 15k. If this person is wealthy they could have gone for an MS 63/64 which are periodically available. This isn't a coin that you have wait years for to upgrade.

 

Yep, someone took it in the shorts, ouch!

 

Sometimes just really hard to figure out what bidders are thinking or doing - but this case does appear to a pretty simple screw up. Sometimes I think the same thing with some of the wild toners with bidding.

 

I hold items for so long that I seldem have losses, at least on paper.

The biggest hit I have ever than was about $1 thousand.

I would take a much bigger one if I tried to sell an 1877 Proof Twenty Cent Piece I have. I got caught up in the promotion on this issue when someone tried to corner the market. I sold a so-so one that I had bought in a Heritage auction via one of those "Buy it from the owner" transactions. As a Twenty Cent piece nut, I HAD to replace it. I bid high on a high grade one in an auction, and didn't get it. Then I bought a decent one, but paid too much.

Here is my "burial." It's graded PR-64.