ONE COIN YOU WANT, BUT CAN'T QUITE AFFORD.

What is the one coin you want, but cannot quite afford to spend the money.
My choice is an 1883-S MS-64+ Morgan.

 

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Without a doubt. A chain cent in any grade as long as the date is clear and it is identifiable.

 

I would say a nice MS RB large cent with some nice luster and maybe some blue or purple hues to it.

 

Hmmm, there are always dream coins like a $50 octagonal slug for US coins, or a gold octodrachm from Egypt.

On a more realistic scale, I have wanted a MS 63 or better Fugio cent to go with my Ben Franklin printed or designed notes for quite a while. I COULD afford it, but never have done so. For ancients, a nice gVF-XF Irene gold solidus is also on my list, (probably near the same prices as the Fugio), and haven't pulled that trigger yet either.

 

1796 or 1797 half dollar...I just can't seem to make myself spend more on a single coin then I did on my house.

 

This is certainly an interesting question to ponder. If I had to pick one coin, I couldn't quite afford; it would be a problem-free Japanese Trade Dollar like the one below. Most of the Japanese Trade Dollars I've seen have been harshly cleaned and covered in chop marks. Not to mention, the prevalence of counterfeits among Crown-sized Asian coinage makes this a proverbial white whale for my collection.

 

seems like the solution there is to just buy a bigger house

 

Queen Anne half crown. A bit expensive for me to acquire (at least right now).

 

If only....

 

I need two coins to complete my type set:
-- a 1796 quarter
-- a 1796 or 1797 half dollar

Shouldn't surprise anyone that they are on my wish list which is where they'll probably remain for the rest of my life.

 

1907 high relief $20 St. Gaudens. A blank spot in my NGC registry set that probably will remain that way.

 

The one coin? 1916-D Mercury, 1909-S VDB, 1955 Double Die Lincoln.. There's just too many that I can't afford.

 

A coin anywhere in the 1800s in any grade

 

This coin. Technically, I could buy it, but it's slightly more than I want to pay for a coin atm. There are 1879 TD's that are quite affordable on eBay, it's just I really like this particular one.

 

1907 $20 J-1776/1905 (Proof)

 

1848 CAL quarter eagle (a lot more than I can afford) or Mass pine tree shilling

 

1909 S VDB in MS 65 or better grade, but it can't be counterfeit or altered

 

There are coins I could possibly afford, but that I would never shell out the money for.

For instance, I would love to have a 35.06mm sized Meiji-era 20 Yen dragon gold piece. But is it worth shelling out around 5 million Yen, or around $46,000 for a decent example? Never. I wouldn't even consider spending that much on any single coin no matter how much I liked it. I would be too nervous to own it, I would likely have to hide it away in a vault or a safe and rarely see it. I would also probably be too afraid to show it to anyone. I may not even ever tell anyone that I have it. Owning something so valuable would make me live in fear. That sounds like about as much fun as sitting on a railroad spike.



It is a gorgeous coin, though, but I think I'll appreciate it at a distance.

 

The idea here is it is JUST outside you current budget, not something WAY outside your budget.

For me it is a nice ms-63 or better Pan-Pac commemorative half dollar. Probably could afford it, but too many other priorities not related to the collection.

 

1916 Matte Proof Lincoln. Or any matte proof Lincoln for that matter. Only have two of the nine lol.