Ones that got away

This is for coins that you came this close to getting. For a while, I have thought about doing this thread. It you like the idea of the thread, let’s keep it going with future misses, as well as past misses.

Part of how I do my learning, is to research the coins that I see in auctions or for sale.

While this particular coin is not something that I actively collect, I was an active bidder over $100. It was an 1829 Coronet Cent, and I figured it to be a 25-30. Not sure if it is cleaned, though. Why was I bidding over $100? Well, it is the medium letters variety (not mentioned, so cherry pick), as best as I could tell from the pics, and apparently others figured that, as well.

If I had more experience telling whether this would be ‘details’, or not, and I was into flipping coins, I would have gone higher on my bidding.

PCGS lists this at $550 (so, $400 in real life, lol). It sold for $159.

Care to share your experiences?

 

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It is the medium letters you should of bid more in this condition it's a $350-$500 coin

 

If you look closer its the 1840 small/ large 18 its condition is vf details but in vf its around a $100-$200 coin and I got it for $15 I'm not getting it certified because its just has to much marks for it to get a straight grade still a nice coin for $15 I only won by $1or I would of go outbid

 

I usually don’t go over $50, so this would have been a splurge, lol.

 

I don't have a picture, but I almost nabbed a Japanese Trade Dollar that had been used in jewelry.

 

How about ones that you regret that you sold? I have a little story about one like that.

 

I was bidding on a British coin set and someone outbid me by less than $1. I forgot about the auction, and it just auto bid until my set amount- so someone swooped in and bid higher. (This was a while back)

 

This one still hurts...

It's a 1948-S/S that I spotted on eBay a couple years ago. It was unattributed and the bidding was very low on it. I had what I considered a nuclear bid set up in my sniping software. In the last 4 seconds, my bid went through. I was then outbid at the last second. Another bidder had seen it as well. We had the bid go from around $10.00 to over $150.00 in the last second of the auction. Come to find out, the buyer that bought it had is bid go to his max. Had I increased my bid by just another $20.00 or so, I would have won it! I found out who the bidder was later on and exchanged messages with them. That's how I found out what his maximum bid was. Anyway, he sent it to PCGS where it graded out at a 64, at the time it was tied for top pop and the last example to sell was for $4000.00 at that grade.

Here is an image of that actual coin I missed out on.

 

Sure, let’s hear about it, since it ‘got away’ from you.

 

sellers photos. I purchased this coin for $40.00, good deal, right? but, USPS has decided otherwise, it's lost or stolen.

 

Its an ok deal you didn't overpay but its on the high side that has never happened to me package stolen/lost that sucks

 

Again, not my forte, so I stopped at $20 on this 1785 Vermont. It sold for $90. Not sure how much of the actual coin is left, or what/if it would grade, as the diameter appears to be too small, but for $20, it would have been cool to have.


And what I believe could be an 1847, large 47 over small 47, which I forgot about and it sold for under $20. It has issues, so maybe I’m better off.

 

Its the newcomb 18 variety possibly pictures are not clear enough to be sure.

 

For under $20 it still would be a good deal even if it were not the overdate.

 

Good Deals is where I try to shop

 

I had an 1878 nickel 3-cent piece that had been given to me by my grandmother. I have no idea where she got it because she didn't come to this country until 1923. She knew nothing about coins. As you're probably aware, that was a proof-only coin, only 2,350 minted. Mine was a disturbed proof and probably would have graded XF at least, maybe AU. Well, in 1981 I sold it for $900 to buy an engagement ring & wedding band. I ended up breaking the engagement off. Never got the rings back.

 

Oh man, sorry to hear that. On the bright side, I suppose, she only took you for the rings.

 

I found out that she was a compulsive liar and a thief, so it worked out in the end I guess. I've been married (to someone else of course) for 33 years now. If I had married the other woman, I don't think it would have lasted very long.

 

I've had a few that I lost on eBay based on someone being a little luckier and outbidding me by less than $1 (meaning that was their max-these were items were the minimum increment was at least $1 or more).

Another that I recall was a toned Morgan graded MS 65+ that sold for $660. That seemed high at the time for me (was hesitant to spend that much on one item at the time). Later I saw it sold for over $2k in a new MS 67+ holder. And to top it off, it is now in a top Morgan set graded MS 68. Looks like $660 was quite the deal.

 

This is one of those threads where it's to "like" something. But man, that really sucks. I wonder how on earth it went from a fairly recent 65+ to a 67+? I mean, come on, that really opens up the conspiracy theories...