The year is 2021. You're in the Pacific Northwest with a couple dollars in your pocket and you go to your local coin shop. Without having much money you decide to browse through the junk bin. After finding some rather ugly world coins and heavily damaged US coins you spot THIS, a 1792 half disme. https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/992407/1792-Flowing-Hair-Half-DimeHalf-Disme-PCGS-FR-02-CAC
Define junk... are we talking like france aluminum 5 FR? or bahamas cents? Or is junk more like dateless buffs
@ArthurK11 is this autobiographical or are you just imagining? If this happened to you, and that's your coin, then all I can say is WOW!
I followed that story on Reddit while it was unfolding. I live in the Pacific Northwest as well, and I've found some pretty great things in PNW junk bins, but nothing like this...
Not my coin, but if you click the link you can read a short story about it. I just spiced it up a bit.
Ah, I looked at the post earlier but missed the info at the top. Thanks for pointing it out! This is such a great cherry-pick! I can imagine myself nonchalantly saying to the proprietor, "I'll take these." (I'd include a few others just to avoid too much focus on this one item). Or would I negotiate? "You want six bucks for this junk, I'll give ya three fifty!" After the transaction was complete and I had my receipt - would I celebrate right there, or would I wait until I got out to the car to celebrate?
I enjoy huntin dealer junk bins. I've never found anything 1% as valuable as this that was missed. But, I've found a few things just under that threshold...
My best deal was 50c for a 1 yen note worth $100. The dealer did not know that the Japanese character serial numbers [rather than the much more common Arabic numbers] was worth $99.50 more. Worst missed deal: my brother and I and his [ex] friend were in a shop on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills [is there still a coin shop on Rodeo Drive?] "Friend" asked "How much for that set?" Clerk: "$250" My brother whispers to friend: "Buy it, buy it, great deal; if you don't buy, I will." "Friend": "No, stay out of this. [to clerk]: Will you take $200?" Clerk: "I'll ask the boss." Clerk "OOPs, I almost made a big mistake. I misread the price; it's $1,250." "Friend": "Ask your boss if he'll take $1,000?" Needless to say, my brother never went coin shopping with him again.
My biggest thought here is how the coin ended up in the junk box and I'm not necessarily talking about the dealer either. Sure he should've looked more carefully at what he had, but how did the coin end up in the shop in the first place? I'm thinking some grandpa spent a lot of money on the coin and held on to it for decades only for his decedents to sell it for melt once he passed away. Makes you think about what will happen to your collection when you're gone.
Phenomenal find. If it had been me, the large stain on the front of my pants might have tipped off the dealer. thank goodness the buyer had the good sense not to clean off the newsprint transfer.
That would be newsprint transfer. You might even be able to ID the date of the paper it was wrapped up in from that many letters/words...