There was a coin show a hundred miles away. That isn’t a big deal… BUT…. They had a 1913 Liberty nickel on display. A coin that held my imagination as a kid as much as moon rockets did….. Me and the boy headed out early, grabbed breakfast and had a fun ride upstate. There were lots of YN activities set up so we spent a lot of time doing that. Then we went to go slobber all over the case that held the 1913 nickel. My boy had won a ten dollar certificate that I helped him spend on a nice Morgan. Next to the Morgan was a cool shipwreck coin. Now I am a dedicated US type coin guy and I been pretty blessed with my type coin collection, but this old shipwreck Real spoke to me so I picked it up….. Time for refreshments so we headed to the snack bar and my credit card was missing… Holy smokes!!! Immediately we run to the truck and fly back to town where we got our breakfast just as they were locking up. Whew! It was an abrupt end to a fun morning. But I did get my once in a lifetime opportunity to see the magical 1913 Liberty nickel and my boy promised me that when he grows up that he will buy it for me. “The” nickel….
I believe there are only five 1913 Nickels known, which coin did you see? Norweb or Walton specimen? And why isn’t it certified?
Very nice pick up, Randy! I’d like to add a shipwreck coin to my collection some day. The NWCC show I attended last month had at least one there that was from the SS Republic. It didn’t speak to me, as you say, and I didn’t even ask the dealer to pull it out of the case.
Glad you and your son had a great time at the show. It must have been the thrill of a lifetime to see that Nickel. Hopefully you got your credit card back. I have a coin from that shipwreck along with a few other shipwreck coins around here somewhere but I don’t have the one you bought. They are amazing and the history behind them is amazing. Hope you have fun doing the research to the El Cazador.
@Randy Abercrombie that sounds like an amazing day with your boy. Priceless, even more than the 1913 V. Savor the memories, including the lost and found CC. Sweet shipwreck coin. I also would like to add one to my collection.
Very cool coin! It’ll always have an interesting history tied to it with it being recovered from a shipwreck.
I may have done a cherry picking without even knowing it. I gave $199.00 for the old Real and figured I overpaid…. Just was doing some looking on the web and these are advertised on EBay between $400.00-$800.00…. I don’t know enough about pieces of eight to know if a particular mint or something other may affect the value…. But now I feel like I got a good deal on the old Real…… So don’t blow for me with facts or anything please!
Several of them are privately owned and trade every few years. One actually sold last month for $4.2 million.
