A sticky dilemma, but it was a nice problem to have, I reckon...

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by lordmarcovan, Dec 6, 2022.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    In November of 2018, @Randy Abercrombie posted some new purchases. Among them was a Lafayette dollar with great grey contrasting toning- the CircCam appearance I love on circulated silver.

    This Lafayette dollar. It has the perfect look for a circulated coin, in my opinion.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]


    I posted some admiring comments at the time, and semi-jokingly hinted that I'd be a buyer if he ever wanted to sell it.

    Fast forward to the other day. Randy asked me if I remembered the coin. Surprisingly, I did not, but hey, it had been four years.

    And then the surprise.

    Randy announced that he was just sending it to me, out of the blue... as a gift!

    Imagine my astonishment!

    Now, here's the weird part. You see, I do love this coin. The compliments I posted about it four years ago were sincere. And I'd have been delighted to add this to my collection.

    But instead, I just regifted it.

    Why, you ask? Am I crazy? (Well, yes, but that's beside the point.)

    You see, just a couple of months ago, I bought my first Lafayette dollar. A lovely MS63.

    [​IMG]

    And I don't need two Lafayette dollars!

    So there was my dilemma. A coin I had admired in the past just up and fell into my lap, suddenly and unexpectedly- as a gift- but since I now own another (rather expensive) one in higher grade, I didn't really need it! Two or three months ago, I'd have happily added that VF25 to my collection. But now... what to do?

    I could sell one of the coins, but that didn't feel right, selling Randy's crazy-generous gift. And I'm rather fond of the MS63 coin I recently bought.

    Or I could offer to send the VF25 back to Randy, but knowing him, he'd decline, and besides, that would seem ungrateful of me.

    The only solution I saw was to regift it, and make somebody else's day. (I explained the dilemma to Randy all along, and he was cool with this idea.)

    So I approached someone else who has always been very generous with me, both with time and advice, and with gifts... that would be Josh Z (@kazuma78). I asked Josh if he owned a Lafayette dollar, and surprisingly (given the caliber of his collection), he said no- he'd never had one. So I said, "Merry Christmas! Now you do!" and explained I was giving the CircCam NGC VF25 Lafayette dollar to him.

    And hey, doing that was every bit as much fun as adding that coin to my collection would have been. It just felt right. :)

    Many thanks to @Randy Abercrombie, for the incredible kindness.
     
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  3. Abramthegreat

    Abramthegreat Well-Known Member

    Cool story, and that was nice....
     
  4. LakeEffect

    LakeEffect Average Circulated Supporter

    You and Randy are such complete jerks!

    Just kidding, great thread and obviously great members. Thanks for posting and circam's are great, BTW.
     
  5. Nathan401

    Nathan401 Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

    Now that’s a great Holiday story!
     
  6. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    Sounds like the best was made of the situation and a gift ended up going to someone who will appreciate it. :)
     
  7. lardan

    lardan Supporter! Supporter

    Humanity may a chance afterall. I tip my hat to both of you.
     
  8. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    That's an incredibly kind gesture for a very deserving recipient! The coin community is top-notch thanks to people like you, Rob!
     
  9. BuffaloHunter

    BuffaloHunter Short of a full herd Supporter

    A tip of the hat to both Randy and Rob!
     
  10. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    Color me shocked, not!

    This holds true for both of these amazing members @lordmarcovan and @Randy Abercrombie

    Tis the season for both of these gentleman's generosity. The difference being, this is truly who they are 24/7/365.

    Continually impressed.....
     
  11. BuffaloHunter

    BuffaloHunter Short of a full herd Supporter

    Without looking at populations, I reckon the VF is probably the rarer of the two….and a CircCam to boot! I think I would have kept the circulated example….or both!
     
  12. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    You would be correct!
    NGC Population for VF (all VF since NGC does not break it down): 18
    PCGS for VF 25: 7
    PCGS Population for MS 63: 816
    NGC Pop for MS 63: 506
     
  13. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    Thank you so much @lordmarcovan ! Such a kind and generous gift! It certainly has that fantastic circam look!
     
  14. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Yes, the CircCam VF25 certainly has a ton of original character. One of a kind- or nearly so.

    You can see why this was a dilemma for me, despite the 38-point grade spread between the two coins.

    I should add that while I did spend a decent sized chunk o’ change on the MS63 recently, I did get a nice price on it. Bought it from my oldest numismatic friend, who is a dealer with a shop in North Carolina
     
  15. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    LIKE TIMES 10
    Couple of classy collectors. Keep on doing what you do.
     
  16. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    And your post is a LIKE TIMES 10.
    I couldn't agree more. Classy personified describes both @Randy Abercrombie and @lordmarcovan
     
  17. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    I believe coins exist to bring folks a little bit of awe, wonder and joy to their busy lives. A moment of pause in the chaos if you will and it makes me happy to share that. Ain’t anything that dozens of folks on this site practice every day. That’s why I love it here.
     
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