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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;wlwhittier, post: 1807737, member: 18320&quot;]Last April I traveled to Tukwila, Washington (3 hours drive) to attend my first real coin show;&nbsp; I don&#039;t recall who sponsored the event.&nbsp; I carried six older dollar-sized silver coins: these pics are of one of them.&nbsp; After showing them all to several (5 or 6) dealers, I was convinced that I had a pocket full of bullion, and nothing of exceptional value.&nbsp; I sold all six to one fellow who specialized in Asian coins; he gave me $130 for the lot.&nbsp; I spent it and more before I left the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>He in turn showed them around, did his own rudimentary research, and came to roughly the same conclusion: nothing special.&nbsp; Before he left the show that day, he was approached by a young man who asked about the coins, having overheard some conversation about them. My buyer showed them to him and he selected this one as worthy of more research, which he promptly began on his laptop.&nbsp; After some discussion, they agreed on a price, and the young fellow paid my buyer for the coin: that sale amount is unknown to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>Several months later, my buyer received a call from the purchaser.&nbsp; He said the coin had been sold at auction, and that the hammer price was in the low five figures!&nbsp; He went on to tell my buyer that he felt an obligation to share the windfall, and promised to forward roughly half the final proceeds to my buyer when the transaction was complete. About a month after that conversation my buyer got a check in the mail for $12000! That evening he called me and urged me to meet him near his home that weekend (near the site of the coin show) so that he could deliver my portion of the $12K! When I arrived he handed me a check for $3K and stated he would mail the other $3K when the $12K check cleared his bank.&nbsp; He wrote my address on an envelope that already had a stamp, his return address, and my name on it. I expressed my astonishment at his generosity, and we shared similar bewilderment at the largess of his original buyer!</p><p><br /></p><p>I left his company filled with delight and amazement, and $3K richer! I held that first check for 12 days, and was beginning to wonder if all this was just a dream...when the mailman brought the second check (which was consecutively numbered after the first one). In the envelope with it was a short note:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Here&#039;s the other $3K. The check from my buyer has cleared and we both now have half of it. It has been a pleasure sharing this windfall with you. It never could have happened for the two of us if you had not begun the process.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>My wife and I are planning a cruise of Alaska next spring which will use up most of our half.&nbsp; Hope you do something nifty with yours!</i></p><p><br /></p><p>I share this story here partly as an act of penitence: I have had a poor and declining viewpoint of human nature for years.&nbsp; It has been observed that &#039;The idealist is the father of the cynic&#039;, and I felt that was particularly appropriate in my case.&nbsp; I have been humbled by this experience, and have resolved to try much harder to see the good in others, manifest or latent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, I hope one or more of you can look at this coin with practiced eyes and offer some clue about what I gave up out of ignorance.&nbsp; I&#039;m hoping to know from my buyer the circumstances of the sale; specifically the description and other value-indicating information; I don&#039;t care about the hammer price at all.</p><p><br /></p><p>I will never again sell something of which I&#039;m ignorant of its true value...a good lesson!</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for listening!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]294799[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]294800[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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