Visited the LCS yesterday and looked through the world coin bin. 15¢ per coin. Not much of note was found, except for a few tokens and this little US-issued gem: Had no idea of the value when I pulled it out of the bin, but I never see US-Philippines coins older than WW2 in the junk bins so I grabbed it. Went up to the Red Book at the counter, flipped to the Philippines section and needless to say, I was surprised at the 16-S prices. A quick look at sold Ebay examples surprised me even more. Needless to say, I gladly bought it. Also looked at the junk Barber Dimes. There were a few keepers in there, but this was the best one: A bit rough between the gouge and ED, but the details aren’t bad. And a semi-key Barber dime for $2? I really can’t complain. @QuintupleSovereign definitely has me one-upped though with that excellent 1895-O find that I stumbled upon while searching through some threads earlier. Spent less than $10 this visit.
The 1894-O is a rare coin (720,000) and even in that condition, (F details?) try some acetone to remove the organic black crud. Since it is probably details anyway, I don't think uncovering any new problems is an issue. I am at $50+. Without damage $100. On the Philippines 5 centavos (G-06?) 1916-S also rare 300,000 minted. $20 easy.
What a wonderful trip you had at your LCS. Your dealer overlooked that. Yes to trying acetone on the Barber.
