I stopped in to pick up a nice MS-64 1913 Type II buff when the dealer says "I've got something to show you." He knows of my affinity for barber coins and pulls out a bright and shiny 1895 O dime. Unfortunately it was a shiny, solid F-15. Story goes, someone was left this coin and about $30 dollars in junk silver by a relative. They got a redbook and were shocked when they found out how much the 95 O was worth. They assumed that "shining it up a bit" would only enhance the value. The rest of the barber dimes could be used to cut your fingernails. Two years ago I'd have bought the coin; hoping I'd received a bargain . I then would have stuck it in a fifty year old coin envelope and hoped a few years storage would re-tone the coin. There was a thread a couple of weeks ago regarding what's been learned here in CT. In the three or so years I've been back to coin collecting, patience is the most imporant principle I've learned.
