As collectors we sometimes have the opportunity to cherrypick scarce or valuable varieties at little or no additional cost. What are your favorite/best varieties that you have been able to grab at a price that we would consider a steal? My favorites: Cherrypicking a 1942/1 Denver Mercury dime that I got from a bag of 'junk' silver. It is now happily residing in an NGC holder XF-45. Cost as silver: .50, slab $10 (thru a friend) value: $1,000. Value as an experience and showing it to three coin dealers who told me that it wasn't the correct variety: priceless. Cherrypicking #8 1864 L Indian Head cents (purchased as '64 no L's) over the years. Cherrypicking, after searching for years #3 1858/7 Flying eagle cents, within three months. All are now in ANACS holders. Others, but these are my favorites. What are yours? Frank
Varieties I have not picked up---but I have cherrypicked a: 1962-D half Dollar as BU for $5 and it is now in a NGC slab as MF65FBL 1926-S Buff Nickel in a PCI slab as F--sent to NGC, came back as VF20 and sold to DLRC. Speedy
A roll of 1955-P BU Red Lincoln Cents that I purchased for $15 and which contained 3 Doubled Die Obverse - Die #2 Cents in MS-63 to MS-64 and 45 Poorman's Double Die Cents in MS-60 to MS-66. I still have the Poorman's Double Die Cents but sold the 3 Doubled Die Obverse - Die #2 Cents for $900. Also, a lot of around 80 circulated Lincoln Wheat Cents that I picked up for around $5 that contained a rare 1944-P "Thick Planchet" Cent and I sold for $137.50 .... There are many others but the ones above were probably my favorite! Frank
My first ever cherrypick is the one I am most fond of. I was rummaging through a bargain bin at a coin shop in some town outside of Little Rock and found a 1970S small date for 18 cents. Even then they were $20.00 or so. So I figure this guy is not taking the time to look at his coins. I ask if I could look at his mint sets and low and behold he has a mint set with another small date. Bought that for $12. Total cost to me, $12.18. Total value including 1970D half, at the time, $55.00. It was quite a moment for me. Happy hunting, Michael
How about this FS-50-1967-101, CONECA listed 67 SMS DDO-006 half dollar at a SMS price. Larry Nienaber
Larry, Nice coin! I think that I have the same coin in a very high grade and which is almost Proof Like! Do you know what the values of these are in MS grades? I picked it up Saturdday in a purchase of around 250 RPM and Doubled Die Error coins, most of which have attribution notes and other notes annotated on the 2x2's by Wexler himself. Frank
Frank...if your half dollar isn't a CONECA listed 67 SMS DDO-006, it might be a 67SMS DDO-011, which has that crazy spread under the R of LIBERTY also, see attached photo. You can tell the difference between the 006 and 011 by looking at the ST of TRUST, see my photos. I'm not sure what the DDO-006 is worth, I have seen only one in the last few years on Ebay, and I can't remember what it went for, I believe it was around $150. For MS65, James Wiles shows $125 in his book, Wexler shows it has a DDO-001 in his book at $300, and the Cherrypickers Guide shows $125 Did you find any any other half dollar varieties in your group? Larry Nienaber
My favorite cherrypicked coin is a 1945P double die reverse FS-030 Jefferson nickel. I went to a local coin show and had forgotten my loop and had recently started looking for full step Jeffersons. Liked the looks of this with my naked eye and paid 50 cents, which was a fantastic price for a BU 1945P nickel in its own right. When I got home and looked more closely noticed the doubled die which I grade at MS-64 to 65 full Steps. The subsequent research of this variety has led me to the dark world cherrypicking! Now 20 years later about all I look for is RPM's and Doubled Dies HELP!
Half cent, 1808/7 Cohen-1. Look it up in your Cherrypicker's guide. It's the only variety in there for half cents of 1808. Shame it's got granular surfaces, but for an R7, I'll take what I can get. Fish
Larry, I was wrong about the 67 SMS that I received in the lot that I purchased! It is actually a new DDO & DDR Variety that has not been attributed or listed yet. The Coin Dealer advised me that not all of the coins had been sent in to or attributed by Wexler! I think that the writing on the reverse of the 2x2 is Wexler's but I have no idea what his coding means! Yes, I received several other Half Dollar Varieties! There are also two new and unlisted 1963-P DDR Varieties, a 1964-P DDO (7-O-II), two new and unlisted 1964 Proof DDR Varieties, one 1964 Proof with machine Doubling, one 1964-D DDO #4 Variety, a 1970-S Proof DDO (3-O-V) Variety, one 1971-D DDO #7 Variety and an 1893 (toned) RPD Variety. Many of the listed Varieties do not appear in my books! Do you have another source that show these and their values? Most of the coins are very high grade and if it is cost effective, I may get some of them Certified, Graded and Attributed. There are also RPD Cents, Doubled Die Nickels, Doubled Die Dimes and Doubled Die Quarters in the lot. I have not had time to count every coin but there appears to be over 300 total coins in the lot. Frank
