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<p>[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4975289, member: 101855"]This topic was on the ancient coin forum. I decided the re-post the idea here since the coin I would list is not an ancient.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have been a U.S. type collector since I was a YN in the 1960s. I was open to collecting them all from day one, but of course my budget could not accommodate such a goal. When I landed my first job out of college, my finances improved considerably. I really got interested in all of the early U.S. type coins from 1792 to 1807. Over time I was able to get all of the copper and silver coins except for the 1796-7 Draped Bust, Small Eagle Half Dollar. With a mintage 3,918 coins spread over the two years, the coin is obviously very scarce. I tend to avoid the “rare” word when more than 10 coins are available.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Dave Bowers, the number of survivors is 220 to 325 coins. That seems a little high to me, but he’s been buying, selling and auctioning coins for far longer than I have, and he’s seen far more pieces.</p><p><br /></p><p>At any rate, the first example of this coin that I saw, was at a major show in the mid 1970s. It was an Unc. and was said to have been part of the Col. Green collection. The price was $45,000. For me it may as well have been $45 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first piece that I could have afforded, was a terrible coin. It had the sharpness of a coin Fair condition, was holed and had been polished. That didn’t stop the dealer from putting a $9,000 price tag on it. This was circa 1988. I have a rule that if I can’t afford a decent example of a coin, I can learn to live without it. That was certainly the case here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the years, I saw some other pieces, almost exclusively in auctions, and all of them beyond my budget. Finally, in the 2000s I had enough money to buy the coins I needed to finish my set. I was really looking for an example of the 1796-7 half dollar in VF, but this piece that is graded Fine – 15 popped up at the 2010 Summer FUN show. It was the last coin I needed to finish the non-gold type set which covers everything from the half cent to the dollar coins. In a way you could say I waited 45 years. In another way you could say 22 years. At any rate, here it is, and no, I am not planning on upgrading it.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1195549[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4975289, member: 101855"]This topic was on the ancient coin forum. I decided the re-post the idea here since the coin I would list is not an ancient. I have been a U.S. type collector since I was a YN in the 1960s. I was open to collecting them all from day one, but of course my budget could not accommodate such a goal. When I landed my first job out of college, my finances improved considerably. I really got interested in all of the early U.S. type coins from 1792 to 1807. Over time I was able to get all of the copper and silver coins except for the 1796-7 Draped Bust, Small Eagle Half Dollar. With a mintage 3,918 coins spread over the two years, the coin is obviously very scarce. I tend to avoid the “rare” word when more than 10 coins are available. According to Dave Bowers, the number of survivors is 220 to 325 coins. That seems a little high to me, but he’s been buying, selling and auctioning coins for far longer than I have, and he’s seen far more pieces. At any rate, the first example of this coin that I saw, was at a major show in the mid 1970s. It was an Unc. and was said to have been part of the Col. Green collection. The price was $45,000. For me it may as well have been $45 million. The first piece that I could have afforded, was a terrible coin. It had the sharpness of a coin Fair condition, was holed and had been polished. That didn’t stop the dealer from putting a $9,000 price tag on it. This was circa 1988. I have a rule that if I can’t afford a decent example of a coin, I can learn to live without it. That was certainly the case here. Over the years, I saw some other pieces, almost exclusively in auctions, and all of them beyond my budget. Finally, in the 2000s I had enough money to buy the coins I needed to finish my set. I was really looking for an example of the 1796-7 half dollar in VF, but this piece that is graded Fine – 15 popped up at the 2010 Summer FUN show. It was the last coin I needed to finish the non-gold type set which covers everything from the half cent to the dollar coins. In a way you could say I waited 45 years. In another way you could say 22 years. At any rate, here it is, and no, I am not planning on upgrading it. [ATTACH=full]1195549[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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What's the longest period that you have waited buy a coin that you want?
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