What's the biggest bargain you've had

[azda]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

[Red Riley]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

1875H penny springs to mind, better than GVF - £51 including postage and I got it on e-bay too. Something similar with an 1895 2mm. VF+ for £25. Both are excellent coins with good eye appeal, so I don't know whether everybody else was asleep that day.

Oh, and I nearly forgot 1918KN not far off EF which I subsequently worked on with spit and sunlight for £35.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Red Riley

[DaveG38]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

Mine was 50p in a Hastings junk shop for a 1893 Jubilee head sixpence in around fine condition. Not the best grade, but when do you see better?

[TomGoodheart]

I'm not sure I've ever had a bargain. But I'm reasonably pleased with this. A shilling of Charles I of course. Sharp D1/1. Spink 2789.

This portcullis mint mark only normally occurs with the later busts of this group (D3(rare), D4, D5 and D6). I only know of one other example of a D1 with this mark and none were listed by Brooker or Sharp. D1/1 coins are quite tricky to find anyway, so I was happy enough to pay £50 for it.

Edited June 22, 2010 by TomGoodheart

[scott]

had a few bargains myself.

EF 1926 penny for under £2.50?

anyway

this is my BIGGEST bargain found this in the 10p tin at me dealers, about 500k mintage, on a french sight similar grade coin of this type is going for 120-150 euro

got this in a bulk buy (about 200 coins for £20

(which also had high grade australian penny worth about half the total price)

1939 rhodesia 3D 200k mintage, worth about £50

[Gary D]

Two that spring to mind are 1908 164A which I paid a couple of Australian dollars for, a poorer example had sold at Colin Cooke's in poorer condition a few week before for £600. I also picked up a 1902 low tide penny in BU from Coinex for £25. It's the 2 to gap variety, again an example had sold at Colin Cookes two weeks before for over £400.

[Gary D]

And the other

[Mat]

A Frank May Bank of England £5 Note from 1870s in F condition. Bought it for £238 and sold it on ebay for £1500.

Out of the coins, an 1827 penny, ebay seller has it restricted to US buyers only, won it for $7, it was slabbed too, condition was bad... VG-F but for £4!

[1949threepence]

Biggest bargain was a 1919 shilling in BU condition, which I got for £4.99 late last year when e bay had broken down, and nobody else was bidding because they couldn't access the site. I was able to because I had created a shortcut on my desktop to the coin, ready to bid. Was still able to access via the shortcut.

Evidently nobody else could, ha ha

[Hussulo]

My best buy was an early US coin for $300, which I thought was a rare die variety. After purchasing it and doing some research I found out it was. 6-8 months I later sold it through a specialist US dealer, he took 10% for finding a buyer and my cut was $7,650.

I did well on gold coins I purchased a few years back which I recently sold. Not huge amounts but ones I bought for £80-£150 I sold for £150-£250 thanks partly to the hike in gold.

I've made some losses too but overall I've done well out of the hobby even though my aim isn't to make money, I collect for fun.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Hussulo

[azda]

Not sure if its a bargain yet, but just got this on ebay for a €1

[Peckris]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

Ladies?? OY!!! Is that a typo for 'laddies', or do you need a brain transplant??

From the 25p tray of a dealer at the Midlands Coin Fair (unsorted :-) ):

• 1888 sixpence GEF

• 1951 brass 3d, Unc with strong lustre

From a Warwick&Warwick auction lot of pennies from 1860 to 1967

• 1919H with the usual flat hair (worn die) but in all other respects GEF or better, rich chocolate patina - £20

From a New York dealer :

• 1903 halfcrown F+/AVF, lustre - £26

From circulation :

• 1926ME penny, GF - £0.005

[1949threepence]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

Ladies?? OY!!! Is that a typo for 'laddies', or do you need a brain transplant??

From the 25p tray of a dealer at the Midlands Coin Fair (unsorted :-) ):

• 1888 sixpence GEF

• 1951 brass 3d, Unc with strong lustre

From a Warwick&Warwick auction lot of pennies from 1860 to 1967

• 1919H with the usual flat hair (worn die) but in all other respects GEF or better, rich chocolate patina - £20

From a New York dealer :

• 1903 halfcrown F+/AVF, lustre - £26

From circulation :

• 1926ME penny, GF - £0.005

Some good bargains there, Peck.

995 posts ~ you do realise that with 5 more posts you'll be a "Forum God"

[davidrj]

Just wondering what the biggest bargain you ladies have had for a coin, perhaps you were thinking "i'm going to pay 500 pounds for this and actually got it for 100, just an example, so what coin made you smile inside because you paid wayyyyyy less than expected. Maybe you can post a picture of the coin to?

Has to be my open 3 1903 penny for 49p

[argentumandcoins]

An 1818 sovereign in GEF bought in auction 5 years ago for £350 and sold a week later for £2750.

A 1667 halfcrown bought at Spinks in Fair for £2250 some years ago, not for sale but worth what???

My two boys, cost a fortune, but worth every penny

[Peckris]

Some good bargains there, Peck.

995 posts ~ you do realise that with 5 more posts you'll be a "Forum God"

Isn't that 1200 posts, not 1000? Oh well, in a few posts time I will find out for sure

[Rob]

A 1667 halfcrown bought at Spinks in Fair for £2250 some years ago, not for sale but worth what???

Difficult one that as the grade acts as quite a drag on the rarity premium. Presumably you are referring to lot 254 in Spink sale 172.

I was offered that coin amongst other duplicates before they went into the sale. Obviously I declined, as at the time thought it wasn't worth spending £1600 when the best of the three known (but still pretty grim) was going to be auctioned later that year. I also remember your coin not selling on ebay post auction at around the £2700 mark. Given the low grade of all three known examples, the price is likely to be determined by that quoted in Spink's tome unless you can find two half crown collectors with deep pockets as has happened with the bun head pennies and play one off against the other. If someone came up with a VF or better example then the price for this would almost certainly run to 5 figures.

[Peter]

About 10 years ago I was in a jewellers and he had a box of coins at £2.50 each.

I went through the box and picked out 20 pre 1920 halfcrowns in EF to GEF and he gave me 10% discount.

[1949threepence]

About 10 years ago I was in a jewellers and he had a box of coins at £2.50 each.

I went through the box and picked out 20 pre 1920 halfcrowns in EF to GEF and he gave me 10% discount.

The kind of lucky break you can only dream of

[HistoricCoinage]

Buying an Edward the Confessor Hammer Cross penny for £190 sold as being of York mint. Actually of Derby mint and exceptionally rare as appears to have used the York dies but had the mint legend altered, as shown by the crude legends and the presence of an annulet in one quarter.

Buying an as-struck William I Paxs penny at auction listed as London mint for £260, actually Bristol.

Receiving a cut half of Henry I Annulet type for 50 pence. Spink offered me £150.

Buying a Coenwulf penny for £350 which is actually a trial strike and the said design never made it into coinage, the 'coin' has been folded awkwardly which implies it was void as tender. It's something that you cannot put a true value on.

[argentumandcoins]

A 1667 halfcrown bought at Spinks in Fair for £2250 some years ago, not for sale but worth what???

Difficult one that as the grade acts as quite a drag on the rarity premium. Presumably you are referring to lot 254 in Spink sale 172.

I was offered that coin amongst other duplicates before they went into the sale. Obviously I declined, as at the time thought it wasn't worth spending £1600 when the best of the three known (but still pretty grim) was going to be auctioned later that year. I also remember your coin not selling on ebay post auction at around the £2700 mark. Given the low grade of all three known examples, the price is likely to be determined by that quoted in Spink's tome unless you can find two half crown collectors with deep pockets as has happened with the bun head pennies and play one off against the other. If someone came up with a VF or better example then the price for this would almost certainly run to 5 figures.

Yes, that's the one.

We tried to sell it on before deciding to go after halfcrowns and Pennies as the main areas in the collection.

I was eventually offered £4250 by a collector in Australia just prior to removing it from sale.

I suppose the fact that it isn't a variety would help it's value. If you want to complete a full date run where would you find one available now?

It'll re-appear one day (I'll probably immortalise my dad after his passing by auctioning the Halfcrown and Penny collections).

[scott]

you guys have so much money though

a couple more

1728 6D plumes (scarce type) for 25p

1853 EF farthing (over 52?) for £6.19

[scott]

the gem of my farthing collection... was £6 lol

[argentumandcoins]

you guys have so much money though

a couple more

1728 6D plumes (scarce type) for 25p

1853 EF farthing (over 52?) for £6.19

I'm just a poor ex-copper Scott! I bought what I could with my pay and payouts from 2 nasty RTC's, sold some on and went on from there.

You don't need a lot of money in this game, which is the beauty of the hobby, just a bit of luck, a good eye and a decent memory.

What was the thread about again?

[Rob]

I've had a few. Some that spring to mind are a better than EF 1889/8 1/2d for £3.56 + £4 P&P (ouch), my 1675/3/2 1/2d slabbed as NGC MS65 for less than £850 as a result of a series of misattributions on the slab and in the sale catalogue and what will hopefully be the best of all - only the second recorded example of a James 1st transitional bust shilling for £80, which is the approximate price for a 2nd bust shilling which it was described as. I have consigned it to the next St. James's sale as it didn't fit in with my collecting criteria. Disregard the Spink catalogue on this one as the prices given are based on a sample total of nil described and sold as such in auctions, i.e. they are fictional.