A nice little score with my ebay gambles...

As I've mentioned before I am a bit of an ebay gambler. However now with the current high value of silver the risk is not as much.

For those unfamiliar with my practices--I like to add to my "bullion" holdings by purchasing silver rolls of circulated coins on ebay. Sometimes they are total junky, bent, corroded, heavily worn etc coins that look ready for the smelting pot. Then there are the lots which have some decent coins of album quality and maybe even a semi-key. AND THEN....there is every once in a while a nice lot from someone cleaning out the old jar on the dresser, the jewelry box, grandpa's old keepsakes etc etc..and these may have some treasures.

Well I've seen a few more coins lately of better value. Maybe it's that the word is out that old silver coins in that shoebox in the closet can net someone a few hundred, or maybe it is desperate measures for some who are trying to scrounge up gas money and/or food money with the rocketing costs we are seeing...either way, the lots I've been buying are not just the average roll of Walkers all dated 1940's with lotsa wear.

I got a lot last week of 18 Walker coins ( not a full roll-which is a good sign it was a stash and not a dealer). The picture was mid-range showing 3 rows of 6 coins. From the photo I could tell that they were all pretty nicely detailed with full rims and legends. Also from the photo I could tell that they were original color and not overly shiny from having been cleaned, whizzed, polished or dipped. The seller had a feedback of only 110 transactions and only 3 within the last 6 months--definitely not a dealer but also a little risky. Anyhow, I took a shot--a bid at roughly $40 an ounce ( silver was only $34 on that day) and I had won.

Now the good news, the package arrived safely in the mail with 18 neatly bundled Walkers-not even clanking together as some non-numismatists have mailed me coins before. The lot had 12 common dates from the 1940's-all in VF/XF quality.....3 coins from the 1930's dated 1939-S, 1935-S and 1937..(maybe even worth a couple of bucks each above their melt)..but then the excitement !! Three of the coins were: 1918-D in solid VF20-30, a 1920-S in VF35, and a 1923-S F18/VF20. Those are some nice snags for a bullion buy and exactly why I do this.

I am conservative with grading also, a VF must have a fully defined seperation under the L breast and the reverse must have 2 rows of full feathers on the L wing and the eye of the eagle is defined. Anyhow, checking the values in PCGS, Coin World and NGC lists puts these coins at: 1918-D> $125, 1920-S > $270 and 1923-S at $120/150....not bad for a cost of $258 + shipping hunh, ??

I often think of this thrill as like that the treasure hunters or metal detectors must feel when they snag a nice little find..it really is one of the cool parts of the hobby--uncovering a variety, finding a semi-key in a batch of junkers, or an error coin in change--it gives an excitement that only a fellow collector understands ( try getting a spouse or child excited about finding a quality 1918-D and see what happens).

So I already have another batch of "ebay gambles" on the way. This was a strange auction listing. A mixed lot of silver dimes, 2 Washie quarters, 19 silver halves and 1 Peace Dollar. What was strange was that the dates were listed-- but of the 40 or so total coins there was no reference of mintmarks. So I'm guessing and hoping that a non-collector is selling this batch of coins and just didn't know where the mintmarks are located on the reverses--if this is the case then there is a chance for a nice score since one of the halves was a 1920 and the Peace Dollar is listed as a 1928 ( crossing my fingers that there is NO MINTMARK on that one). I'l let you know how I did when they arrive-holiday set the mail back a day.

Finally...I had a bid in on a 1939-S Walker MS67 at the recent Goldberg auction but I lost, was outbid by a floor bidder. I enjoyed watching parts of the auction on-line live and boy is it tempting to click on the "BID NOW" box for some of those coins. I did actually purchase one coin at what I believe was a steal. I was able to get a 1910-D $10 Gold Indian for my gold type set ( aptly named, "little by little"). It is only the second coin in the set so far........REGISTRY GRIPE ALERT.......... my other coin in the set is an MS63 St Gaudens, list value of $2100.00 and worth 900 points or so.............okay, GRIPE OVER........

So here's a picture of my new $10 Gold Piece, my Indian Eagle in MS62