Nice toning commands high prices.

Well, I did keep from buying any more on my last day at the Baltimore show last month. But I am making up for that now.

Session 1 of the current Heritage auction included an 1858 half dime, graded MS 67 by NGC, and sporting a CAC sticker. It has pretty toning on both sides. I intended to have it.

As usual, I checked various price guides and auction records prior to entering a serious bid. 1858 is a fairly common date as half dimes go, but in 67/CAC with nice toning, I expected it to sell for perhaps as much as the highest recent PCGS result, which was $3450.

For nearly three weeks, my secret maximum bid of $3000 ($3450 including the juice) sat there unchallenged, appearing to all as a $1 bid. Finally, on the the evening before the live auction, someone jumped in somewhere under the $2600 increment, which is where my bid sat until the Wednesday evening session. I had a feeling that there would be no further challenge.

As the session progressed, I began to think otherwise - that maybe someone would outbid me. So I took a fresh look at other lots of interest to me. One of them, an 1847 MS 66 half dime, had what I thought to be a low current bid. Getting both coins would really stretch the budget, but I decided to enter one bid when the 1847 came up. That bid won the lot.

Less than two minutes later, the 1858 crossed the block. Having gotten the 1847, I was really hoping to keep the 1858 at the $2600 ($2990) level. Someone bid $2800, and so there I was at my maximum. I had resolved not to go any higher, so when $3250 was bid, the pretty little coin escaped my grasp. With buyer's premium, $3737.50 is a high price for an 1858 graded MS67. I hope the new owner enjoys it. It is a really nice coin.

That is enough for now. I need to get to bed. Happy collecting to all...