POST A COIN YOU WISH YOU NEVER BOUGHT

[coinman_23885]

Inspired by a recent thread, I thought I would start my own. Please post the coin you regret buying the most. If I can find photos of my regrettable purchases, I'll post them too.

[Kenneth F]

I have to say, my worst buy was the John Adams MS65 Missing Edge Lettering (ANACS). I got this abortion clinic on Heritage.

[Bugmann1974]

Probably the worst coin purchase I ever made was this coin.

 

 

It taught me a lesson on knowing that I should know how to determine a fake before dumping a fair amount of money on a coin

[jom]

 

This taught me to look out for polished coins...because evidently PCGS couldn't. You really have to learn to grade for yourself. And...well...not to get greedy.

 

Story

 

jom

[AnkurJ]

Too many to list. Most are long gone.

[Walkerfan]

Too many to list. Most are long gone.

 

Good one....isn't THAT the truth!

[Hard Times]

Heavily doctored so I used it in my MS70 tests (right images after MS70 use), I had no clue back then.....

 

[BillJones]

 

This taught me to look out for polished coins...because evidently PCGS couldn't. You really have to learn to grade for yourself. And...well...not to get greedy.

 

Story

 

jom

 

I have seen some truly horrendous coins in PCGS graded holders. The worst I ever bought was an 1807 quarter that was in a scratched up VF-30 holder. I could barely see the coin though the windows of the holder, but since the buyer wanted a raw example of this type, I bought it figuring how bad could it be? This was during my first months as a coin dealer.

 

I found out when I cracked the coin out of the holder. The holder had been scratched to hide the problem. The piece had been polished and had a coating of artificial toning. There was no way that PCGS should have ever graded that coin. I bought this monstrosity from a nationally known dealer who shall remain nameless. The deal was if he bought it back for $100 less than I paid for it, I would not reveal his name. To me it was a $100 “tuition payment” from which I learned how dangerous it is to be a slab brand “Kool Aid” buyer.

 

The worst, most expensive PCGS coin I’ve ever seen was a 1796 half dime graded AU-55. That coin was also polished with a layer of artificial toning.

 

[AnkurJ]

Bought this electrotype for $600. Not sure WTH I was thinking. I asked the dealer a year later if he would buy it back or trade. He offered me $200.

Never again.

 

[Oldtrader3]

One of a few special coins that I bought over the years which soon blind-sided me completely. This is a "no drapery, 1845-P half with "O" over Horizontal "O" mintmark. A "population one" coin that I bought from a well know, east coast, dealer whom I am sure was not the doctor of this coin and would never do this..

 

The coin seemingly turned to a lump of scalely, anthracite coal for all practical appearance purposes within 4 months of my buying it. I stored it in a low humidity controlled safe with temperature set at 100*F in California. It turned, under these "best practice" conditions in the slab. It turned so fast that I was absolutely petrified that I would have deep surface etching within a year! It did observe some scab and ugly lesions lesions within about (6) months. I wonder what miracle chemical cocktail it was dipped in and not properly stabilized from.

 

The coin is long gone now, I lost money (sold as damaged), plus my prized coin and I am bereft of a variety which I really wanted and was proud of within my modest collection. I had other gold coins that were worth more money. However, this particular coin was special to me a coin doctor ruined it for every future owner on this coin forever. This is a crime against our heritage IMHO!

 

Sorry, if this sounds harsh but if this specimen was a cultural icon from some other collectible area, what could be done to make it salvageable? We are conservators and have an implied obligation sometimes to preserve our heritage, not destroy it for a few pieces of silver..

 

[coinman_23885]

OT3, I am sorry to hear about your coin. Out of curiosity, where are you getting your information concerning 100*F being the optimal storage temperature? If anything, wouldn't the temperature accelerate the chemical reactions that take place in toning? I am asking out of curiosity - please don't view my comments as being critical. This is not my intent.

[Oldtrader3]

Kenny, my safe is factory set at 100*F for the Goldenrod element. What you say is probably certainly valid about molecular activity being accelerated by temperature. Maybe that is why the coin turned so fast? Actually, I had more grief from the safe deposit box at a small B of A because they cycled the temperature in the vault with HVAC every day in wet, cold Washington. This turned to RB a whole lot of my RD Lincoln cents in slabs.

 

At home, the rod does not feel like 100*F when I open the safe. I think convection losses through the rectangular, inefficiently shaped walls, probaby mitigates this temperature somewhat? I will check out the temperature profile in the safe..

 

When I was working, our testing lab had environmental growth pathogen testing done in environmental temp and humidity chambers. However, we always ran protocols at 40 and 60*Celsuis for acceleration.

 

Good question?

 

Regardless, I had 300 other classic slabbed silver coins in that safe and none of them turned on me. So, I think that this particular coin had beeen treated by some caustic that was not properly removed and turned black!