Sometimes it pays to reach for the stars

[Wihlborg]

I recently received two coins back from NGC and thought that I would share their stories with the board. I have owned both of them for a while now, and have posted images of both coins in the past, so some of you may remember them.

 

The first coin is a Delaware commem that TomB put me onto at a coin show that TomB had a table at a few years ago. I attended the show the first day and after making the rounds, found nothing that I was interested in. I spent the rest of the day talking to Tom and doing a little show and tell about our coins.

 

I had no plans for the next day, so I decided to go back to the show. I got there as soon as the show opened and went right to Tom’s table to say hello. As soon as Tom saw me he began to tell me about a monster Delaware commem that he said I had to see. He said that a dealer a couple of tables down from him bought the coin from a collector right as the show was closing the day before, and almost no one had seen the coin yet.

 

As Tom was telling me all this Jeremy (airplanenut) walked up and began talking about the coin also. He had seen it with Tom the day before when the dealer bought it, and he also was going on and on about it.

 

At this point I couldn’t take it anymore, and I had to see this coin! Jeremy and I walked over to the dealer’s table that had the coin. He was still laying out his coin in his cases, but I soon spotted the Delaware laying obverse side up in a half filled case.

 

My first reaction upon seeing it was WOW! The obverse was toned in iridescent shades of Pink, purple, blue, green, and light gold. I asked the dealer if I could see the coin and he handed it to me. I was so taken by the obverse that it took me at least a minute before I even thought to turn the coin over, and when I did I was stunned! The reverse was toned in the same remarkable colors as the obverse, but in the classic tab tone pattern from long term storage in an original holder. The coin was graded MS-65 in an old thick NGC holder, from before NGC began issuing *’s for outstanding eye appeal, and was under graded in my opinion.

 

The dealer and I came to an agreement on the price, and the coin was mine. I then went back to Tom’s table to show him my prize. While looking at the coin at his table people began noticing the coin as they walked by and asking if it was for sale. Upon seeing the coin, some people were literally running off only to come back a few minutes later with friends in tow to see the coin. The aisle in front of Tom’s table was soon almost impassable due to people stopping to see the coin. Within a half an hour of buying it I had offers to buy the coin for more than double what I paid for it!

 

The second coin is a 1935s Arkansas commem that I won on eBay. There is not much of a story to go along with this coin other than that it looked amazing in the auction photos, had a very reasonable opening bid, and yet I was the only bidder until the last couple of days of the auction when one other person bid on the coin. I couldn’t believe that there were not many more people interested in bidding on the coin.

 

This coin also was in an old NGC holder. When I received the coin it was even nicer than I expected it to be from the seller’s photos. It was accurately graded as MS-66, but again it did not have a * as it was originally graded before NGC began using the * designation.

 

Initially, I had decided to keep both coins in the older holders for the added originally that they added to the coins. After owning and looking at the coins for a number of years however, I began to change my mind about keeping these coins in the old holders. I came to feel that the coins deserved to be in holders that accurately and fully recognized them for what they were, so I sent them back to NGC, the Delaware to be re-graded and the Arkansas for designation review.

 

Well, the graders at NGC must have agreed with my assessment of the coins, because the Delaware up graded to MS-66, and both coins have been awarded the *. Here are images of the coins.

 

 

As for me, I couldn’t be happier knowing that these wonderful coins have finally gotten their just rewards.

 

John

[TomB]

That Delaware is absolutely superb and I thought this the moment I first laid eyes upon it. If folks are wondering why I didn't pounce on this beauty when I first saw it there is a simple reason; I had just bought a VF20 1794 half dollar and was fairly tapped.

 

Folks, the Delaware is better in-hand than the image suggests and I would not have been surprised to see the coin in an MS67* holder.

[DaveG]

John,

 

I understand your reasoning, but I'm somewhat saddened that you cracked the Delaware out of it's old "fat boy" slab. (On the other hand, that makes the surviving fat boy slabs that much more valuable - never mind )

 

Also, you forgot to mention that the Delaware was almost the cause of a fist-fight!

 

 

Really, really stunning coins! That Delaware is a sight-to-see in person!

[braddick]

I've never seen one prettier.

[mhardin2413]

my god, that's a freaky delaware. nice. nice. nice.

teh arkansas is pretty too--i passed on that one because i had just spent all i owned on a blue lafayette pcgs 64. pix when i get a camera that can do it justice. glad to see they have a good home.

did i say, WOW!

[Bruceswar]

that delaware is a nice coin.... and so is the arkansas : ) nice coins

[JamminJ]

Lovely coins in a lovely set.

 

While way out of my collecting realm, I always enjoy your coins & stories.

[michael]

[Newmismatist]

I don't collect Comms, but those are two very nice coins - with beautiful toning too -they could turn me into a comm collector

[Hoot]

Jaw dropping!!! These are coins that you could safely have "out of the plastic" and still have them retain their worth... Stunning.

 

Hoot

[chinook]

That Delaware is fantastic. Definately an eye catcher and a coin that will make you say "WOW!!"

[truthteller]

So, for how much are you going to sell them to me?

 

 

 

TRUTH