Gold at FACE VALUE?

[uthminsta]

Really?
I mean REALLY?!?


Yes, really.

Okay, breathe, Aaron. Breathe.

Okay guys. Here's my story. A friend of my wife's is the manager at a movie theater. A young man came in and asked if he could pay for his movie "with this $5 coin." No one had any idea what it was, "but it says United States on it." The employee asked her (the manager), and she replied, "sure, I'll buy the coin and put $5 in the till." She thought, "worst case scenario, it's junk, and I gave the kid a free movie. No big deal." She didn't even think about what the "best case scenario" could be...

She tells me about it... you know, just part of a conversation about interesting things which have been happening at the theater lately. I think you and the kids will like Wreck It Ralph (we did). Etc. Etc. I asked more about the coin... but she, not being a coin person, couldn't really describe it with any details that would help me narrow it down. Said it was 1999, about the size of a quarter, and gold colored. I tell her there is a real possibility it's worth quite a bit more than what she paid. She agreed to bring it back to the theater the next day for me to see it, so I went home and grabbed my Red Book, looked up all the different $5 coins. I was thinking tenth ounce eagle, because they do actually have a $5 face value, but that's like dime size, not quarter.

Got a pretty good idea of what it was, so the next day, we're talking about it again, and I asked her for her smart phone, and looked it up. Is this the coin? Yep. 1999W George Washington commemorative $5 gold piece. "Hey, uhhh... you should probably know it's worth about four hundred dollars."

Her jaw hit the floor.

Well, it's after 2am now, so I will tell you the rest of the story tomorrow.

[Z00]

And the question that occurs is: ... Where did the kid get it?!!! You dont find gold coins just kicking around in a change jar.

[bman]

and THAT is why you don't buy kids expensive coins to try to get them interested in the hobby...

So, is she going to sell it to you?

[NDFarmer]

And the question that occurs is: ... Where did the kid get it?!!! You dont find gold coins just kicking around in a change jar.

From the old mans or grandpas coin collection.

[uthminsta]

I will finish the story (it gets better) if Thogey will provide his version of how this could have happened.

[Z00]

Thogey ?
Oh yeah the old man died and the ole bat paid the kid for mowing the lawn from the pile of coins he left.

[Thogey]

Thogey ?
Oh yeah the old man died and the ole bat paid the kid for mowing the lawn from the pile of coins he left.

That's exactly what happend. But who's gonna mow a lawn for 5 bucks?

The kid probably has 3 or four more..including the tip

[uthminsta]

Good enough, Eric. Maybe you can give us another installment after you read this...

Here goes.

So I brought my magnet, scale and magnifying glass, to do three of the tests I can do...
...Not attracted to a magnet...
...Weighs fine...
...And under magnification, there's a really really nice matte finish, so it's the unc version, not the proof. But it checks out under magnification. Very well-struck and clear devices, strong reeding on the edge, etc. Looks real. It's got several noticeable dings on it from contact with other stuff. The guy probably had it in his pocket with his keys or something. Or his obamaphone. Oh well.

But I've never actually SEEN one of these Washington commems before, so I tell her I would be interested in it, but can't afford to buy it. But as a favor to her, I would still like to take it to a coin shop to get their opinion on its authenticity, and to maybe get a quote. I explained that I would be able to talk more with the dealer and would feel comfortable asking this kind of thing. She said, "That's great. But if it's worth about $400, why don't you give me half? That way, in a sense, we each make $200 on it."


and then

and then


Holy cow, right? But this was still more than we had budgeted to spend on PMs on vacation. So I looked at my wife, and she was like
"I know, honey. Okay."

Took it to the shop, he checked it out and said "Yeah that's real. Lemme guess, somebody owes you money?"
"No, but I am actually interested in buying it. What would you actually pay for this?"
calculator clickety clack... carry the one...
"It's got about $420 worth of gold. The shop would buy it for $380."

So I told her she could get that much for it, and she STILL agreed to sell it to me for $200! "Because I can see you really would like to have it, and you were honest with me, and for goodness sake, I only paid $5 for it!"

What a friend. I actually hugged her.

Guys, if you offer up another few Thogeyisms (original or copycats), then I will put up a scan of the coin. That is, if I can get the father-in-law's scanner to work.

[Engineer]

Bully!

[Rodebaugh]

Coingrats, couldn't have happend to a better guy.

The old man that is. He's better off now than he ever was. The old bag couldn't wait to sharpen his head and pound him straight into the ground. Years of putting up with him dragging home silly coins that just set there. All the while she wanted, and never got, just a simple set of Paula Dean cookware. Well now he has his peace and she her egg skillet....and he's better for it.

[OneBiteAtATime]

Coingrats, couldn't have happend to a better guy.

The old man that is. He's better off now than he ever was. The old bag couldn't wait to sharpen his head and pound him straight into the ground. Years of putting up with him dragging home silly coins that just set there. All the while she wanted, and never got, just a simple set of Paula Dean cookware. Well now he has his peace and she her egg skillet....and he's better for it.

[henrysmedford]

Good enough, Eric. :

Guys, if you offer up another few Thogeyisms (original or copycats), then I will put up a scan of the coin. That is, if I can get the father-in-law's scanner to work.

Thogeyisms --

old elderly widow brings in the rest of her, probably happily, dead husband's coins.

What the hell is wrong with these women? No wonder the man wants to die first.

and

The proverbial elderly old widow who just finished pile driving her old man into the grave. He's happy to be there too. But since she is all-knowing, as all these old bats are, and he was totally broken and emasculated, her final act of victory was to take his collection to the bank. Same old story....

And --

Same old story. Most of us have benifited and picked up someone's hard earned booty.

It's always the "all knowing, never wrong" widow who just drove the old man into the grave, he's glad to be there too.

The old broad cashed in his coins at face. Same old story.

And

... believe the oldman is/ was a moron!. I'll bet he is the happiest he's ever been. No matter where his soul is. Congrats. We should start an "elderly old widow just threw her late (yet happy) husbands coin collection away and now I'm happy "thread I absolutely LOVE picking these up!

and --

The elderly old widow left another present. She's still wondering why that stupid old bastard kept those coins for the past 45 years.

and--

... any of the silver....they shared amongst themselves the treasure. They wouldn't even sell me the pennies. Correction: It was an "all knowing Elderly old widow" who just finished pile driving her(idiot coin collecting)r husband into the grave

and--

You did the right thing but..... I'll do this again: Typical story describing the elderly old broad ,who effing nailed his coffin shut, because she had nothing better to do. He was an idiot, hanging on to those coins when he could have just just taken them to the ...

and--

... she asked. Most of us score cheap PM's at garage sales all the time. Are we ripping people off? Hell I've walked right up behind the all knowing, elderly-old widow and bought her, happily dead husband's coins from the bank teller at face.

and

If I saw a clueless kid in line to depost silver I would give him the info before I bought them. But, the elderly old widow who made her husband miserable and finally put him in the ground with her constant bitching and know it all attitude?.......those ...

They had another $20.00 of the elderly old widow's, (happily) dead husband's, hoard waiting for me at my pickup.
My name was written on the box with a sharpie.

Solid copper with 2 rolls of wheats and 9-1943s.

That's nice.

and--

When scoring the all-knowing, elderly. old widow's dead (happily) husband's hoard..

Is it possible there is a ghost attached?

and--

Tellers said they would call when old elderly widow brings in the rest of her, probably happily, dead husband's coins.

What the hell is wrong with these women? No wonder the man wants to die first.

[OneBiteAtATime]

"At least I didn't have to buy candy for halloween this year. The old fart's $1 coin collection was fine. Why did he stick them in cases, anyway? And what does MS64 mean? I told him CNN said coin collecting was a waste. Did he listen? No. Just stuffed me in this damned Lincoln and sent me off to the hairdresser weekly. I could have had a Caddy and could have had my hair done twice a week if he hadn't been so irresponsible."

[uthminsta]

I figured Joe would help us all get up to speed! Haha!
Here you go:


Boy, you really can see all those dings when you get up this close. But the scanner didn't really do much of a good job with the beauty of the surfaces. Anyway, it is what it is. Half price gold.

[scyther]

Gold at face value. I've always wanted to hear that story... has this happened to anyone before? I think this is the first time I've heard it. Congratulations. And ah, he obviously either inherited/received it as a gift, or, more likely, just stole it.

[Engineer]

I'll bid $210. What time does this auction end?

[Rodebaugh]

$220

Ends.......3 .....2.......1......sold!

[Engineer]

Dang! He sniped me again...

[bman]

this is a rolling stop auction....I bid $250

[uthminsta]

Sure, guys!

I read my wife the first few replies, and told her what Thogeyisms are... she said "I ain't selling them when you die. Then they're MINE!"

Then, after a short pause, "Yeah, honey, I know... I know... I know what to do!"
she's a gem.

[Verbane]

Nice score!

[goodcents]

Great story. I sure would like to know where the young man got this coin from.... I sure hope it wasn't "oh grandpa won't miss just this one coin..."

[NDFarmer]

He's probably spending them all over town!!

[theo]

Wow. A good example of how expensive ignorance can be.

[highroller4321]

I thought I was the only one to get gold at face value. Nice score for sure!