Couldn't decide to which thread to reply ...

It was going to be "What did you get for Christmas" but then turned into "Best bargain find" with a little bit of "Swaps and Trades" thrown in for good measure.

One of my main presents, that I watched and won on eBay and my in-laws paid for, was a 6.5kg bulk lot of mixed world coins and tokens. There was only 1 photo on the auction listing and I took a bit of a gamble but after watching other similar listings for a while and looking into this particular seller I started to feel a bit better about bidding on it.

I won the auction at the end of November and when the package arrived I quickly checked the contents so that I could post feedback but then I put it away and it was soon wrapped up for handing out on the big day.

I am now coming towards the end of a marathon cataloging session (or to be more precise, quite a few marathon sessions) and I have to confess that there was the usual large quantity of French and Belgian Francs, Marks, Pesetas, US cents, etc. Also, slightly more unusually, there were a whole bunch of old Irish pennies bulking up the weight and quite a few Kenyan shillings and cents.

Having said all that, there must have been in the region of 80 countries represented in the lot and I have managed to add over 100 pieces to my fairly modest collection, some of them in quite pleasing grades and filling gaps that have been sitting empty for a while. There was even a 1960 Italian 50 Lire with a mintage of just over 2 million and a book value of $10.

OK, I can't keep it in any more - I've just hinted at it but the 50 Lire wasn't the "Bargain Find". I just found it this morning as I was sorting and cataloging all the Italian coins that I had bagged up and it was sitting there fairly inconspicuously, less than a gramme of Aluminium. My eye was drawn to it because I hadn't seen one of this type in my collection and after looking it up I found out it was a 1958 Italy 2 Lire with a mintage of 125,000 and a book value of $100!

Unfortunately, because it is the only one of it's type that I have it's not for sale or trade but I have added hundreds to my swap list so please feel free to have a look and send me a swap offer if you're interested. My swaps are generally all common, low-value and average grade but if you see something that you like I'm happy to send you scans of the coins in question. I generally swap a minimum of 10-15 coins at a time and because they are fairly low value I usually send by regular air mail.

Best regards, happy collecting and have a prosperous New Year - Rick

Great story, Rick. Good job. I'll take a look but I don't think I have much to offer you!

Why can't I ever be that lucky? Quite an amazing find that was.

I used to think like that. But, it is only a matter of time my friend. Collecting coins is a hobby and hobbies tend to take up time in your life. Whether actively searching or not...your time for a successful and quality aquisition will come. It will come.

Rick, you are a person of iron discipline, a true oak of a man. No way could I have wrapped up the coins and waited for Santa.

I didn't ha !

My coins that I got off our lass and the parents were in the album upon arrival and have not left it !

Quote: bam777I used to think like that. But, it is only a matter of time my friend. Collecting coins is a hobby and hobbies tend to take up time in your life. Whether actively searching or not...your time for a successful and quality aquisition will come. It will come.

Until then I'll keep looking! Who knows my mystery coin may be a $1,000 item once identified.

Quote: radrick007... then turned into "Best bargain find" ... that I watched and won on eBay and my in-laws paid for, was a 6.5kg bulk lot of mixed world coins and tokens.

So, how much did you pay for the lot?

Please check...


http://www.montevecchia.info/sito_falsi/tab_falsi_5.htm

Here are the differences from the original:

Color metal: slightly darker (you can see also in the picture) with reflections similar to those of chromed metal.

Diameter: the same.

Thickness equal.

Edge or margin, the right is irregular broad near the signature tight over the head of the bee.

The obverse is slightly larger.

Contour: Lines are wider and unclear. Show signs of working in parallel.

Drawing of law: very well done but some details, such as striped abdomen of the bee, are less important, as if they were worn, while the coin is nearly FDC.

Design of the reverse: the same considerations apply to the right of the drawing of the leaves.

Signature of the engraver: the characters are thicker, so it is clearer and more readable.

Date: not found any difference.

Value: equal.

Mint mark: the same.

Weight: same.

Quote: torontokuba

Quote: radrick007... then turned into "Best bargain find" ... that I watched and won on eBay and my in-laws paid for, was a 6.5kg bulk lot of mixed world coins and tokens.

So, how much did you pay for the lot?

Please check...

I paid £56 at auction end plus £15 postage but when the package arrived it was lighter than described so I got a £5 discount from the seller. So the total paid was £66 or a little over $100. This is the coin I found in the lot:



I can't really tell from the text of the link how I can tell if it is fake or not - can anyone tell from the pictures? Needless to say, the weight and diameter are spot on.

Looks good to me, like the one on the left. Congrats!

Quote: radrick007I paid £56 at auction end plus £15 postage but when the package arrived it was lighter than described so I got a £5 discount from the seller. So the total paid was £66 or a little over $100. This is the coin I found in the lot:



I can't really tell from the text of the link how I can tell if it is fake or not - can anyone tell from the pictures? Needless to say, the weight and diameter are spot on.

I'd get it checked by PCGS, it's certainly a coin worth being authenticated and graded.

Thanks for the suggestion Kenny, if I was going to sell it that is exactly what I would do.