MAN: Hey, how's it going?
MARK: Hey man, I've got
a coin I'd like to sell.
OK.
An 1867 Shield nickel.
This is cool.
Where in the world
did you get this?
MARK: I've had it
for maybe 15 years.
OK, and you had it graded
and everything else like that?
MARK: Yeah.
This is an extremely rare piece.
MAN: OK.
This is really intriguing.
MARK: I came to the pawn
shop today to sell a very
rare 1967 Proof Shield nickel.
It's the finest one ever
graded and has huge eye appeal.
I want to sell this coin
because I can use the money
and invest it in other things.
MAN: I mean, this
is really neat.
This was just a
practical choice.
I mean, half dimes
were expensive,
they were made out of silver.
This was a nickel alloy
that would last a long time.
It wouldn't wear out and
everything else like that.
It's a very cool nickel.
There's only 25 made.
MAN: That's pretty amazing.
What makes this
nickel so special
is that it's a proof coin.
That means there was a
polished blank coin that was
put into the minting machine.
They made sure it
was a perfect coin.
Proof coins from the 1800s
are a rare, rare thing.
It could be worth
some serious money.
Basically what
they did is the US
Mint would make a proof copy.
Because all these coins
had to get approved.
They would make the
proofs, they would
show them around to congressmen,
they would say yes or no.
MARK: This proof coin
was actual production.
And they stopped the
production of this coin
because the coin has
stars and bars on it.
And the reason they stopped
that is because the North
didn't like the fact
that stars and bars
signify the Confederacy.
So they only made
this for one month
then they stopped making it.
MAN: OK, so how much are we
looking to get out of it?
$90,000.
OK, let me--
you know, I know it's
worth a lot of money.
I don't know what they're
going for at the moment.
So do you mind if I have
someone take a look at it?
MARK: Yeah.
Let me call a buddy of mine.
I'll tell him about it.
He'll help us
figure out a price.
I'll be right back.
Thanks.
I think that having
an expert is very good
to call in and authenticate.
I have nothing to hide.
I hope he looks at it,
because he's going to say
the same thing I've said.
These things rarely
come to the market.
So I called in my buddy Dave
to help me figure out a price.
There it is.
This is what I called you about.
DAVID VAGI: Yeah.
It's a fantastic coin.
Wow.
MARK: I love the
toning on it, you know.
DAVID VAGI: Perfect.
Well, this is one of
the great rarities
in the American series.
It's kind of on
everyone's checklist
who wants something like the 100
greatest United States coins.
It's a historical
coin, struck right
after the Civil War
had ended, right
when they were trying to drive
that fractional currency, that
paper money out of the market.
It's a very handsome coin.
DAVID VAGI: The 1867
Shield nickels with rays
is really the king
of the whole series.
It's like the big
fish in a little pond.
It's the Shield nickel
that everyone who collects
Shield nickels wants to own.
MARK: I've had it in the
family for a long time.
It's a great one.
With the the wreaths
and the garlands,
the whole thing is quite nice.
Yeah.
And it has a very
interesting story.
As these things are struck,
it forces the metal from
the planchet into the crevices.
If you have a lot of crevices,
it really stresses the dies.
So this is a very
busy design, and it
created a lot of problems.
But because it
has rays, it makes
it significantly rarer
than similar ones from 1867
without rays.
And nobody knows how many
of these things were struck.
OK.
MAN: And when they
graded it, they
gave it a star,
which means it's got
really good eye appeal, right?
DAVID VAGI: It means
exceptional eye appeal.
So what do you
think it's worth?
DAVID VAGI: These have
brought in a range of prices
from about $63,000 to--
there was one outlier
that brought $80,000.
MARK: We have our
opinion of values,
it's slightly
different than yours.
OK.
Thanks man, appreciate it.
DAVID VAGI: All
right, no problem.
Thanks.
Appreciate it, you've
got good knowledge, thanks.
Thank you.
A coin like this is
always in demand.
It's somewhat of a narrow
market because it's
a specialist market.
So a coin like this
usually finds a home.
And I think if Rick can
get it for the right price,
it's a good buy.
MAN: So what's your
best price on it?
I told you $90,000.
I-- yeah, I mean, I'm
looking at like 50 grand.
I couldn't take that.
I mean, that would be throwing
$20,000 away in a heartbeat.
Like Dave said,
it's a $63,000 coin.
MARK: This is probably
the nicest one around.
MAN: Recently sold for
$63,000 at auction.
So that's what I'm
going to assume it's
going to sell for here, so--
Bottom line $80,000.
That's not going to happen.
Sorry, we're not
going to make a deal.
Well, have a nice day, man.
Thank you, appreciate it.
No problem.
MARK: They offered me
$50,000 for the coin.
You'd have to be totally
on the desert with no water
in order to take that offer.
He could have had
it for $80,000 when
it's getting to go for
$120,000 or $125,000
in the next few months probably.
