NEW! *WatchmakerÕs Hoard* Original Covered End Mills Novelty Co. Mixed Lincoln Wheat Cent Roll 1c 50 Coins 1909-1958 Some BU WOW!. It has been hard to find a wheat hoard as fantastic as "The McDonald's Hoard." I have found several hoards of wheats, but after opening a dozen rolls, all I saw was a bunch of junk. Based on about 4-5 offered consignments, I found that if the rolls appeared to have great dates in them, the rest of the roll was terrible.When I was in Long Island about three weeks ago, I asked the very stoic guys who had given us the exclusive on "The Long Island Hoard" if they knew of anyone who might have any large groupings of wheats. They barely replied, merely shaking their heads to indicate no. About a week had passed, and I had forgotten that I had even inquired, when I got a call from their very stern secretary advising me that ÒThey think I should call ÔThe Watchmaker.ÕÓ Long story short, "The Watchmaker" had invited me up to his very large home in Providence, Rhode Island. As I pulled up, I saw that his house was a cross between "The Addams Family" mansion and the house from HitchcockÕs "Psycho," and once again, I had that same very uncomfortable feeling that I had at the first meeting with the Long Island guys.Anyway, I made my way up the very steep stairs and rang the ancient bell. "The Watchmaker," a hunched-over, very old man, welcomed me inside. The first thing I noticed was the electrical system in the house was the old style, knob and tube, where you pressed little buttons. I was both fascinated and a little creeped out. I followed him down a long hallway past what seemed like countless rooms until finally, he led us into the dining room with a long oak table that had 9 large tubs filled with rolled coins. Just like that, this meeting was sprucing up. Inside the tubs, I found mini hoards of coins. There was a Coca-Cola batch, a NathanÕs batch, a Mills Novelty Company batch (one I had never seen), and a Gimbels and Korvettes grouping, a smaller batch of Radio Shack and TRS-80 ones, and those were just the ones I could reach at the top of the tubs. As we made small talk, he allowed me to open about a dozen rolls that I picked at random from the tubs, and each roll had me internally smiling wider and wider. After what seemed like a blink of an eye, as I was trying to mask my excitement, we finally came to an agreement on the rolls. As I thanked "The Watchmaker" and prepared to leave, he inquired, "WasnÕt I taking the pennies?" I chuckled and gestured to the huge flight of stairs and said, "Not with my balance." I explained to him that one of our runners would be by to pick them up in a day or two.I gave the boys double time to pick up "The WatchmakerÕs Hoard." You might think the tale ends there, but let me give you the epilogue. Not 20 minutes into my drive home, I got a call from none other than the Long Island guys' stern secretary. I said hello, and she quickly launched into telling me that the guys were pleased that the deal went well and that I got the consignment. I was dumbfounded how they knew so quickly. She continued todayÕs soliloquy by advising, not asking or requesting, but advising me that the guys would be paid $2 a roll on top of what I had negotiated with "The Watchmaker" as a finderÕs fee. And then she hung up.And now I am proud to present "The Watchmaker's Hoard" of wheat cents. I found lots of teens, lots of mint marks, 20Õs, 30Õs, and a few uncirculated red ones from the 40Õs and 50Õs. I found no Flying Eagles, and no Indians in the dozen I opened. Good luck, and I hope you will have many hours of fun, or buy a spare roll and keep it unopened. Get one of each; itÕs a great hoard.Best, Corey
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