All in all, it wasn't a bad find. A Philadelphia woman was sorting through the garden tools and bric-a-brac in her father's shed, getting ready to send a consignment off to auction.
Eventually, among the various bits and pieces in the garage, she found several weighty suitcases that had long been stashed out of sight.
Expecting the suitcases to be filled with old clothes, imagine the woman's surprise when she opened them to find that they were stashed with old coins, many of the silver or gold...
These clearly weren't your typical coins. Among them was a $2.50 gold piece from 1907, and another $10 gold piece dating to 1899.
In the end, the auction wound up being a lot more interesting than the woman could possibly have imagined. The gold coins sold for $632.50 and $660, respectively, with other lots bringing considerably more thanks to the great condition they were in.
 Two 1875 Seated Liberty quarters emerged as great entry-level |
Among the coins was a wealth of sliver, including seven Morgan half dollars from the early 20th century. These were sold as one lot for $1,430.
Elsewhere, a book containing 27 silver commemorative half dollars from the mid-20th century brought $2,640.
Not surprisingly, Stephenson's Auctioneers & Appraisers branded the sale a "tremendous success". In total, the 'lost' collection brought $88,000, inclusive of 10 percent buyer's premium.
The auction was held locally to where the coins were found, in Philadelphia, on August 20.
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