Owning rare, expensive coins is nothing new for David Nelkin, who regularly buys and sells them for a living.

But Nelkin, the owner of Eugene Coin and Jewelry, is particularly proud these days about his purchase last year of a high-priced, rare coin from Oregon's era before statehood.

Now, he's about to show the 165-year-old "Beaver Coin" for the first time since he bought it.

"I'm just really ecstatic to own it," Nelkin said. "It's like owning a fabled piece of art. I look at it that way. And because I'm from Oregon, it has that extra pull."

Nelkin bought the $5 gold coin in August from a private collector, who had paid $257,000 for it at an auction three months earlier.

The coin was made in 1849, a decade before the Oregon Territory became a state.

It's unknown how many of the Oregon gold coins remain in existence. But fewer than 50 out of the 6,000 $5 coins made in Oregon City in the 19th century have been certified as authentic, Nelkin said.

"It's not about the money for me," Nelkin said. "It's about the coin. The art of the coin. The preservation of the coin, and its connection to the history of Oregon."

Nelkin, who keeps the coin in a bank safe deposit box, hasn't displayed the collectible since he bought it.

However, this week Nelkin will display it at the American Numismatic Association's "National Money Show" in Portland. The three-day event started Thursday.

To read the complete article, see:
Dealer just had to have 1849 'Beaver Coin'(https://www.lmtribune.com/northwest/dealer-just-had-to-have-1849-beaver-coin/article_763a78e3-0778-5506-ac68-12e0a0d25887.html)