Coin gifted to collector by CBS 58 viewer after seeing our report on man's quest for rare dime
WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Steve Werlein, the coin collector we reported on Thurs., Nov. 13, when we covered a story on penny production ending, may have found his rare coin.
After the story aired, a viewer reached out to us saying she had the dime he was looking for, and she wanted to give that rare coin to the collector for free.
Werlein has been collecting dimes for 65 years, searching for a 1916 D Mercury dime. When we spoke with him at Bob's Coins & Collectibles, he said, "I don't know if I'll ever see one." However, Kathleen Burns could have ended his search 65 years in the making. Burns was at home, sorting through her late parents' coin collection, watching CBS 58 News when she came across Steve's search.
Burns' late parents were antique dealers, so Burns had numerous containers of coins handed down to her.
"We found the dime lying on the table, and I’m hoping this is the one you’re looking for!" she said to Werlein. CBS 58 coordinated a meeting between the two so they could exchange the rare coin.
Since the coin is over 100 years old, it's a bit worn, so we can't yet tell if the "D" marking is there. Burns said, though, it was "worth a try."
A lucky dime, with a lucky coincidence.
"What are the chances of somebody watching the program and calling in about it with the dime? Well, I couldn't resist! I'm still a little bit speechless about it," shared Werlein.
While the coin could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars because of its rarity, Burns knew selling wasn't right. "Clearly it means more to Steve than it ever would to me, and it just seemed like just the right thing to do," she said.
Steve said he's going to go to Bob's Coin & Collectibles on Tuesday, where we first met him, to get the coin checked out. Then, with a microscope, he'll be able to know if this is the rare coin he's searched for for decades. "It's lucky. If it doesn't go in the book, it's going to go in my pocket instead," he continued.