Sad Tale of the Mistreated 1850 Liberty Double Eagle
In two parts, the original story from CoinWeek of the 1850 $20 Doubl
e Eagle that was damaged by a buyer's efforts to "improve" it and then the results of its listing on eBay in a $.99 auction.
The coin was originally one of the finest examples remaining of the first issue of the Liberty Double Eagle gold coins. The collector's unfortunate attempt to clean the coin destroyed most of its value in the market.
Source: https://coinweek.com/coins/news/uncool-coins-update-1850-liberty-20-ebay-99-cents-sells/