What if they declared an auction, and no one came?

One of only five known 1913 Liberty Head nickels--secretly struck at the Philadelphia mint after the coin's design was retired--was recently put up for auction with bidding set to start at $4.5 million, but no offers were forthcoming.

Still, one of the coin's owners, Laura Sperber of Legend Numismatics New Jersey, remained sanguine about the situation.

"We aren't disappointed. We've very happy to still own the coin," she said. And why wouldn't she be happy? The same coin sold last year in New Hampshire for $4.15 million.

Suggestion: Next time, start the bidding at a measly $4 million. After all, as the Times Magazine told us in the most recent annual "Year in Ideas" issue, "Low Starting Prices Lead to High Auction Sales."

--BEN COSGROVE