Today I set the last Walking Liberty half dollar in it's place in the Dansco album. A 1921-D. Now the set is complete with all 65 coins. This set took about 2 years to finish and I'm glad it's done.
Congratulations! I have a complete set of Walkers that was purchased as a set. But putting a set together is more rewarding and fun.
Congrats Man !! I know you've been working hard on it. I think I have enough to do the short set right now, but I have to go the whole nine.
Nicely done! I have been working on mine for the past couple of years also, but those early dates can get kinda expensive... Care to share on what you will be working on next?
Yup those are the stinkers. It bothered me that all 1921 Walkers cost so much and the quality is so poor for money asked. My goal was to get EF [extra fine] but damn man they are just outa this world. So I settled for AG to G+ for those two keys. Went to the Auburn, Mass coin show last month and there is a dealer there that I can work with [Arnie Smith]. Last month he gave me a pretty good deal on the 1921-P. So this month I saw him in the lobby and asked about the 1921-D. It was the last coin I needed. He says "No I don't have it." I had spent $112 bucks already and was going to leave. But then I told Arnie I have not seen your stuff today, maybe I'd better look at what you have. We walked to his table and low and behold he had a 1921-D in the box priced at $279.00. He says you can have it for $250. I usually dicker around with him. But I have priced the 21-D and it goes for around $300 to $400 if you can get one at all. So this time with Arnie I just coughed up the $250 to own it. No trying to better the price this time. Just forked over $250 and went home with the coin you see in the photo. About the set: Yeah I know I got some upgrading to do. Especially my 1916-S. I bought the 1916-S in Jewett City, Connecticut from John Denis at his Main St shop for something like $35 to $45 bucks! It fills the hole for now but it's hard to read the first two numbers 19. You can plainly read the 16 and the S on the reverse is very evident. But let's just say I am not that happy with it. I think that the keys should be nice stuff. So the first upgrade [and there will be several upgrades pending] should be the 1916-S.
Next? Well my collecting is all over the place. I have very few to get to complete my Lincoln cent album. But as always, I procrastinate with the keys. I need the 1909-S, 11-S, and others. But still do not have the 1914-D and 1931-S. I'll never spend a grand for the 1909-S Vdb so forget that. I am always upgrading a choice BU Mercury dime set. Looking for a gem 1928-S Merc if you can dig that. I am also playing around with a low grade Liberty V-nickel set. Then I have started a Barber dime set with some mixed grades. Need several pre 1900 Barber dimes for that Library of Coins album. Buying any gold whatsoever is on hold. Although I picked up a pretty 1908 2.5 dollar Indian last month for a good price. Still need a 2.5 dollar Liberty head and a $20 St. and a $20 Lib to complete a gold type set. I am not bothering with the type 2 and type 3 $1 gold pieces. Just have the $1 type one. So yeah, it never ends, this coin collecting hobby. There is always something new to get. Some new series to investigate. And some new hunt. I am a half dollar nut. Got full complete sets of Kennedys, Franklin Bu set, and now the complete Walker set. But I have always wanted a commemerative Grant and a commemerative Oregon trail. Those are still in the want list too. lately I have been picking up a few MS-64 Franklins. Slabbed and graded MS-64 by NGC.
Sure Dan. I have been meaning to get over to see you. I saw a few Barber dimes you are selling on coinbug I would like to get from you. Plus I had bid on a Morgan you had on eBay. Also I wanted some later date S Lincolns that you may have. Trying to wait till I can get a list together of stuff you have for sale. I will drive over the stateline to save on shipping.
Thanks. Yeah it is a funny thing the way I go about my collecting. I at first dabble by getting a few coins to look at. This all started about 15 years ago when I got a Walker in change at the local store. The cashier made my change. He studied the Walking Liberty half dollar, shrugged his shoulders, then gave it to me in change. I put it in a "safe place" down my cellar on my workbench. At the time I was a home improvement contractor specializing in historical restorations. Fifteen years later I bought a second Walker on eBay for stupid money at the time just to study it as a specimen. That reminded me of the one I had received in change 15 years prior. I started to look for it and never could find it. I have a garbage can next to my workbench that never gets enough trash in it to empty. It's always about a third full. I got mad that I could not find the Walker I knew I had put in a "safe place" Ha Ha, so I dug through the trash. There it was, stuck to the bottom of a plastic lid I threw away. It CAME SO CLOSE TO GOING TO THE TOWN DUMP! Well if luck were my guide I decided there and then to start a Walker collection. Walking Liberty half dollars are abundant. Every coin show you go to, every dealer's shop you enter; you can always find them. But now with the silver spot above $17.00 a troy oz. I think it's prime time to get walkers before they go through the roof for pricing. Last weekend I got 34 Walkers at $6 each. The time is now to get the Walkers at any grade for $6 each or less if you can manage that.
Can I ask you what you paid for it without being rude? My feeling is that a complete set is worth about $900 to $1,200 depending on grade and a willing buyer.
I paid $1,095 this past summer for the set. The 4 keys range from VG-F so I considered it a very good price at the time. They are: 16-s in F, 21 in VG, 21-D in F (but has a small gouge on the shoulder) & 38-D in VF. With the increase in silver since then, it should already show some nice appreciation.
