Bust Halves

I am thinking of starting a Bust Half collection. Where would I find good websites?

 

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Should I only consider coins in PCGS holders? NGC? ANACS?

 

What direction do you intend for your Bust Half collection? Will it be by date, Redbook Varieties, or Overton? Are you looking for sites with information or sites that sell bust half dollars?

 

I guess by date. I'm just worried about the counterfites. Isn't that what the PCGS coins are for to eliminate counterfites?

 

Indeed counterfeits can be an issue (and authentication would be my main motivation for buying a slabbed coin) I don't hink that they are as prevalent as some would believe. Some even collect them and value sometimes is relative ...

The ANA http://www.money.org

has some good literature and I believe even a newsletter focusing on counterfeit coins. Check them out.

In any case, heres a link to get you started

http://www.byronreed.com/BCTC/CoinInfoPages/BustHalfDollars.htm

 

Don't worry too much about the counterfeiters. Modern die-struck counterfeits are very rarely encountered and easily identified. Older counterfeits are generally easier to detect, but more valuable than the real coins. You should be watchful of real coins that have been altered, though. There are some Bust Half links on one of my pages:

http://www.byronreed.com/BCTC/shop.htm

Any of the major grading services (PCGS, NGC, IGC, ANACS, or even SEGS) or long-time dealers will pretty much assure that you're buying real coins rather than counterfeits, although the grades for some might not be as reliable.

 

If you want to collect Bust Halves, you need to find the Bust Half Nut Club and join it.

You will need a few books. Overton was the standard reference. However. Peterson (which assumes Overton numbering) is the new standard. It is easier to use and has varieties not identified in the book of the previous generation. (Before Overton, the standard reference was the one by Beistle. Each generation builds on the previous and adds its knowledge.)

The WorldWide Web is a good resource, broadly speaking, but for something like Bust Halves, you are into the deep mainstream of US Numismatics, which means: Books and Clubs. Buy the books. Join the club. You will save yourself a ton of money and you will enjoy your collection much more.

 

Byron's site is a good one. Here's one on Draped Bust coins in general, which of course are slightly older than the Capped Bust halves you're talking about: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/reidgold/draped_busts. (Hey, Byron. This URL changed. You might change the URL you have posted at your site.)

 

Reid, I'll change the URL for you.

Mike, one cannot just join the BHNC. You must first have at least have 100 different die marriages before you will even be considered. He can, however, join the John Reich Collectors Society.

http://www.jrcs.org

 

Great discussion. I'm glad I posted this. Nice site Byron, you put a lot of work into that. That Overton is a bit pricey. But not as bad as the coins. :lol:

 

I have my eye on this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1381640619

 

Wow Cool ! I've got my eye on it too now ! :wink:[/quote]

 

My favorite subject. :lol:
With over 450 varieties(Capped Bust 1807-1836), the sky is the limit on the kind of set you can work on. Personaly, I decided to put together a year set when I started collecting Bust halves about a year ago. The only really tough date is the 1815/2. I started collecting BH's in the F/EF range to start with but somewhere along the line started picking up coins in the AU range. Your budget will probably be the determining factor on the type of set you put together. The following are some points I learned along the line.
Whatever grade range you decide on, try to find the coin with the best eye appeal availiable for that grade.

Be very cautious when buying "raw" coins online as the vast majority are "problem" coins. It would be my advise to buy coins graded by PCGS, NGC, or ANACS or a trusted online dealer.

If you have time, check out the link to some of the Bust Halves I have collected in the last year. They range from good to ms and most have been graded by PCGS, NGC, and ANACS, and should be a fair representation of the different grades.

http://groups.msn.com/JimDurkop/mycoins.msnw?pgmarket=en-us

 

If you do buy the coins already slabbed i would only buy from PCGS, NGC, and ANACS most of the others might slab a counterfit by accident but i don't think any of these three could do that.

 

By "accident" do you suppose?

 

Bust Halves are one of my favorite coins. Absolutely beautiful coins.

I have a few that are raw, but going forward I have started to buy NGC / PCGS slabbed coins. A big thing to look out for, and a reason I like slabbed coins now, is in the older silver coins (halves and dollars especially) a lot of them have been cleaned. Some of them are not as noticeably cleaned like what you picture when you think "cleaned" as they are barely touched up to high light details. This is a bigger problem than counterfeits in my opinion and from experiences.

 

I say NGC / PCGS and not ANACS for a very simple reason. ANACS holders are ugly.

 

love busties!!! started in on these myself about a year ago and have 11 so far. Not a huge number and not a collection you will complete quickly but in this case it's the fun of the hunt that I enjoy most and the coins themselves are fantastic!.

 

You're saying there are many cleaned coins and that's more of a problem than counterfeits, at least with capped bust halves, right? Now you're saying ANACS holders are "ugly"? If you buy a raw coin online and you only see pictures of it, how do you know if it has been cleaned? I own ANACS busties and I also bought them online. What's the problem with the slab? Who cares? If you do, why not simply break it out?