I've been looking for a good example of an uncirculated Barber Half for a while now. None of the local dealers have anything suitable. Ebay currently has listings for 1125 Barber Halves of which about 150 are replicas, one is a proof and ten are listed as uncirculated but are marginal except for one. Does it seem likely that less than 0.1 percent of available Barbers in uncirculated condition? The only really nice one I could find is this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=130283607446
I was just on Teletrade. I ran a search and there nine MS-62+ Barber Halves up for auction in the next week. Or are you talking about raw examples?
I wasn't much impressed with the "look" of the ones on teletrade. I'm just as happy with raw ones - at least it's easier to see what you're getting.
They only come in 2 grades, Barber halves only come in 2 grades, worn out and expensive - if you really want a nice one look for a PCGS AU-58, - then run don't walk to break it out and keep it for your set. (I can't believe I said the ABC boys) ugh)! AU-58 coins are often overlooked as candidates for nice coins and sometimes better looking than MS-61, 62, or 63 graded coins. Ben Peters
Ben, very sound advice and I agree 100% with what you stated. Try putting a set of VF-XF together and see what you can find. : ) Ohhhhhhhhh Frank.. where art thou?
Yes that is a pretty 1908. But for my $400 I would rather have a gold coin. I have been slowly working on a set of Barber Halfs. Most of mine would grade AG to VG. But they all cost under $20 each except the 1913 I just got for $68. Interestingly there were two 1915 halfs on eBay and both sold for under $30. I should have jumped in but passed. The bid board at Lincoln Coins in Worcester, MA had a decent 1914 [scratched] yesterday that sold for $59. My bid was $57. Most of what I have been picking up is 1900 and newer. It's hard to get them older than 1900 in VG.
Well they are worn because people used them excessively. Fifty cents was a lot of money back then. So they remained in circulation.
I have to agree with both of you. The AU's are often much more attractive than low end uncs. [Jim: thanks for remembering me]. Just try to put together any set of Barbers in VF+! [dimes, quarters & half dollars.] Sure they are available, but at a heck of a price and you will spend years looking for some pieces, and not just the rare ones. [Note: I ignored the key dates in both sets.] I just got a 1902 S Dime in XF+ to replace my VF that I got in 2001. The first up grade in ages! In Barber Q I need to upgrade: 1894 O (G-6 is my best) ugh. 1893 S F-15 1896 O VG 1897 O VG 1897 S VG-F 99S F 05 O VG 05 S VF 07 S VF 11 S F 12 S F (slabbed VF). And remember, I have been searching local shows (and the infrequent major show) for ages. In the half dollars: Forget it. It will be infrequent that you are able to find a VF. My last one was a 1913 S VF-30, PCGS, and this is a very scarce date (604,000) the price still hurts.
I should have qualified my comment by saying that I need the Barber Half for my type set. Therefore the date is unimportant and I'd rather not "settle" for an AU. However, because of MS prices, I may have to.
The dealers that I know suggest that the price guides aren't even remotely close on F-XF Barber coinage. I think the "Worn out or rare and megabucks" sentiment applies equally to quarters as well.
Ben, That sounds familiar. Checkout my thread from last year, I think you will enjoy the read! http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t41621/ Paul
David, Barber half dollars are very difficult to locate in MS grades which explains their price. I would not even consider bidding on that one in the E-Bay auction. If it is real, the surfaces have been altered. The luster is not supposed to look like that. My advice would be to by a certified (NGC or PCGS) example and then crack the coin out if you want it raw. I would also not purchase a barber half from E-Bay. Heritage has a decent selection in auction right now. Here is an affordable example in an early PCGS holder. http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=1122&Lot_No=8445#photo There are also several in the $1,000 range available. Paul
HOLY COW!, Did you know that there was the word LIBERTY on the front of the barber coin!!!!!! Seriously, you could almost use that as a trivia question because apparently the LIBERTY would wear off just from someone looking at that coin. Nothing to add to the thread, was just thinking out loud how uncommon it was to see Barber halves in nice condition.
Yes, this was well known. But I asked the question before, of how much would it really take for the Liberty to wear down on the head band and most said it would take a great deal of circulation and it really didn't wear off that easily. David, have you tried Heritage?
I've looked at Teletrade and at Heritage, in addition to certified examples on ebay. I'm starting to lean towards the advice to look for high end AU examples rather than insist on MS. Many of my other types are in AU or less but the Barber dime and quarter are both MS and I had hoped to match them with the half. Because of the prices a nice looking AU might have to do.
