Picked up a lovely little bust quarter today, this nice 1832. Mintage 230,000 only two known die varieties for this date. This one is a B-1 which is an R-1. The other variety has arrow heads that are much shorter and don't come as close to the rim as these do. I think this coin is a nice VG with some small rim dings, but for the price I couldn't go wrong.
Bust coins are becoming more popular, I think, and I see their prices creeping upward, especially the earlier bust coins. I like them, but can't afford to collect many. I do have an 1806 bust quarter. It has PO-1/FR-2 details on the obverse, and nearly no detail on the reverse. It is also holed. Even with all of this, the date is clearly visible. I paid $10, and think it's worth every cent.
B-1 is one of the Browning numbers, which characterize die varieties of bust quarters. R-1 refers to the universal rarity scale. R-1 is very common, with many specimens known to exist.
I should clarify. I actually believe the R-1 is the Sheldon Rarity Scale: R‑1 Common R‑2 Not So Common R‑3 Scarce R‑4 Very Scarce (population est. at 76‑200) R‑5 Rare (31‑75) R‑6 Very Rare (13‑30) R‑7 Extremely rare (4‑12) R‑8 Unique or Nearly So (1, 2 or 3) The Universal Rarity Scale is another animal: URS‑0 None known URS‑1 1 known, unique URS‑2 2 known URS‑3 3 or 4 known URS‑4 5 to 8 known URS‑5 9 to 16 known URS‑6 17 to 32 known URS‑7 33 to 64 known URS‑8 65 to 125 known URS‑9 126 to 250 known URS‑10 251 to 500 known URS‑11 501 to 1,000 known URS‑12 1,001 to 2,000 known URS‑13 2,001 to 4,000 known URS‑14 4,001 to 8,000 known URS‑15 8,001 to 16,000 known URS‑16 16,001 to 32,000 known URS‑17 32,001 to 65,000 known URS‑18 65,001 to 125,000 known URS‑19 125,001 to 250,000 known URS‑20 250,001 to 500,000 known Sorry to confuse with my earlier post
I prefer this one for the clear terms R1: Common date and grade R2: Better date and grade R3: Tough date – available, but may require some looking R4: Scarce – may or may not find at larger shows/auctions R5: Very scarce – only a few offered for sale each year R6: Almost never seen – only one or two may be offered for sale in a year’s time R7: Rare – a single specimen might, on average, be offered for sale once every few years R8: Unique, or nearly so
You're very welcome. There's quite a bit to learn in the field of numismatics. Knowledge is power (and usually money, too!)
