411 on Kennedy Half Dollars

2610 rolls. Translates to 52.2 boxes, but it's both customer wrapped rolls and bank wrapped rolls lumped together.

I've put together most of an MS collection from roll searching. They're out there. It's easiest when you get old rolls. I've found rolls with mostly AU/MS coins with nothing newer than the 80s.
I've even found some old BWR that were solid MS coins. The enders were messy, but this was a roll of solid MS 1992 D halves.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

If you want to make your collection 100% complete, you will also have to acquire the 1998-S which was only released in the 2-coin commem set with the RFK $, but can be found slabbed separately.

Chris

 

Finally, you probably won't find one of these. There are only two known to exist.

Chris

 

@ Lon: 2610 rolls!? That's dedication.

@ Chris: I looked up some prices for the 98-s and it's doable. I'm sure the error isn't.

 

I should have mentioned that the 98-S is not the regular proof. It is the matte finish.

I found the error in a Mint bag. It cost me 68c!

Chris

 

Don't you have both?

 

Ok, thanks. I figured there might be a coin or two in the series that might set me back a few Franklins. That's cool.

Just out of curiosity, what would you expect to garner from that error if you put it up for auction?

 

That would have been nice, but the guy who found the other put his up on eBay raw about a month after I got mine back from NGC. He told me that mine looked nicer than his, but his still sold for $555.

Chris

 

I just mentioned in the post above that the other known specimen sold uncertified for $555 in 2005 (The 2001's weren't released until 2004 but only in bags and rolls.) It is hard to judge what an error might sell for at auction. If you have two or more bidders chasing it, there is no telling how high it could go. I just had a 2007-P Washington Prez $, NGC MS64 Missing Partial Edge Lettering, sell for $217 on eBay and this minor error has been known about ever since their release in 2007.

Even if someone offered me $750 for the Kennedy error, I don't know if I'd take it.

Chris

 

I don't blame you. It may be one of those once-in-a-lifetime finds. I wouldn't part with it.

 

Welcome back to coin collecting.

I'd suggest that you look through mint sets to make a collection.

It's fun to search rolls and if this is the way you want to do it then by all means do it. This is the least expensive way to assemble sets and I've been told almost everything can be found in the rolls. However, if you're seeking quality the best examples of almost every date went into mint sets. It's not that all mint set coins are nice, far from it, but all mint set coins are well made by new dies so you're way ahead starting here. About 2% of mint set half dollars are Gemmy.

Watch for nice clean shields on the reverse. These are the first thing to get nicks and cuts.

 

OK, thanks cladking. I'll look into the mint sets. The roll-hunting is just an inexpensive way for me to learn the series for now.

 

Well folks, my Kennedy collection has officially commenced. Mark this date on your calendars! lol

A local dealer had the album I wanted in stock, and it didn't cost anymore than ordering it directly from Dansco, what with the S/H.

I hunted through a few rolls and got twenty pieces out of them - some of them are real dogs but hey, it felt good to put coins in an album again. Lot of holes to fill in this one...

I think I'll go with cladking's advice and cherry-pick mint sets. But I'm going to continue the roll-hunting in the meantime, just to see if I come across anything interesting. So far nothing, not even a machine doubling - oh well.

My goal is to complete the collection in a year, which seems very doable on my budget.

 

John, have you ever used a Dansco album before?

Chris

 

No. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Those dogs can be upgraded. Good luck in the hunt.

 

You must be careful when replacing the slides. The leading edge is sharp enough to scratch the coins. The best preventative measure to guard against this when inserting coins is 1) leave the rear slide in position, 2) wearing cotton gloves, press the coins all the way down to contact the rear slide (this leaves plenty of space), 3) insert the front slide, and 4) from the rear, apply gentle pressure against the rear slide to position the coin in the center of the slot.

Occasionally, you might accidentally insert the slide too far so that it is not easily removed. If this happens, it is easiest to use a pair of tweezers to get a grip on the slide to extract it.

Chris

 

Great! Thank you kindly.

 

I might add that in addition to cotton gloves, I use a 2x2 flip to push the coin into the slot, instead of my fingers. I don't trust the gloves completely, considering the extra pressure it takes to push the coin in vs. just holding it.

The first Dansco I bought, maybe 8 years ago, was the Jefferson nickel one. The first few coins I ignorantly pushed in with my thumb, and they have started to tone nicely, which brings out the huge thumbprints on the obverses. Very noticeable. I keep them in there as a reminder.

 

Keep in mind, you may need a different approach with the proofs. Mint sets are cheap, but if you're buying a mint set, proof set, and silver proof set for each year (as applicable), that may get pricey. Proofs may be better to buy as singles. Unless you plan on doing similar albums for the other denominations. Then it might be worthwhile to buy the whole set.