in another thread i posted a few coins asking if they were varieties from the cherry pickers guide or not. i have a feeling i might be asking for a decent amount of second opinions on some coins so decided to start a thread for the cherry picker in case others also have questions. this first coin is an 1853 O half. there are no varieties listed for this coin but was wondering if this is also deterioration of the die. the first thing that i saw on this coin were the denticales below the 8 and 5. it looks like the 853 have something under them and the 1 has stuff going on all around it. any thoughts? next is an 1858 half that has seen far better days. there is a listed variety with parts of an upside down 1 in between the 5 and second 8. is this it?
On the first example, it looks like the dies are slightly loose, causing a ghost effect, and the 1 looks like it has a die crack off the upper east side.
First, understand that Cherrypickers is not an extensive variety reference. Really, it is nothing more than a very basic popularity contest for the more noteworthy and/or valuable coins. It means little to nothing if you find a coin not listed in the book, and there are much better references available, especially for LS50C. Below is a link to the original WB book from back in the early 90's, but please understand that this too is not a complete reference. Bill Bugert (one of the WB book's authors) is in the process of releasing a six book series on LS half dollar die marriages. Three have thus far been released and if this area is of serious interest to you, I highly recommend buying whichever best suits your needs. Feel free to PM me if you want more information on the books. http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index...omplete-guide-to-liberty-seated-half-dollars/
i looked through that website as well and have heard he is publishing that 6 book series. i have never paid attention to really any variety and am now paying far more attention to minor details.
you think? i am not a variety person which is why i started this thread. i also am waiting on a 1897 1 in neck to show up. atleast i think it is, bad ebay photo and again figured why not.
You know you have to show us the whole coin. Talking about striking out, I have bought 6 or 8 1857 quarters on ebay that had poor images, thinking I had found a special clash variety. I was wrong every time.
the whole coin is in the lets see your newest thread and i actually got this from a dealer today he showed me the coin a few months ago but today he knocked it down a bit so i couldnt say no. when i got home i looked it up and then saw the variety.
rick snow is an expert in the indian head cent series. if you go through the cherry pickers guide you will see all of the varieties for that year and mint mark have a number going with them. so if i said 1903 snow 10 people will know what i am talking about. here is an example, lets hope i don't get sued posting this
