Hey folks, thought I'd try my hand at an educational post. This will be a list of books that I use when attributing/ researching Capped Bust Half Dollars and is in no way definitive but I think it's a good start. I hope this stirs some interest in Capped Bust Half dollars or even Capped Bust coins in general. 1. Early Half Dollar Die Varieties by Al C. Overton - The "bible" for collectors of CBHs. Huge reference containing a listing of every die marriage known at the time the book was published, along with a description and obverse and reverse photo of the die marriage. There are 4 editions available but the 1st edition along with the revised are pretty out-dated. The 3rd and 4th are both acceptable but you're going to want buy the 3rd edition when you get a chance as the 4th edition has some errors. Est. Price: 3rd edition- $80-90 (not always available for sale), 4th edition- $60 2. The Ultimate Guide to Attributing Capped Bust Halves by Glenn Peterson- Great book that really streamlines the attribution process using the T-I relationship. It is not recommended that it be used alone though, because it does not provide a full picture of an example coin; it provides pictures of key pick up points. Great reference that every CBH collector has, as long as you are using it in conjunction with the Overton book. Est.Price: 4th edition- $85-100 3. Bust Half Fever by Edgar Sounder- Another fantastic book, featuring a date by date analysis of the series of the series. As well as review of mintage figures and an overdates. Very helpful in determining the availability of a certain date or overdate. Available in 2nd edition with the 2nd being an improvement on the first, though both are quite useful. Hard to find book but certainly worth the prices when you find one. Est. Price: 1st edition- $25-25, 2nd edition- $60-70 4. Auction and Mail Bid Prices Realized by Steve Hermann- This is a listing of recent auction and FPL listings of R4-R8 die marriages. Great tool in determining the price of your rarer varieties. Published quarterly. Also check Heritage and Stacks for auction records, as well as Dave Rutherford's site, busthalfprices.com. Cost- $30 There are also many great catalogs available. Start of with Sheridan Downey's Mail Bid Sale catalogs as well as the big name collections like Jules Reivers. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, if I can't help I'll find someone who can. Jesse
I have been wanting to venture into some areas of earlier coinage and have thought about it off and on over the past few weeks, but it seems as if there is so much information out there that I don't know where to start. I will definitely be looking into the books mentioned above and very much appreciate this well written and informative post. Sometimes it just takes a little nudge to get someone off and running, and you have provided that.
I'm glad to have provided the nudge. The amount of information seems overwhelming but once you dig in, you'll be surprised how quickly you seem to pick it up. Jesse
Terrific post. I would suggest you add Keith Davignon's fantastic work on counterfeits titled Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars.
Thanks for the tip. I've heard great things about it, I just didn't have anything to say because it is en route to my house as we speak. I'll be sure to add it in right after I get it and have a look, should be about a week. Jesse
