Over the past few days I've been thinking about starting a circulated Barber dime set. Here is the eBay listing that piqued my interest in the series: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191002444937?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1426.l2649 Particularly the 14 D is the coin that has gotten me interested. I'm fairly certain it has been cleaned, but I like the way it has retoned and the overall look of the coin. After viewing about 700 eBay listings for barber dimes and looking through the PCGS photograde I have decided, if I do attempt the series, to go for it in the middle VF range...25-30. I would like to do the series in all original uncleaned VF and I know I will definitely encounter many cleaned coins. So my main concern moving forward would be being able to identify coins that have been cleaned, old cleanings in particular. I am thinking that for some date/mms it will probably be very difficult to find an all original example, so I may end up settling for an eye appealing coin with a light cleaning(if that's possible). Any pointers, things to look out for, tips for spotting hard to tell cleanings, stoppers in the series and any other information about the series would be appreciated. If anyone has them, please post some photos of original circulated examples as well as some circulated examples with obvious and some less obvious cleanings. Thank you in advance to any contributions!
The 1914-D looks like it has not been cleaned, but the 1914 appears as though someone lightened it up over the years. In my opinion, a VF/EF set is better for liquidity and resale, should you need it, than a VF set. Many of these will be easy and quite a few will be tough.
Barber dimes are actually one of the only late 19th to 20th century issues where I don't have a collection in progress. No idea why - maybe because almost every Barber dime we get in the shop is an AG/G slick. I have better luck with the halves, and even more so with the quarters. That being said, I've always found Barber sets challenging. The quarters have a few nasty stoppers, but the dimes, not so much. Best of luck! Should be a fun endeavor.
In the pictures it looks like there are hairline scratches on the obverse of the 14 D, mostly on Liberty's face.
I have a set too, the hardest for me have been the 1895, 1895 O and 1897 O. Most of the coins in VG+ are going to be 25-30 but the 1895 O and 1897 O are going to cost a premium
Yes indeed, it's a very fun set and pretty easily attainable in those collector preferred grades (the later years anyway). If you were to try for a VF Barber Quarter or Half set, we'd be talking crazy money, so this is the best way to go to assemble a set that truly shows off the beauty of Mr. Barber's design. I was working on a set and then decided to move in a different direction and sold it.....here it is/was: http://s289.photobucket.com/user/Stealthwon/library/Barber Dimes?sort=4&page=1
Thanks for sharing your old set, Travlntiques. Did you keep any of the coins? I like the obverse design of the Barber series but don't care too much for the eagle of the half and quarter, but I really like the reverse of the dime. I have a few Barber halves in my collection, all in the F12-15 range. Even in that low of grade they weren't cheap and not easy to find.
It's a one-hundred year old coin with significant circulation...hairline marks and slight scratches or imperfections will almost universally be found on such coins. This is especially true for harsh lighting conditions. The other coin, which you did not mention, has been worked over. The dimes are a challenge, but are the easiest set of the three and can be completed as long as one does not count the 1894-S.
No, not from that set. In fact I only have 3 Barbs left, 1 in MS and 2 that can't be replaced because they were gifts from my father when I was 5 years old. The best coins have personal history I really enjoy the beauty of this design in a small compact form, but the values were too stable for the investment side of my mind, even though I really do want to get back in to them! You are definitely on the right path starting with a specific grade in mind, and paying attention to the surfaces. Having really dark examples next to really light examples was my biggest regret.
