Does anyone here actively collect half cents? Any advice for a begginning collector?. I have lots of questions and would love to chat with some of you.
I think Kanga is doing a set. Depending on what you want to do one what advice I would give for a copper perspective. So a date set, variety set?
Just a date set. Although it will never be completed but I will be getting most of the dates from 1800 and after. What grade do you suggest me doing?
That's almost like asking what kind of car one would recommend for you. A Volvo would be safer whilst a Corvette would be more fun. Personally I'd recommend a Bugatti Veyron... But, unless you have a lot of cash (~$1.5M USD) laying around and really enjoy fast production car's, it's likely not the best idea. Personally, I think you need to determine what your budget and goals are, then you can determine what grade you should collect. Or, should I say can collect. While you may like a MS65 coin, the price may mean you can only buy one coin every few months, years, etc.. whereas if you collected VG10 you could assemble a large collection in a couple of months. So, your goals and budget have to determine what grade you will collect. Also, you could aim for a MS 65 set, but, seeing how rare a good coin is and balancing that with the desire to assemble a 'nearly' complete set in the next year, you might settle for EF coins in many cases and upgrade as time, money and availability permit.
Date set after 1800 - personally I like my copper in the vf to xf range. The thing I would recommend is to buy problem free as much as possible. My classic head large cents are all in the po to ag range but are problem free in my opinion. Some people prefer more detail, but there will be issues to meet their budget. Nothing wrong with that, but I like problem free best. Some dates in 1/2 will probably be expensive in the VF range. That is all just my opinion and what I like. Look and see what you like in comparison to your budget. I do not know all the key dates for half cents, nor am I an expert at them(or large cents for that matter). If you are going to buy raw buy from some trusted dealers - look at lots of PCGS and NGC coins to get a feel for what you like. Personally I like PCGS grading on copper coins better, but it does not stop me from buying nice NGC coins(or ANACS). If you know a lot about copper and half cents buy raw, but if not I would stick with NGC and PCGS. Again all my opinion. I am sure someone will recommend some good half cent books. I would stay away from ebay unless buying graded - when I look at large cents I find very very few raw coins I would consider buying. Then always price shop around with trusted dealers.
I don't collect them per say but I have quite a few as far as a date set it'll depend on your budget and whether you want to collect the proof only dates which are prohibitively expensive but otherwise many draped bust classic head and braided half cents are available in decent condition and problem free for under $100 you could do a nice collection in f- xf without breaking the bank hardest part is finding them their not as available as you might think
Should I do raw or certified? I have noticed that a lot of the raw coins for quite a heavy discount compared to the graded ones if they are indeed the grade they say it is.
If you study and learn the series you could easily do raw I've not seen many fakes but you gotta watch out for problem coins cleaned damaged scratched etc
I don't collect them, but I like them and study them. A date set after 1800 should not be that difficult as long as you stay away from 1831, 36, 40-48, and 52. Those are all proof only. The toughest coin will be the 1811, kind of costly and hard to find with nice surfaces. But it is doable. 1808 will also be a little tougher. I've got my eye on one lot in the Goldbergs sale this Sunday of the Missouri Cabinet, and a couple lots in their Pre-Long Beach sale that day as well. If I'm successful I'll have five of the eight proof only dates from the 40's, all electrotypes.
Why electrotypes - you should buy the originals from the Missouri cabinet. I think they have a complete run for sale.
If you are interested in half cents do yourself a favor and call the Goldbergs to order yourself a copy of the The Missouri Cabinet Collection. It is the one and only collection to contain all half cent types struck for circulation as well as all proof strikes. The $25 price is a bargain as catalog is simply beautiful. If you happen to be looking to make a purchase you are in luck as the auction is this Sunday.
I am sure Conder101 already receives complimentary Goldberg catalogs. I found a solution that works for me on the 1796 half cent. My piece is a contemporary cast counterfeit from the Davey collection. I say it works for me as I like living in a house. LOL
I have started a meager half cent collection by variety. I would say start with a budget and a goal in mind. Do you want to collect by variety, if so it's around 100 varieties, or you could do a date set which would be much easier. There are subgroups in there as well, you could do a date set of bust halfs, 1800 - 1808. IMHO the drapped bust half cents are available in nice grades for reasonable prices, the 1790's get expensive quick, while the late date's are just not that special too me. In terms of raw versus slabbed, buy what you like but if you go raw make sure you can tell the difference between original surfaces and non-original surfaces. Lastly, I would recommend putting the quality of the coin over the sharpness for two reasons. I think you will be happier with a nice original early half then with one that has been mucked with, and they are harder to come by which will lengthen your search; and isn't the searching 3/4ths of the fun