Bust Halves

micbraun,

Only seeing the photos and not being able to always tell if it has been cleaned/damaged is part of the problem with buying raw. You cannot always know. There is a bit of a risk to it. That's where I see value in the top tier grading services.


There is nothing wrong with ANACS, especially if you are only buying slabbed coins to assure that they are in good order. You can certainly bust it out after the purchase. However, why buy something and give myself a chore & potentially risk damaging the coin removing it? Also, when coming to resell (let's say I want to upgrade it) the buyer may have the same cautions and may value the slab as well. In either case, at the same price point, why not just keep it simple and only buy NGC / PCGS slabs?

I'm not saying what I do is the best way about approaching it, it just works for me.

 

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Because then you're buying the slab and not the coin. Some of my nicest coins are in ANACS slabs. I understand that you want to stay with NGC/PCGS for expensive coins, but when it's about cleaning or authenticity, it doesn't matter.

 

I wouldn't say you are necessarily buying the slab. Buying the slab to me is like buying MS-69 or worse silver eagles at a huge premium because they are slabbed. I also certainly agree if that's what you are wanting a slab for, it really doesn't matter. It's all up to the individual and what they want. I just happened to make a slighted joke about ANACS holders in my initial posts.

 

I wish I had a bust half [emoji20]

 

Check out Dick Osburns site. Fantastic selection.(Although it is full retail++)

 

Putting together a set by date is not terribly hard (except for the obvious show stopper) esp in grades like F to VF, which is mostly what I have with a few XF and AU tossed in. I don't collect by Overton numbers, and the competition for nice coins in AU is very intense so I stick to lower grades and avoid the stress (some like the challenge!). You can find some very attractive coins in lower grades if you are patient.
a couple of common examples:






both of these are in Anacs holders and were bought at what I consider fair prices.

 

Those are two good reasons to buy coins in ANAC's slabs. I would not have a problem buying those two, cracking them and adding them to my album. Two nice examples.

 

Drexters: <<Should I only consider coins in PCGS holders? NGC? ANACS?>>

Consider coins in PCGS or NGC holders. CAC stickers are favorable, though most circulated bust halves have never been submitted to CAC. Importantly, it makes sense to hire a dealer or consultant to help you locate coins. Eventually, you may learn how to grade coins yourself, but such learning is a gradual process, which will take years.

ByronReed: <<Don't worry too much about the counterfeiters. Modern die-struck counterfeits are very rarely encountered and easily identified>>

This is not true. Deceptive forgeries are being manufactured in Asia at the moment. These often show up at small coin shops, local coin shows, antiques shows and flea markets. Buy PCGS or NGC graded coins.

Marotta: <<If you want to collect Bust Halves, you need to find the Bust Half Nut Club and join it. >>

No, this club is for advanced collectors who have been studying and acquiring die varieties for years. This thread is about collecting bust halves 'by date.'

Byron Reed: <<He can, however, join the John Reich Collectors Society.

http://www.jrcs.org >>

Yes, most members of the JRCS, though, are focused upon die varieties. I would suggest meeting other beginning collectors at coin shows and at coin clubs. Die varieties are not for everyone.

This is my first post on CoinTalk. I hope that the following two lines are clickable links.

Coins for less than $500 each, Part 4; Bust Half Dollars
Bust Half Dollars on Platinum Night

 

FYI:
The BHNC is for advanced collectors of the series.
You need a minimum of #100 die marriages just to apply for membership.

But! Go for it.
The series is wonderful, challenging and a lot of fun.

 

Poor form to pull up a quote from twelve years ago and criticize it based on today's realities.

 

ByronReed: <<Don't worry too much about the counterfeiters. Modern die-struck counterfeits are very rarely encountered and easily identified>>

Analyst (above): This is not true. Deceptive forgeries are being manufactured in Asia at the moment. These often show up at small coin shops, local coin shows, antiques shows and flea markets. Buy PCGS or NGC graded coins.

ByronReed: <<Poor form to pull up a quote from twelve years ago and criticize it based on today's realities. >>

Admittedly, the fact that the statement was posted twelve years ago was an oversight. I should have noticed the date and mentioned it in my reply. I apologize for not doing so. Nonetheless, ever since the collecting of bust halves gained tremendous popularity in the 1970s, there have been many deceptive forgeries sold to collectors in the U.S.

In the late 1980s, investors were spending thousands of dollars for bust half type coins that graded just MS-64 and seeming fortunes for higher grade pieces. Before the Internet became a very popular means to communicate about coins, there were many more unethical dealers who sold overgraded coins and forgeries, often to investors. Many deceptive forgeries of high quality Capped Bust Halves were around in the late 1980s. Even after taking the production of forgeries in Asia into consideration, there were more people in the U.S. fooled by deceptive forgeries of seemingly high quality bust halves in the 1980s than there are now. Coin markets in the U.S. were much more dangerous then. Now, people can easily lookup information about coins on the Internet, and most do so.

In the U.S., the % of collectors who used the Internet for research in 2002 is much lower than the corresponding % now. There was a good chance that people then would be fooled by deceptive forgeries of bust halves. In 2002, collectors should have purchased bust halves that were PCGS or NGC certified, unless the cost of certification was a substantial % of the value of the respective coin.

http://www.coinweek.com/featured-news/coin-rarities-bust-half-dollars/

http://www.coinweek.com/news/featur...d-topics-bust-half-dollars-on-platinum-night/

http://www.coinweek.com/featured-news/classic-u-s-coins-rarity-1843-o-liberty-seated-dimes/