It is a series that is much loved and a fellow could spend a lifetime assembling a bust half set. I bet @okbustchaser could give you some insight on collecting the series.
It's a series that most wish they had started collecting many years ago. Today it's tough for the young folks to jump in.
It can be a 5 minute experience buying a single type coin or it can be a life-long obsession. When I bought my first bustie back in 1970 an entire year set could be put together in EF for about 500 bucks. Sadly, times have changed. Now you would have to add a 0 to that just for the 1815.
There are a number of collectors who collect these pieces by dies die variety. The elite group is "The Bust Half Nut Club." You have to have 100 varieties to join it. As a group, the die variety collectors are no where near the number of the people who collect large cents by die variety. I have the finest known example of the 1795 Overton 120 half dollar. It is PCGS graded AU-58, and it is the best one by a considerable margin. The #2 coin is an EF cleaned. There are supposed to be about 20 examples known. It was not cheap, but I could afford to buy it. If this were a 1795 large cent with that rarity and condition census status, there is now way that I could afford the coin.
The series has given me a passing interest over the years, but I never got involved with it much beyond the type coin level. The common date, nice ones were selling for $500 to over $1,000 in the 1980s and that was beyond my ability to collet them by date if I was going to go forward with my type coin objectives.
Bust coins are very highly collectible in my area. The LCS’s don’t have much in the way of stock. As soon as they get a good one in it’s sold again.
My wife and I enjoy collecting these. We have collected more recently and thinking about a set for each year.
I have but one. They used to be pretty affordable considering their age and condition. I didn't pay too much for this one.
