Which classic head half cent is better?

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

1829 half cent heavily corroded but has alot of detail and some rotation on the reverse.1809 half cent much more worn but has around a %50-%70 die rotation on the reverse.

 

1829 . It has a better chance of cleaning up , sorry conserving .

 

The 09

 

I'd take the bottom one.

 

I'd go with the 09. Verdi gris is a nightmare, and there's lots of it on that 29.

 

When I was a young collector, I had the opportunity to spend some time talking to a major national dealer at a show. One piece of advice he strongly recommended was to avoid problem coins. He said to study the series and be patient. Problem coins will always be problem coins and will be more difficult to sell when you want to upgrade. I didn't listen, and still have a number of problem coins that I'm stuck with. I wish I would have listened.

Keep saving your money and wait until you can find a nice, problem free example for your type set. Years from now, you'll be happier if you go for quality, not quantity. I know it's tough when you find something "cool" or something that will quickly fill a whole in your collection, but be patient. Learn from the mistakes of others. Don't repeat them yourself

 

That depends entirely upon what YOU mean by "better". My "better" is the 1809 based upon my criteria:

1) Don't buy problem coins.
2) Don't buy copper coins with active corrosion.
3) Always buy the better date.
4) Always buy better condition when humanly possible.
5) If confused, don't buy.

 

The 1809, it is lower grade but the surfaces are smooth and hard, and the color is good. Has more eye appeal.

 

I don’t care for either one of them because finding something better for those two dates is not that hard. Unlike large cents, half cents did not circulate that well after the early 1800s. Better coins are not that rare.

If price is the motivation, be aware that coins like this are bears to re-sell unless the price is dirt cheap, and I mean really cheap, like well south of $20. Save up you money and buy something nicer.

 

I agree with all of these points, except #3. If you are a type collector, higher grades trump a better date. If I had a choice between a no problem 1811 half cent in VF (a very hard coin to find) and a brown Unc. 1835 , which is a hoard coin, for my type set, I’ll take the 1835.

 

Buying a coin with active corrosion is a major mistake. That is especially true with ancient copper coins, which are often green. The question is, is the green growing or arrested?

 

The 09. A bit better date and far better surfaces even though worn

 

09.

 

Johnmilton and Publius2 have said it all.

 

I agree.
I have a full set of Classic Head Half Cents.
And by "full" I mean all the Cohen varieties.
For my Type Set I use my 1834 half cent; it's in MS-63 BN.
But my two 1811's are in VF-35 and XF-40.
I went for the best I could afford.

 

I wouldn't buy either one, agreeing with several who have already responded. Sure, one can get these cheap but I'd rather spend a little more and get a coin with better details and eye appeal. But that's me.

 

I like the 1809 much better. The 1829 has active corrosion and I would avoid it.

 

I didn't buy neither of them this is what I got an 1840 cent small/over large 18 with a N-2 / rarity of 2/ $15 the coin is quite chopy but has strong detail.

 

i personally dislike green yuk on my coins so i would chose the second one, but that is just me opinion...