Went through a box of half dollars today. Before I searched, I went to Variety Vista to check which dates I should set aside to check for DDO's and DDR's. All well and good. Saved about 10 rolls worth of dates to check......Now that i'm looking closer, some of the listed DDO's are so minute you would need a microscope to see them, and many of the pictures showing what to look for look absolutely normal to me. I would doubt there are any premiums for such minor errors. I'm thinking of just throwing them all back, sticking with the silver and giving up on doubled dies. Is that a dumb thing to do? Is a minor error worth the work to figure it out? Thanks for your input! @furryfrog02 I know you are an experienced half searcher. What is your take on this?
It depends on where your interest is. Do you collect series, dates, type, varieties..... or you looking for investment? If you made a complete set of 1959-D RPMs in Gem condition, you would probably not get as much as you had invested in them, time or money wise, but it would be a challenge. I haven’t heard of anyone that has completed this.
@Beardigger You hit the point all of us get to eventually. And each of us had to draw a line relative to what you find interesting enough to search for. When I started CRH events for cents and nickels, my list kept growing. Searching a box of this or that took weeks...many looking for the obvious older coins, silver, errors and varieties could do multiple boxes of each in the same time. Quality over Quantity? Or obsessive compulsion to find everything? Where to draw the line? Minor varieties aren't as appealing as they once were, but to each their own. No judgment. Just not my bag anymore. But I still appreciate others hitting the ultimate challenge...finding the minor stuff and attributing it. I don't mind helping out either. But it's the occasion now...not the obsession.
I used to obsess over finding every little variety I possibly could but as time went on I began to realize that I was just wasting my time... 95% of the very minor varieties carry no premium so why waste time and ruin your eyes looking? If it is one of the major varieties I will see it easily enough and keep it, but anything else? Not interested anymore, my priorities have changed.
You raise a good point, but it reminds me of another. The likelihood of us finding something of tremendous value is rather low. It might be better to categorize our minor variety hunting based on interest rather than value. Danomite has it pegged in my opinion - challenge. I recall a little ditty raised at a Quality Conference. Choice, Challenge and Collaboration - the Three C's of Quality. I think that they all fit here with variety hunting at any level. A personal choice for collecting this-or-that, a challenge to complete a set or find an elusive piece, and working with others with a common interest to identify/discuss varieties. The point is to have fun and take pride in what you are doing.
Thank you guys! that's exactly the input I was looking for!. If it's not easily visible, I'm not going to waste the time . I appreciate the answers!
I do like Half dollars,and I think I now have a complete set of all the Kennedy half dollars with the exception of the "Enhanced Hair" Kennedy. I will keep on looking. I do enjoy searching Half Dollars and had some luck today! (see roll searchers thread).
Very true, a lot of people would probably be doing it trying to make money off of every little thing they found (And that's what I started out doing) But that is no longer my focus, now it's just for the fun of it
Noobs need to stop reading strike it rich lol it seems most start off thinking there coin is true DD and get disappointed that there billion dollar life is ruined when they find the truth from us.
I think a lot of us started out that way lol, Back before I knew practically anything about doubling I saw an ebay listing for a wheat penny that had MD on it (I didn't know that tho, I thought it was true doubling) and I got so excited and snapped it up right then thinking I found the "deal of a lifetime"... Needless to say, I was not very happy when I read about true Doubled Dies and realized that my coin wasn't worth much more than FV... Sometimes you gotta learn the hard way lol, at least that wheat only cost me $5, still have it, kept it just because it was interesting and a good example for future reference.
Your missing out, Although a man's time learning what to look for, is much better spent in a brick and mortar cherry picking variety's.
Sorry that happened to you but a $5.00 lesson is worth the price to learn that. Also smart of you to keep that coin. It’s a good reminder and a great reference.
I can see any variety with 10x . For those who can't maybe it's time for an eye appointment to get yourself some glasses
Doubled dies are more of a variety than an error, all coins struck by the dies willl be the same. still though only the really dramatic ones command a decent premium and the lesser ones, a buck or two to a variety collector that wants examples of the different doubled dies. My opinion, not worth the effort to me. others would likely disagree, people that take a 50 cent coin and sell it for a buck or two or $ over and over on ebay might see the value and profit in it if they do volume of it each month, but generally speaking to me it's a waste of time and what's left of everyone's deteriorating eyesight.
