Hi all. I found a local guy online that has a flowing hair (holed) half dollar and a half dime for sale pictured below. After some negotiating he seems like he won’t budge from $800 for the half dollar and $1000 for the half dime. He is local so I would be going to pick up and pay cash. My question is.. is this a good deal? Do the coins look authentic? I would love them to complete a set. But not sure if I’m being fleeced. thanks in advance.
They don't look genuine to me the prices seem to be pretty fair even for raw as they are condition wise.I would suggest not to go for them as you can find much better authentic (certified) examples within a good price range.
I would save my money and buy something better. The hole in the half dollar has been very crudely fixed, and it's in the date area. That is a problem, or at least it was when I was a young collector and considered buying coins like that. The half dime price seems high. The coin is damaged and the wear is very uneven on the reverse. The Grey Sheet numbers, which are dealer wholesale, start at $1,150 in Good and go up to $1,750 in Fine. You can expect to pay more than those numbers for certified pieces, but given the fact that you willing to pay $1,000 for one coin, you are getting into the price range where you might buy something better. These coins are scarce, but the 1795 is the most date among the early half dimes. Without the damage, the coin you are considering grades VG to Fine on the obverse and Good on the reverse. Not to show you up, but it always helps to look at high grade examples to get to know how the design looked when these coins were made. This 1795 half dime is PCGS graded AU-58. This 1795 half dollar is PCGS graded EF-45.
Prices seem too high on both. The 1795 half is very crudely plugged. 1795 Flowing Hair halves, although highly in demand and valuable as a result, are not rare coins. Based on what I’ve seen for auction results, you can find a better example for $800. $1000 is about what you’d expect for a problem free Good-4 for the half dime. I don’t like that reverse scratch on the O in OF and I’m very suspicious of what I’m seeing on the E in LIBERTY and second A in AMERICA. Some of these holed early coins were very expertly plugged to fool collectors, and this looks like it could be one. I wouldn’t buy it.
I think the seller is pushing the envelope of what he thinks he can get for these coins. So, not a "deal" for you and probably not quite at the "fleeced" stage. The half dime (upper photos) at least appears genuine by virtue of having the correct obverse and reverse for the LM-10 die marriage (relatively common R-3). It's been cleaned and is obviously damaged more so than is acceptable for the sharpness and the age. It has at most VG-10 sharpness on the portrait and G-6 on the eagle but less than that, maybe (AG-03) on the legends and rims. Eye appeal is pretty low. I would give this a market price of around $800. Greysheet says a G4 is $1150. Up to you but the coin is neither a bargain nor a rip-off at the asking price. And remember that Greysheet pricing is for slabbed coins and wholesale pricing. I haven't attributed the half so I can't speak to die marriage or authenticity. Some meat left on the bone but amateurishly repaired. I don't think the coin is worth $800 but more like $400 or $500. But that's maybe just me. I remember about 3 years ago a local dealer had a raw one that was about VG-08 with a sizeable scratch right across the obverse. He wanted $1000 for it firm. With raw coins, you take on all the risk of a counterfeit. When I decide to take on that risk, I discount the coin's value accordingly. Your comfort at your own authentication skill and knowledge is for you to decide. A decent price check might be eBay where you might be able to find some comparables in raw coin sales.
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Best to keep your money and pass on these coins. If he lowers the price I would say the same thing. You can do buy better looking coins in decent shape for a few hundred less for them. Keep looking and you’ll find what you want a much better price. I’ve been looking for almost 7 years for one coin. I’ve seen them but the price was too high. I passed and I’m still looking so be patient.
Authentic coins. But they’re not cheap for what they are. You can find better comparable examples at a major coin auction or show for less
