Hi all! I've decided that I want to make a quasi-type set for half dollars. I'm not super knowledgeable in barber halves but I have 8% eBay bucks this week and if there is a reasonable one, I would like to add it. The Eagle on the back is one of my favorite Eagles design though. Anyways, a budget of about $200-$400 makes it really easy because it knocks out the high end ones... I like the look of circulated silver and plan on making this set of circulated coins - the first coin is an AG. So AG-VG is the goal. I only want Philadelphia coins. I see 4 candidates which appeal to me in different ways. 1. This one is outside the grade range but included because of the pedigree and it is a nice looking coin. It is slightly more than I want to pay but owning a Green coin would be cool. I think it's last sale I can find was 8/2015 for $375. Listed $435 now. Got about an 80% markup because of the Green name.: http://www.ebay.com/itm/282506200452?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT 2. This one I feel like even though it is an F is the perfect coin. Key date, nice looking, honest wear and circulation. When I think of a coin for my set, this is what I think of. It's on the high end of my budget again. And it's about 20% above the pcgs price guide even. http://www.ebay.com/itm/292114120436?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT 3. Here is a lower grade G6 which I don't think looks as nice. Previous auctions however seem to show a price of about half what they are asking here. Although I can't see the previous pictures, so I can't compare coins - only realized price. This one if it was the price of the previous auctions would be an easy choice.: http://www.ebay.com/itm/172470670510?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT 4. This one is an NGC vg8 which is 1915 instead of 1914. I would rather get a 1914 as that date means more to me sentimentally. But I include this as a key date anyways. http://www.ebay.com/itm/282495331846?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Looking for thoughts on people who have been in the game longer than me and might know more about barber halves. In worst case I buy the wrong coin and this is a learning experience. What would you do? Any other suggestions to coins I might have missed?
Nice/high end for the grade barbers will often bring above price guide. It's really up to you but the Green one isn't my cup of tea. You said that 1914 means more to you sentimentally so I would stick with that date for now. If it were me I would get the F12 or the G6 (2 and 3 in your listing order). The G6 is a really lovely looking coin for a G6. If you wanted a higher grade the F12. From your description it sounds like the F12 is the one that you really want anyway, if you really do feel that is the perfect coin go with that one you won't regret it.
Thanks for the thoughts baseball21. I think I agree about the Green one. I'm sure some day I will get a chance for a Green coin with a date/denomination that I want. I didn't realize that nice barbers for the grade can often bring in prices above the price guide. I'm just so used to the price guide being an over-estimate these days. Nice to get a reality check. I didn't mean to knock the G6 if it came off that way - I definitely think that it's a nice looking G6 based on the pictures. I just meant compared to the F12. I am sure I would be happy with either of them. Such decisions.
They were a workhorse when issued and the harder dates and keys like the 14 P can be tough to find really pleasing examples since the survival rate of the series is fairly low. A lot of them are in strong hands as well that are willing to wait for an acceptable price instead of just dumping them for a quick sale. It's a pretty underappreciated series in my opinion.
After having done a complete set in PCGS 35, I will say that it can be a very nice and lengthy project. It is one of my favorite coins. But, I will say that of all the coins that I bought that were "above market value," none were worth it. In every case, I found a coin that was better and higher quality for less money at an auction or show or some other venue where I could pick the price. My personal opinion is that all of those are way overpriced. The key thing that I learned in doing that set was patience. I sold a few coins to some dealers when I sold all of my US coins and they still have them sitting in their inventory, and that was at least 5 years ago. Make some decent offers if you feel the coin is worth it and stick to your guns, so to speak.
So what would you think is a more fair price mrbreeze? And open question to everyone if you think the prices are fair or high? The F12 doesn't have a make offer, so I would have to message the seller.
1912 - Depends on what you value in the name - $0 for me so around $200 for an XF45 1912 1914 F12 - max $250 1914 G6 - a little less than 1/2 is the max I would even consider so you are on the right track, $70-$80 might be a thought, but, in the end, I wouldn't make an offer because it may seem offensive based on the asking price. Anything more means that you have the coin for as many years as it takes of you to sell it at $90something dollars on a good day. 1915 VG8 - It is a very high end 8, if not higher, but that's the problem. It's being sold as a 12, but it's not in a 12 holder. I might stretch to $110, but it's a trap coin. You would have to actively sell it to the next person if you pay more than that or pay the money to get it certified one day in a higher slab, all of which takes time and money.
Thanks for the thoughts mrbreeze. Are those dealer buying prices? I have no desire to reslab anything nor to resell whatever I buy any time soon.
With patience and a wide net of sources, you could buy at those prices. You might have to be willing to also look at the unslabbed coins, which is an act of lunacy in itself, but you can find some bargains. The slabbed buy it now stuff is just way too pricey. The reason those coins aren't in auctions is because the market for lower graded material (or generics like the 1912, as a non-pedigreed date) is very soft. You should benefit from that lull in prices while it exists.
Gotcha. I'm less comfortable buying something raw I think. But just for fun, I looked at the raw 1914's. A lot of them had scratch marks on them. This one's pictures are slightly blurry. Any instant turn offs to this one? It's about the nicest one that I saw http://www.ebay.com/itm/1914-Barber...500971?hash=item48951f49ab:g:a1EAAOSwAHZUOLkG Edit: Based on what I have seen, this looks like a VG8 to me. And of course he is asking the whole price guide price for a raw coin. Edit 2: Ehh Maybe that's a 6.
There's much more to it then that. The big boy auction houses take such a huge cut now it's just not worth it for most people to use them without substantial leverage in what they have to offer, most people wouldn't even have a high enough value to get the time of day from them. The other houses just don't have the buying base that the big boys or even eBay has for classic material.
I agree. I was also referring to the fact that those and similar coins are not being offered on eBay at .99 no reserve auctions because of the fear that they may sell for about 50% of what they hope.
One minimum rule for you to consider is, don't buy a Barber Half without full rims on both sides. This is a nice coin for the grade. I would not buy it because the rim ding on the reverse would draw my attention every time I looked at it, and there is something green on the surface of the obverse. But, it is a decent example of some definition to look for in the VG+ range. I am not good at linking. eBay item # 222257454504 Look at the rims on that coin. You want at least that definition on any Barber Half that you buy. Just curious, why not buy a generic Philly where you could get a decent AU with your budget?
Thanks for linking one to me. I saw that one during my cursory look. That looks like a nice VG coin minus the rim ding on the back. Would that rim ding give it a details grade? And good question. A few reasons: 1914 is a special year for me, so it makes sense to get that year since it was minted during 1914. I also like circulated coins and wouldn't mind making a set of circulated coins. If some day I want an AU example, I could find one then. I like the idea of making a circulated set with key dates. I also only want Philly coins.
Attractive, original, problem free pieces will always garner a stronger price than their afflicted counterparts. Price guides are a good tool, but it is hard to generalize that "a price guide is an over-estimate." Price guides are adjusted, series get hot, series cool off. An over-estimated guide last year might be spot on this year. Far more accurate are auction histories. For example, that 1914 in F-12 appears to be an attractive coin. It is probably worth a premium compared to its counterparts. However, if you look at Heritage sales, F-12's over the past couple of years have generally traded between $250 and $305. Ending in about 2013, there were a string of F-12's that sold for around $350. This indicates that the market has cooled off a bit for these, and the coin you have linked is probably more accurately valued around $300. You can see them here: https://coins.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?Ne=16&N=790 231 3183 314 4013 1588 65&expand=Coin Grade&ic4=Refine-CoinGrade-102615#expand-16 Keep looking, and I wish you luck. Don't feel like you have to buy one today - those 8% rebate sales come every couple of months. Do your research, figure out exactly what you want, and look for one at the right price. Then, next time a sale comes, you can strike.
So I let the F12 CAC go because it was quite highly priced in my opinion and it's listing ended. And the G6 won't come down more than $10. So I might just keep waiting and looking. Maybe I need a longer list.
Not to bump again... but it turns out letting those coins go, the G6 and the F12 CAC when I had 8% eBay bucks ended up working out. I purchased what I think is a very nice VG 8 PCGS + CAC that was in a $0.99 auction I found on eBay... and I had 10% eBay bucks. Win! . I appreciate you all for educating me on low grade barber halves before I made my purchase because I knew what to look for and think I got a great one at a great price... especially with the bucks. So thank you!
