Early 1800's capped bust half dollar and buffalo nickle

I plan on attending a coins show in two weeks. I'd like to purchase a capped bust half dollar with letter edging......pre-1830. I'd like to get one in VF-20 to XF-35 condition. What should I expect to pay for it and what should I look for? What quality of details should the coin have and how well of a stike should I be aiming for.

I also would like to get a MS buffalo nickel. How rare are these? Will finding one be easy or will I have to hunt around at several tables? What should I expect to pay for one?

 

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Anyone?

 

Hold 'yer horses alright? Lets see what the red book says here...

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First we will start with the nickels, 'cause I know more about them.
Anything from the 30's are the most likely to be found. They are not too unreasonable, but then again... I don't own any MS buffalos... Expect to spen somwhere between $25-80 (depending on year, mint, vendor, etc...)

Okay, for a VF capped bust half, lettered edge, pre 1830... I hope the copyright nazis don't kill me for this, but I'm going to directly quote the redbook here....

G-4 Good- Date and letters legible. Bust worn smooth and outline distinct.
VG-8 Very Good- LIBERTY faint. Legends distinguishable. Clasp at shoulder visable; curl above it nearly smooth.
F-12 Fine- Clasp and adjacent curl clearly outlined with slight details.
Vf- 20 Very Fine- Clasp at shoulder clear. Wear visible at highest point of curl. Hair over brow distinguisable.
EF-40-Clasp and adjacent curl fairly sharp. Brow and hair above distinct. Curls well defined.

Sooo....
Since I personally know nothing on these, go by this discription.

For the first year or two (1807-1808), they are valued at $160-750, so expect to pay $250-1000 (vendors like profit, no?).

Other than that, expect to pay around $250-300 bucks for just about any other year. the highest non error price for VF20 is $200, but there seem to be many varieties and errors.

And finally, don't listen to me too much. As I have said, I'm just a guy with a red book...

 

Haha, like your last quote. I too have the red book and have looked up the prices. But, honestly, nobody in their right mind pays the full red book price, especially at a coin show, where competition for your sale should be good. There are supposed to be 85 coin vendors at this show. I've noticed that MS buffalo is priced at $70-$100. But, I have visited my local coin dealer and he had one for $40. I'm sure at the coin show I can get one cheaper....just wondering how much cheaper.

As for the Capped bust half dollars, again, I see the red book price is $150-$200 for what I want. But the blue book price for many of these is $45-$60. So, why would I pay $175 for something I should be able to barter for cheaper.

I guess I should have been more thorough on my question. What I'm asking is what I should expect to pay AT THE SHOW. I'm expecting something cheaper than red book pricing......just wondering how much cheaper.

 

For a common date MS Buffalo I think you can expect to pay at least $25 for a raw coin and $30 for a slabbed coin. I would guess that the prices for Capped Bust Halves would vary greatly. Maybe as low as $70 for a VF-20 to as much as $300 for a XF-45. It's going to depend on how early the date, the condition along with any possible problems, and of course the dealer. Every coin show is different and each dealer is different. Some dealers insist on charging top dollar for their merchandise while others make you wonder how they can charge so little and still make a profit. My advice to you would be to check ebay's finished auctions to give yourself something to gauge the show's prices with. For me, when I'm at a coin show or visiting a dealer and examining a coin I always ask myself, "how much do I think I could get a comparable example for on ebay".

 

LOL - why - because the red book only covers a few varieties. There are hundreds of varieties in bust halves and depending on the variety the higher the rarity rating(in some cases). Then the higher the rarity rating the higher the price tag - plus some of the more popular varieties run more the red book prices. Now that is just the prices - certain dates and varieties do not have the same strike details. And then throw in worn dies, cracked dies and not-perfect planchets - well these can be tough to grade at times. The above redbook quotes only the obverse - my recommendation - go to heritage and familiarize yourself with the NGC and PCGS VF coins. Look at a lot of them - get a feel for the prices and what VF looks like. You probably should also look at the NCS coins to get a feel for what cleaned ones look like also. All of this plays into the price of the coin. A VF cleaned coin might be $70 while a natural looking coin is $140 or more. At least at a show you can comparison shop. And get this - I am no expert on these. I might have 70-80 of these coins, but I am by far not an expert. I just enjoy collecting them.

 

Huh.. I did not think prices would be cheaper at coins shows... I always assumed that vendors enjoyed making... you know... profit.

 

Thanks mark. The fact that you have handled and have looked at 70-80 or these half dollars makes you someone with more knowledge than most. I appreciate your input, as the coin show is just a week away.

And Dhiz, you can get better prices at a coin show by shopping around and doing a little haggling. It isn't hard to do. Sure, dealers want to make a profit, but they can only do that by finding buyers. Competition can be fierce at coin shows. You should find one in your area and go.

 

Overdates for the capped bust halves seem to be a premium, at least around here, for a pre-1830 common r-1 in ef I would think anywhere from 80-120.