Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 24692075, member: 101855"]Unlike many collectors, I like small coins. For most collectors, "bigger is better." That's why most all silver dollars, but most especially the early dollars (1794 to 1803) and the Morgan Dollars, are so popular. As for the small coins, like the half dimes, I've heard collectors say, "I hate those little things." If the supplies of coins were equal, that would make the early half dimes less expensive. The trouble is they are all very scarce. So even though a smaller number of collectors like them, there are not very many pieces available. When I was high school (mid 1960s), I dreamed of getting an early half dime, but they were way out of my price range. At any rate the dealer from whom I bought a lot of coins, the coin department at Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia almost never had them. When they did, the price was a few hundred dollars, which may as well have been $1 million for me. I couldn't save that kind of money. The alternative was get a Capped Bust half dime, which was issued from 1829 to 1837. In those days, the retail price for a common date and variety in "Gem Unc." was $23.50. The trouble was, the dealers there told me, "Those coins are really in tough in Unc." I ended up buying an AU for $16.00, which didn't please me that much. It was a mediocre strike and not that attractive. As an adult collector, I have had several pieces for my type set. This was the piece I had during to 1980s to around 2005. This piece was nice, except for the fact that it had been dipped and was retoning. It was in an NGC MS-64 holder. I sold it when I was a dealer. [ATTACH=full]1575685[/ATTACH] Later I upgraded to this one. This one is also graded MS-64, but it has a better claim to "original surfaces." [ATTACH=full]1575686[/ATTACH] Recently I bought this one from the Summer FUN Heritage auction. It was expensive because it's in a PCGS MS-65 holder with a CAC sticker. This is a very well struck example. It might be what some people would call "hammered." The only factor that keeps it from grading higher is that the luster is frosty and subdued. [ATTACH=full]1575690[/ATTACH] In 1837, the people at the mint finally concluded have there was just too much detail in these tiny coins to strike them well consistently. The three pieces I have posted here were very well struck. Frequently some of the details will be mushy, and many coins have a "horn" like projection that appears above the bust of Ms. Liberty. I have concluded that it is a clash mark form the eagle's wing on the reverse. The replacement for the Capped Bust design was the No Stars Seated Liberty Half Dime. Some collectors call this piece a "baby Gobrecht" because it has the same design as the famous dollars dated 1836. [ATTACH=full]1575691[/ATTACH] There are Proof examples of the Capped Bust Half Dime, but they go for a lot of money. Decent, but not great examples run from $12 to $14 thousand. The 1829 is interesting because it is claimed those Proof coins were made when the second Philadelphia was was being phased into production. Still, I don't love the Capped Bust Half Dime that much, so I am going to stick with a Mint State example. Here is a Gobrecht Dollar which you can compare to the half dime design. This is one of the first 1,000 pieces the mint issued in 1836. They issued 600 more in 1837. After that they issued additional pieces into the 1860s to satisfy collector demand. This piece as a "coin turn" for the obverse and reverse dies, and the eagle is flying "onward and upward" when the coin is turned on the horizontal axis. [ATTACH=full]1575692[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]

Create my FREE Account!

Log in or Sign up

Reply to Thread

Useful Searches