Number 59 and 60 in the SH Bust Quarter Die Variety Set

spacehayduke

Hello folks,
I had the chance to obtain 2 newps for my bust quarter die variety set and am now up to 60 of the 80 to 90 or so that I will be able to obtain. The 1821 B4 and the 1822 B1. Both came from auctions, and were right within my preferred grade rage of XF. I did not see either before bids were placed.

For the 1821 I had faith in the little green sticker on the slab and am not disappointed with the in hand view upon arrival to the SH abode.

For the 1822, there were hints of a nice coin there in the Stacks images, but still without viewing in hand with no 2nd positive opinion from CAC, at this price point it is a risk. So I had a trusted dealer with a sharp eye view it. This dealer and I have overlapping tastes in coins - unassisted surfaces and eye appeal is what we both like. After he felt positive about it, we discussed price point (we pretty much agreed on value) and then he placed the bid for me. For anyone buying at auction who can't see the coin in hand before placing your bid, trust me, get a dealer to do the work for you to insure you don't get burned. Their fees are worth every penny and frankly, most dealers charge way too little for this service for the high value they bring to the table for you by doing this work.

The 1821 is an interesting coin. I know I know, it is dove gray, no flashy colors. But that is what a worn, nearly 200 year old silver coin should look like. What is even more interesting is the die variety B4. This die variety has a re-marriage. So the obverse and reverse dies were used together, then they were used with other dies respectively, and then they were remarried together for another minting. After the first use of these dies - 1821 die 2 obv, and rev M, the die 2 was then used to mint the B3 die variety quarters while married to a different reverse die O. The rev M die was then used to mint the 1820 B5's (before used on 1821 dies, rev M was used to mint the 1820 B2 die variety). Then, after pairing for the other dies including the 'older' 1820 obverse die, 1821 die 2 obv and rev M were 'remarried' to mint more 1821 B4 quarters. The reason we know this emission order (sequence of die use) of the dies is because die cracks and clashes can be used to trace the history. This quarter below appears to be minted at the beginning of the remarriage from these die marker characteristics. So since there are about 6 die states between the 2 remarriages and the dies used for different die marriages, this coin reveals an interesting part of the puzzle for these dies.

It has been hard to find an 1822 I liked in my grade and price range. I had an F15 CAC that was 'okay', I sold it when I found a higher graded and more colorful one, but did not like the new higher graded coin so returned it to the dealer (alas I did not view in hand before selling off the F15), and it has been a void for my bust quarter set since. Whether it beans or not, I am happy with this one and unless a coin that makes me fall over comes up that I can afford, this is the one. The dealer who I worked with on this gives it a 67% chance of beaning. We both agree it has the right look and surfaces, is reasonable for the grade in terms of wear, and has strong eye appeal, but CAC is CAC and it is their call. We will see when I send it in.

Lot Description
1822 Capped Bust Quarter. B-1. Rarity-2. EF-40 (PCGS).

A wonderfully original example with peripheral antique gold, cobalt blue and rose-russet patina around light gray centers. Lustrous and boldly defined EF quality for this scarcer date in the challenging Capped Bust quarter series.

Best, SH

ldhair

I love them both. The 1821 is really cool.

scubafuel

I’m in the bean camp for the 1822 unless there are noticeable hairlines under that toning. Mid grade, attractive 1822s are really tough to find.

spacehayduke

@scubafuel said:
I’m in the bean camp for the 1822 unless there are noticeable hairlines under that toning. Mid grade, attractive 1822s are really tough to find.

Every pre-civil war silver coin at XF has hairlines, and I agree it depends on what is deemed normal vs from a strong cleaning. On this coin, you have to look very hard under magnification and strong light to see anything that could be deemed hairlines, certainly not a function of a wipe but likely from normal circulation. We will see if CAC agrees.

Best, SH

ricko

Very nice coins.... Interesting how many varieties there are... I am not a variety collector, and glad I am not. When I get focused on something, it becomes very consuming....so best for me to just read about them and move on... Cheers, RickO

scubafuel

Oh now you’ve done it! “Many”? Sure. “Most”? Ok. But “every”?...

msch1man

Great additions. 60 die varieties is pretty impressive...do you have a gallery anywhere with all of them? Would be impressive to view them all together.

spacehayduke

@msch1man said:
Great additions. 60 die varieties is pretty impressive...do you have a gallery anywhere with all of them? Would be impressive to view them all together.

Good question. I would love to put them on a
Registry set. But I found out that in order to have a die variety registry set for CBQ's, you have to get every single one of them verified via attribution from PCGS. Since the majority are also CAC, the cost to send them into PCGS to get a Browning number on the slab, then back to CAC to replace the sticker, is well, just too much.

The alternative is to have a custom, non-competitive set on the registry. I will think about that.

Best, SH

Catbert

Love the blue on that 22!

Barndog

very nice coins, SH! To avoid the attribution fees (and re-holder fees and all that re-CACing), you can set up a showcase within the Registry. Display what you want, how you want.

spacehayduke

Thanks Barndog, hope everything is OK and that we will see you at FUN. Hope your collection survived the EQ.

Best, SH