Hen’s Teeth Half Cents
GuzziSport
Posts: 28 ✭✭✭
All CAC total pops below 10, I believe.
I particularly like very scarce and original lower grade early type. Seems like a great value to me. 
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I too love early copper. It's a challenge finding eye-pleasing examples that are not damaged, pitted, unevenly worn, etc. Finding those evenly colored chocolate brown examples with even wear and good detail makes the hunt a lot of fun.
I got one raw that, I believe, is a thirty. Anyway, ya got a nice score by all means, congrats 👍
Nice coins, but regarding scarcity, there are many EAC collectors who loath slabs and will have nice examples never submitted to plastic or subsequent beaning.
This is a really great point! But I assume, and I stress “assume”, that based solely on how often nice, problem-free low grade examples come to market, that the scarcity is not a mirage. Until they’re shaken from strong hands I guess we’ll never truly know!
I only know of two major half cent collectors that don’t keep their coins in slabs. One breaks them out. The other has never submitted his collection for slabbing. He has truly great coins that the community has not seen in decades.
There was a dealer at the recent Tampa show that had an unbelievable collection of early 1/2 and one cent unslabbed coins. The color, the high grades/condition, and the thickness of many was just amazing. Prices ranged from approximately $15K - $75K or so per coin. I’ve never seen such a beautiful collection before……
Great coins... I love half cents!
Sadly, many great half cent collectors have passed in recent years. This has brought many great coins to market. Generally, the finest raw collections are slabbed before auction. I know a lot of half cent collectors that have raw, slabbed and a mix. My HC collection is 80/20% slabbed to raw, some guys I know in EAC have it the opposite.
Here is an 1803 C-4 R.4 in NGC53CAC. This coin comes out of the Partrick collection:
I am a newer collector (started April 2020), and I primarily focus on U.S. Half Cents and Type Coins. Early copper is my favorite.
@GuzziSport - can you post the reverses of your coins? I would love to see them.
I am a newer collector (started April 2020), and I primarily focus on U.S. Half Cents and Type Coins. Early copper is my favorite.
The only half cent I ever had. I basically know nothing about it, I don't even remember how I even acquired it. Whatever the green is it is stable. Treated it with Verdi-Care over 10 years ago and it hasn't advanced.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Here you go my friend - apologies for my crappy pics. One day I’ll learn how to photograph a coin. These are in ascending date order, ‘04-06
Don't confuse CAC approval with rarity. Maybe some collectors are impressed with an 1804 half cent in VF-30 CAC rare, but I am not. You can easily get that date in grades all the way up to Choice Brown Unc.
The 1805 Stems half cent is a big deal, even in Good. The Stemless pieces, not so much. Ditto fot the 1806 stemless half cent. The variety with the stems is also a big deal although not as good as the 1805.
The stemless wreath die was used to make the most common half cent varieties for 1804, 1805 and 1806. It was one tough customer.
Fun factiod - Your 1805 C-2 (R.5) and the 1803 C-4 I posted were minted using the same reverse die. We're like half brothers.
I am a newer collector (started April 2020), and I primarily focus on U.S. Half Cents and Type Coins. Early copper is my favorite.
Great thread! I need an early half cent.
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Here’s an 1803 that saw a lot of use but still has nice surfaces. It’s a low mintage date as well, under 100K.