PCGS Price Guide Question: Barber Halves
MoeSzyslak
Posts: 80
Since becoming interested in collecting again, I've been looking through all of my purchases and figuring out how many dealers were willing to rip a fifth-grader. The answer is: A very large number.
Fortunately, this is not one of those stories. Nearly 25 years ago, I borrowed a then considerable sum from Dad and purchased a quantity of mostly G-4 Barber halves for 7x face, essentially melt value at the time. I put all of what I considered the better dates and mint marks in 2x2s and the rest in tubes.
Looking at the PCGS price sheets, I see that I didn't lose much money on my purchase, but I noticed something else. Some of what I considered the better dates back then are listed at $7 while a good number of the common dates are listed at $14. Not every price guide agrees, I know the usual disclaimers apply, and I have several grains of salt handy, but I still have to ask: Why the big difference?
Were there so many Barber halves melted in 1979-1980 that the dates/mint marks not saved from such a fate are now worth more? Were there just a lot of people who thought that, though their 1915-S wasn't worth slabbing in G-4, their 1914-S somehow actually was? Any and all explanations appreciated. I really am looking for a real answer, but explanations that are sufficiently imaginative and/or paranoid will be considered as well.
Fortunately, this is not one of those stories. Nearly 25 years ago, I borrowed a then considerable sum from Dad and purchased a quantity of mostly G-4 Barber halves for 7x face, essentially melt value at the time. I put all of what I considered the better dates and mint marks in 2x2s and the rest in tubes.
Looking at the PCGS price sheets, I see that I didn't lose much money on my purchase, but I noticed something else. Some of what I considered the better dates back then are listed at $7 while a good number of the common dates are listed at $14. Not every price guide agrees, I know the usual disclaimers apply, and I have several grains of salt handy, but I still have to ask: Why the big difference?
Were there so many Barber halves melted in 1979-1980 that the dates/mint marks not saved from such a fate are now worth more? Were there just a lot of people who thought that, though their 1915-S wasn't worth slabbing in G-4, their 1914-S somehow actually was? Any and all explanations appreciated. I really am looking for a real answer, but explanations that are sufficiently imaginative and/or paranoid will be considered as well.
My coins can beat up your coins.
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