where to start with the capped bust half disme's?
ahooka454
Posts: 3,466 ✭
id like to sart a set of all the varieties of these small beautiful coins. i am just not sure were to start and who with. any help is awsome, thanks in advance.
adam
adam
0
Comments
...I don't know a thing about half-dismes or their dealers.
But after deciding my collection's grade and condition goals, by philosophy when starting to collect a new coin series is always to save my money and buy the rarest varieties (if I can find them) and most expensive varieties (if I can afford them) first.
The logic being that if the entire series goes up 20% in value in "X" amount of years, I can more easily pay the lower appreciation amounts in the future.
A $2,000 coin may $2,400 in "X" years and the $400 coin may be $480 in "X" years.
I would be avoiding the future $400 appreciation increase by buying the $2,000 coin first. It will easier to pay the $80 increase on the $400 coin in "X" years.
Once I decided that I was going to collect Lettered Edge Capped Bust Halves, the rare - and costly - 1815/12 was one of the first coins I bought. Today - looking at the current price/value of the 1815/12 - I am so very glad I bought it "right away" a long time ago.
Regards,
Ed R.
If you are interested to learn more about the Capped Bust half dimes (1829-1837), and start collecting this facinating series, I would strongly suggest that you locate a copy of "Federal Half Dimes 1792-1837", by Russell J. Logan and John McCloskey. It is now out of print, but you should be able to locate a copy on the secondary market without trouble. This masterful book not only describes each of the die marriages in the series, but describes the minting processes by which they were manufactured and details the history behind them. Whether you decide to just collect the Capped Bust half dimes by date (a series of just nine coins, with none of them difficult) or to collect them by die marriage (a lifelong journey comprising 92 different examples, and completed only four times in history), you will be well served to buy and to read that book.
In addition, your journey into the early Federal silver coins will be greatly enhanced by joining the John reich Collectors Society (JRCS), reading their John Reich Journal, and sharing the camaraderie of fellow collectors with similar collecting interests. Should you choose to do so, I can supply you with the appropriate membership application.
And lastly, please do a search on this forum on "Capped Bust Half Dimes" and related subjects, paying particular attention to posts by Cladiator, Barndog and myself to learn more about this fascinating series. And please feel free to contact me (PM) if you have any specific questions. I am always eager to 'talk half dimes'.
i would like to build a set of 92 die marriages. it may be a long and difficult journey, but i really like them alot. thanks again for the posts...
adam
You are well on your way with a copy of the LM half dime book. Please read (for understanding) pages 1-78, and do not try to rely merely upon the pictures to attribute your coins. Since you have taken the decision to collect by die marriage, you will need to learn to attribute examples yourself. DO NOT rely upon the attributions of others, particularly the attributions of the TPGs or auction houses (conduct a search of this subject on this forum for some very insightful reading).
Over time you will be able to locate examples of many of the die marriages in dealer inventories, by searching online, from auction houses, and on eBay. However, unless you are incredibly lucky, these will be primarily R1 through R4 die marriages; the R5 and better marriages are not usually found from these sources. For the rarer die marriages, you will be best served by seeking out like-minded collectors who have some of them salted away in dupe boxes. As you make friends in the hobby, you will improve your collection as they upgrade theirs. Join the collector organizations involved with your specialty, and seek the advice from these fellow collectors. Every Capped Bust half dime collector that I have ever known was able to reach his relative position of completeness only through the help of others. My own collection includes examples from the collections of many other collectors of the series, as theirs does of mine.
'Cherrypicking' rare die marriages is one of the great thrills enjoyed in this wonderful hobby, and while it is certainly not an everyday experience, it happens often enough to maintain your interest. Increase your odds of cherrypicking a nice, rare example by learning all you can about the series, chewing the covers off all of the related books and periodicals that you can get your hands on, attending every coin show that you can possibly go to, and remaining ever vigilent in your search. There are only a relative few devotees of this fascinating series, but we are passionate about what we collect, and we seldom sleep.
Good luck in your search. You have chosen a fascinating series that will take you a long time to complete, but what more could you ask?
thank you so much for all the information. i seem to have found the right person to talk to.
currently i am working on the lincoln series, with varieties. my passion though lay with the 1909-1916 matte proof lincolns.
i am still somewaht new to coins, (4 years) and am 25 years old. i have been following capped bust half dimes for about 1 year now somewhat. mainly on the values and mainstream articales. i would
very much like to build this set. i am thinking about the grade range of vf20 - ef40. i am curious though as to your thoughts on what would be the rarest die marriage known? i say known because we
are always finding new stuff thats out there. any and all posts are more than welcomed and greatly appreciated...
thanks adam
Link to Logan's collection
Welcome aboard my friend. We half dime geeks always like to bring new collectors into the fold. My opinion is of course a bit biased but I highly recommend the series.
It would seem you're off to a good start with aquiring the LM book (Half Dime Bible). There is no other reference as detailed and thorough and helpfull as that book. Read it from front to back and then read it again. Once you've done that, read it again. There is mountains of information inside and it doesn't all sink in the first time or two. Pay special attention to the section describing re-marriages and exactly how to correctly attribute them. It's an absolutely vital part of collecting the series and can be tricky. It's often times what frustrates new half dime collectors. I'd also recommend picking up a copy of Daniel Valentine's half dime reference book. The DV book is much older than the LM book but still has great information.
One beautiful thing about this series is the many ways it can be collected. A date set of just nine coins, a Red Book set of ? coins (I forget exactly how many are in this set...maybe a dozen or slightly more?), a die marriage set of 92 coins, a die marriage/die re-marriage set of 123 coins (this is what I'm doing) and the grand daddy of all a die marriage/die re-marriage/die state set that is virtually never ending. Your chouise of the 92 coin die marriage set is outstanding, simply outstanding. Don't sweat the being young and new to coins thing. I'm only 32 and have been doing the half dimes for about 5 years now, 3 as half dimes only. It's a series of coin that lends itself to a younger collector (no offense Steve haha) as the little baby busties are so incredibly small our young eyes are perfect for studying them.
You ask about the single rarest die marriage. Not too long ago a brand new die marriage of the series was discovered. It is the 1835 LM12 and was discovered by Ed Souders (author of Bust Half Fever). The coin now belongs to a prominent half dime geek in Tennessee and to this day another example has not been found. That makes the die marriage an R8, one known and undoubtedly the most rare Capped Bust Half Dime die marriage.
You've done well in striking up conversation with Mr.Halfdime as he is the single most authoritive person about this series in the entire hobby of coin collecting. He's the king and we are the minions. You can also rely on Barndog and myself to help you along. Don't hesitate to PM questions or discussion topics.
You might try signing up at this forum ,(Bust Coin Forum). It's not nearly as quick as the CU forum but the membership is much more focused to Bust lovers and there is a great base of knowledge concerning the half dimes. You'll find the half dime guys from this forum over at that forum as well.
the set of 123, die-marriage/re die-marriage sounds very intresting. see all the stuff im already learning here. i love the boards. i really like the ms coins but am drawn to circulated silver coinage. these
small little pieces of silver pulled from the people long ago, something calls to me. it like a piece of eight.
who has held this very same coin? where else can you do this? when i first started looking for these coins in ads and for sale on the net, i was really happy about some of the prices i was seeing them
being sold for. similar coins from the same era going for crazy prices, i saw a great oppt. to maybe build a set that oneday, far far away, would be thought of as a truly nice set. i no the days of having
one of everything are gone, but with these beautiful little silver coins i knew it may be poss. to complete.
i really am happy about posting this topic and meeting all of you, who like me have something that calls to them from these coins. i think this will be a very fun and intresting journey.
thanks for all the help and knowledge you all are sharing with a new collector.
adam
problem-free VF-XF is an excellent target range for affordable coins. I started off with a VF-XF target and it became an XF target. I still use XF as my minimum goal, but find myself seeking AU coins more often these days. Then I find a nice AU-53 and an AU-58 comes along with greater eye appeal and I get that. Every now and then I will sell a higher grade coin in order to "upgrade" my set piece with a lower graded coin that has outstanding eye appeal. In fact, I just upgraded my 1834 LM-4 to a beautiful AU-58, opting to sell the MS-64 example that was my set piece. You should have fun with the series...especially if you spend time studying the material in the Logan-McCloskey book!
If you will be at the FUN Show, in Orlando, FL in January you will have an opportunity to meet a few of us half dime geeks, and also to attend a casual meeting of the JRCS to meet others and share collecting ideas and strategies. Others here have provided you with valuable links to the Russ Logan reference collection, the Bust Coin Forum, and the JRCS webpage, all valuable resources. Your choice of VF-EF grades for the CBHDs is a great one, and should allow you to assemble a uniformly graded collection over time. You have embarked on a long term adventure, and one that will provide you with many years of enjoyment and friendship. Good luck to you, and stay in touch.
If you PM me with your mailing address, I will send you a complimentary copy of the John Reich Journal to introduce you to the JRCS. I promise, we won't hold your young age against you. One of the many functions that the JRCS performs is to conduct census surveys of members' holdings, by denomination, and the half dimes will be the next census compiled. You will want to become a member in order to secure a copy of the next half dime census, which is a good indicator of what is available by die marriage.
<< <i>...the next half dime census, which is a good indicator of what is available by die marriage. >>
Mr.HD, when is this slotted to begin?
i am really glad i started this post. thank you so much all of you. i think id love a good shop here in ohio. i live in the very n.east tip of the state
right on lake erie, and have yet to find a worthy shop, most of the ones ive been to, wont sell a coin you want, or the dealer inst there, and no
ones allowed to sell anything. its a bit frustrating. everyone here seems to be very knowledgable and egar to help out a noob.
thank you all of you so much for your time here.
sincerly adam...