Heritage FUN Auction Barber Half Dollars in EF
TomB
Posts: 21,126 ✭✭✭✭✭
Did anyone bid on, view or win any of the Barber half dollars in the recent Heritage sale? I ask because there was a rather extensive run of circulated Barber half dollars and many of these were in EF45. Many lots were circled for possible bidding during my internet pre-screen and then when I sat down to view the coins in-hand there were three pieces that clearly blew the doors off of every other EF45 coin in the run. I bid on these three coins and won one, lost another and was obliterated on the third. Did anyone else bid on or win these coins? Did anyone else view these in-hand? If so, did you also notice the enormous range in quality among what might be considered otherwise similar coins?
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The 1896-O was the absolute show stopper of that run. One of the most amazing XF45s of any date I've ever seen, and for it to be one of the toughest mid-grade dates... well that just makes the coin even more special. It didn't have the look I like so I didn't bid on it, but the new owner is sure to be thrilled with his purchase. And you are exactly right about the large gap in quality from piece to piece. I commented on this briefly in the Mega Barber thread. PCGS's grading "standards" really have me baffled. And as somebody who has collected this series in this grade range almost exclusely for 13 years, I think I should know by now how to grade these things. I realize that PCGS bleats the whole "only our opinion" nonsense, but sometimes I have to wonder if they just throw darts at a board to arrive at their grades. Problem coins getting assigned actual grades... VF35s showing up in 40 or sometimes 45 holders... the same coin coming back with wildly different grades on two consecutive submissions (or graded one time and BBed the next with no alterations done to the coin in the interim)... at times I think the "expert" graders are the numismatic equivalent of the Keystone Cops or a car full of bumbling rodeo clowns!
That being said, some of the nicer, more original looking XF45s in that run brought absolutely obscene money even taking into account the quality of the coins in question. Check out the final prices on the 1893, 1897-O, 1897-S, 1902-O, and 1905. Talk about being "buried alive"! I mention the 97-O and 97-S because those coins were just downright nasty looking compared to some of the other dates in the run.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
<< <i>I hope the Heritage pictures were bad, because some of them looked awful. Was it the coins or the pics? You're saying some of each? I agree that some of the "commons" went nuts. I bid on a couple but didn't win anything. >>
In my opinion very few of the Heritage pictures accurately portrayed the looks of the coins in hand. Some of the photos looked worse than the coins. Some of the coins looked worse than the photos. But this seems to be typical for their auctions.
Tom,
It was great to have met you at Glenn's table; and there seems to
be a few threads on the XF 45 Barber Half auction. I commented on
two so far. I just saw your thread - and just thought I'd add my Two Cents.
Glenn previewed each coin - and bid on a dozen and a half coins and
won a couple of them. Having recently consigned two sets of Halves
to Glenn in VF - AU - I abstained from bidding.
Cratylus hit the nail on the head - I also loved the 1896-O;
it was hands down my favorite coin in the Petersen set.
The 1905-P in XF 45 which carried the Petersen pedigree
[ even if it wasn't on the holder ] carried a great story with it -
which has been repeated so many countless times -
I won't go into it in as great a detail again.
Because of that story, that coin sold for $1610 with the Juice.
The 1905-P in PCGS AU 58 immediately after the XF 45 sold for
$1,092.50. That is just crazy. But - there seems to be more XF 45
Barber Half Collectors than AU 58 Collectors. The kicker is that
Craig carried the NGC 50 in his pocket for awhile before he submitted it -
and finally got the coveted XF 45 he desired. Of course, that date was
submitted on a half dozen coins - even PCGS 50's - cracked out - and
one of the PCGS 50's came back Genuine - Altered Surfaces. Over all -
its a tough date - but nowhere near as difficult as the 1905-O [ IMHO ].
Cratylus was one of the first collectors to sit down at Glenn's table - and spotted
a group of Halves I had thought of keeping - but - I reconsidered and brought to FUN.
It took Cary five seconds to spot the 1905-O in XF 40 - and he considered it the
finest XF example he had ever seen. I bought this coin a few months ago from Chris
Manorcourtman - and I also felt the same way about it. Another purchase made was
a very solid XF 45 1901-S in a PCGS 50 holder that I bought on a Teletrade auction a
year ago - which Cary has already made comments about on another thread.
I was thrilled for DrPete - he did very well - and more than I even thought the set
would sell for. He was on pins and needles for a few weeks prior to the auction. His
fears were unfounded... and I told him so.
The key dates from my last 2nd set went for moderate money - some were a tad
high - and others a bit low; all but two sold - and those two have been reconsigned
to Ponyexpress8 at reduced prices.
I also made comment on the wide disparity of grading XF 45's in another Thread.
All the coins were in a range of 40.9 - 42.5 - 45.0 - 47.5 - 50.1 - but all were actually
graded XF 45. Craig, Peter and I have had conversations as to the wave of looks in
an XF 45 holder. The assemblage of an XF 45 is a feat of major accomplishment, regardless
of how anyone feels about the disparity of the grading of these Halves.
Again, it was an honor to have met you as I have held you in high regard for many years.
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Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
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