1913 and 1915 Barber Halves - Do you nvest in / hoard these?
Cougar1978
Posts: 8,970 ✭✭✭✭✭
After looking at a 1913 ANACS VG08 Barber 50c on ebay I have been ready to jump on it as it is 1c below CDN Bid. I have another piece (NGC) but these two dates fascinate me. Have you acquired either or both of these and what are your thoughts on investment / sales potential? It seems (based on my sales) there is demand for circ Barber Halves as many are filling holes. Frankly I have done better retailing these (common dates in circ) than MS Morgan Dollars. But starting to hoard some of the keys may be a next step just for fun project.
Investor
0
Comments
If you do hoard them you will find yourself well behind the curve to a sizable pool of folks who have or had done so in the last decade or so. In case anyone is wondering, I am not one who believes in hoarding these dates in low grade.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Listen to Tom. He knows what he is talking about. In low grades, G and VG, they are easily found. Very comparable to stay 21 Walkers. In low grades supply outstrips demand (21 Walkers and the three late date low mintage Barber halves). They are readily available at shows for less than retail. I would suggest putting the money into a AU original coin. Better off with one high grade coin than several low grade pieces. Some of the best coin buying advice I have been given is buy the best coin you can afford. Plus you will spend some time on the search for the original high grade piece. Look at Tom's coins on his site. He has some excellent original material. Good luck. Enjoy the hunt, half the fun
Jim
I would also study pop reports....I don't suggest to buy the best you can afford, but rather buy the best you can understand. There are a host of earlier dates I would prefer to hoard in middle grades - assuming you can find them. Consider the 93S, 96S, 97O, 98O, and 05O, among others.
And yes there is demand for circ Barber halves, but alas the days of cherry picking nice VF/XF raw coins at shows for ~Bid for the most part are long gone.
Thanks - some good observations, advice
There was a time... I dunno, maybe 15-20 yrs ago that these were plusing on the greysheet every month for a year. Then they stagnated about where they are now and haven't done squat since.
I agree with the advice about staying away from G and VG of these dates, UNLESS you find a nice one without problems. These two I searched for across many websites for many months and passed up many in G and VG because for some reason most all of them had nicks / scratches, etc., especially the 1915.
I lucked out in 2016 when I found examples of both of these and they were problem-free. Unfortunately for my very limited budget they were middle-grades, but I said what the heck, took the leap and bought the 1913 in F-12 and the 1915 in VF-25. Am very happy with both, and got them from the same dealer at different times (won't tell you his name, his initials are Gary Adkins).
What about the 1914?
They aren't rare, just hoarded. When thinking about "investment" hoarded coins should be avoided.
I am not sure how many collectors are working a set of Barber half dollars in G-VG. I don't think that there are a lot of them. They would be the main customers for those coins since a collector who was working on a type set in the lower grades would buy one of the more common dates.
The 92, 94 and 96 Philly halves are way tougher in VG than the 13, 14 and 15 P issues.
Perhaps a nice AU of one of the key dates then.