My Capped Bust Dime die marriage collection hit 90% with NewP
STONE
Posts: 15,275 ✭
For the last ~5 years I have worked on my Bust Dime collection. The set has evolved from:
1) A "simple" date set in F/VF (or better when available) condition. Soon that was close to completion minus some of the better dates. So I moved on to...
2) A Major Variety set in F/VF/EF grades. I acquired some of the earlier dates missing from the previous date set (although still missing the 1822), but all in all I kept trying to buy original and crusty VF coins with even wear and strikes on each side. Somehow I was lucky enough to find enough examples to feel I should move on to...
3) A Major and Minor Variety set in F/VF/EF grades. This didn't require the addition of too many more Bust Dimes and I was able to add a nice 1822 Dime from Rich Uhrich! Things were quickly coming together and I continued to enjoy building this set. So I decided to take on the daunting task of...
4) Stepping up and building a complete die marriage collection. What the heck, there were only 122 die marriages at the time I started the set; today there are 123! I knew some die marriages would be nearly impossible for me to acquire on my meager teenage/early 20's, college budget! But with the help of some very fortunate cherrypicks and flips along the way I was able to acquire some of the rarest die marriages in the set in very respectable condition. I handled and still own several condition census examples in the series. This set was turning out to be an awesome adventure. I was also lucky enough to acquire some difficult die marriages from a couple of privately sold collections. By the end of this 4th year (2011) I was up to 84 die marriages (68.3%); of those remaining only 4 were R6 or rarer and most were more common R3 to R1's. So my goal for 2012 was get that number up to 100 die marriages. Well...
5) As of the beginning of this December month I added my 111th die marriage out of 123 to my collection (as shown below - 1829 JR-6 PCGS-20), and far surpassing my original goal. That makes my collection 90.2% complete with an average grade of approximately VF-28. Of the remaining 12 die marriages, 2 have a combined population of 15 or less known examples, while the other 10 die marriages are all R4 to R1 in rarity; some of those R4's though are quite elusive to find in nice condition. In addition I have a collection of low-grade Draped Bust Dimes from 1803 to 1807 including the rare 1804 14-star!
So, I mark the end of 2012 on a VERY high note and am pleased to share with you this personal achievement
Some words of advice for anyone working on a similar marathon collection:
Work within your comfortable budget
Become an expert on that series
Be consistent in terms of grade/color/originality (or minor problems)
Don't be afraid to step-up on a piece if you can make it work
*BUT MOST OF ALL...
Persistence
Patience
and a little Luck! go a long way
Many thanks go out to board members (in no particular order) for their assistance, advice and encouragement in working on this set:
Dimeman
USmoneylover
Rich Uhrich
Moldnut
Realone
Barndog
Astrorat
Sonorandesertrat
MFH
ebaybuyer
fishteeth
billet7
quarternut
lanlord
ponyexpress8
Mozin
1bustcollector
johnray
...and MANY others here and elsewhere
1) A "simple" date set in F/VF (or better when available) condition. Soon that was close to completion minus some of the better dates. So I moved on to...
2) A Major Variety set in F/VF/EF grades. I acquired some of the earlier dates missing from the previous date set (although still missing the 1822), but all in all I kept trying to buy original and crusty VF coins with even wear and strikes on each side. Somehow I was lucky enough to find enough examples to feel I should move on to...
3) A Major and Minor Variety set in F/VF/EF grades. This didn't require the addition of too many more Bust Dimes and I was able to add a nice 1822 Dime from Rich Uhrich! Things were quickly coming together and I continued to enjoy building this set. So I decided to take on the daunting task of...
4) Stepping up and building a complete die marriage collection. What the heck, there were only 122 die marriages at the time I started the set; today there are 123! I knew some die marriages would be nearly impossible for me to acquire on my meager teenage/early 20's, college budget! But with the help of some very fortunate cherrypicks and flips along the way I was able to acquire some of the rarest die marriages in the set in very respectable condition. I handled and still own several condition census examples in the series. This set was turning out to be an awesome adventure. I was also lucky enough to acquire some difficult die marriages from a couple of privately sold collections. By the end of this 4th year (2011) I was up to 84 die marriages (68.3%); of those remaining only 4 were R6 or rarer and most were more common R3 to R1's. So my goal for 2012 was get that number up to 100 die marriages. Well...
5) As of the beginning of this December month I added my 111th die marriage out of 123 to my collection (as shown below - 1829 JR-6 PCGS-20), and far surpassing my original goal. That makes my collection 90.2% complete with an average grade of approximately VF-28. Of the remaining 12 die marriages, 2 have a combined population of 15 or less known examples, while the other 10 die marriages are all R4 to R1 in rarity; some of those R4's though are quite elusive to find in nice condition. In addition I have a collection of low-grade Draped Bust Dimes from 1803 to 1807 including the rare 1804 14-star!
So, I mark the end of 2012 on a VERY high note and am pleased to share with you this personal achievement
Some words of advice for anyone working on a similar marathon collection:
Work within your comfortable budget
Become an expert on that series
Be consistent in terms of grade/color/originality (or minor problems)
Don't be afraid to step-up on a piece if you can make it work
*BUT MOST OF ALL...
Persistence
Patience
and a little Luck! go a long way
Many thanks go out to board members (in no particular order) for their assistance, advice and encouragement in working on this set:
Dimeman
USmoneylover
Rich Uhrich
Moldnut
Realone
Barndog
Astrorat
Sonorandesertrat
MFH
ebaybuyer
fishteeth
billet7
quarternut
lanlord
ponyexpress8
Mozin
1bustcollector
johnray
...and MANY others here and elsewhere
1
Comments
a very nice read and very much congratz on achieving your goal and exceeding it!
.
Best of luck as you inch closer to 123
EAC 6024
<< <i>Another big Congrads Stone, another mileStone (pun inteneded)!
How rare is this die marriage would opine? >>
The 1829 JR-6 is an R3
One of the truly great and fun aspects of our hobby is getting to the fine details. Becoming a true knowledgeable expert and being able to persist in the hunt are such a blast. I've learned quite a bit through you although just a fraction of what you know in the series.
Will you be making it to FUN this year?
If not I understand with your busy life these days but if you do I look forward to seeing you.
Website-Americana Rare Coin Inc
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A great achievement that went along with many, many hours of study and searching, I look forward to the next installment...100% ???!!
Good luck with finding the rest ... quite a challenge!
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
<< <i>holy hell... being mentioned in a positive manner may we ll be the best christmas present ive received in a while. BTW did you get that counterfeit bust dime that was recently auctioned ? >>
I REALLY tried for that one, but someone else wanted it more...I was always chasing whoever that bidder was!
AB
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<< <i>holy hell... being mentioned in a positive manner may we ll be the best christmas present ive received in a while. BTW did you get that counterfeit bust dime that was recently auctioned ? >>
I REALLY tried for that one, but someone else wanted it more...I was always chasing whoever that bidder was! >>
What did it end up going for and do you have a photo of it by chance? >>
It's on the StacksBowers website and it sold for $999
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<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>holy hell... being mentioned in a positive manner may we ll be the best christmas present ive received in a while. BTW did you get that counterfeit bust dime that was recently auctioned ? >>
I REALLY tried for that one, but someone else wanted it more...I was always chasing whoever that bidder was! >>
What did it end up going for and do you have a photo of it by chance? >>
It's on the StacksBowers website and it sold for $999 >>
$999 for a counterfeit Bust dime? Geez! Why such a strong price?
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>holy hell... being mentioned in a positive manner may we ll be the best christmas present ive received in a while. BTW did you get that counterfeit bust dime that was recently auctioned ? >>
I REALLY tried for that one, but someone else wanted it more...I was always chasing whoever that bidder was! >>
What did it end up going for and do you have a photo of it by chance? >>
It's on the StacksBowers website and it sold for $999 >>
$999 for a counterfeit Bust dime? Geez! Why such a strong price? >>
1) There are very few known!
2) This one was fairly attractive and similar in 'look' to contemporary counterfeit Bust Halves of the time
3) Someone REALLY wanted it, and the other bidder and I were chasing this one pretty good
4) $1,000 for a contemporary counterfeit isn't outrageous now-a-days; an 1815 Bogo Half sold earlier this year for >$1,500; I have paid near that for a counterfeit in my collection!