Milo's '93-S isn't that easy to acquire either - nice job! The '98-O was tough to get that nice in color for me - I personally was surprised it wasn't a three figure $ number to get it. Thanks for the pleasantries Vern. Here is my second VF '98-O (picture is a bit darker than what the actual coin exhibits in natural light) purchased in May of 2014:
I have a VG '93-S along with this one in VF:
Tim
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Might be tempting to send it to CAC first hoping for a gold sticker. If not gold stickered then send it in to PCGS. You have to look HARD to find even a MINOR imperfection. Not me series but the strike seems above average too. Congrats.
Jim
With the recent spike in MS 85 nickels this coin would stand out with a gold sticker. I’m not a big fan of CAC but to ignore what the market is supporting price wise would be unwise. And you still have all other options if you don’t get a gold sticker But I don’t think you can go wrong with that coin
Tim - It's never is a bad idea to have more than one of those tough dates.
erwindoc - I'd say you have a good chance for an upgrade. And I agree with Jim, that a PC64 with a gold CAC would stand out more than a PC65, when it comes time to sell.
Jeff - Another of my favorite tough dates.
Pics for this PM, from Milo's second set, PC40:
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
"The reason I say "sort of" upgraded is my other '93 S has a far right mm...
I'm treating both mm positions as part of the set even though our hosts don't recognize the two mm positions for '93 to '95. The also don't recognize the '92 Type 1 & 2 Reverse- I do."
Was just thinking here... Jeff is onto something. What would be an ideally configured registry set to go after? what would you want in it? If our hosts haven't put the right set content together, could we all agree on what that set might be then put our items into that configuration? would this be a joint-participatory custom registry set?
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
You have to get PCGS to accept them as major varieties first. Many people have tried to get PCGS to recognize the 1907-S/S Barber Half and it is more pronounced than the 1911-S/S Barber Half which PCGS accepts as a major variety!
"The reason I say "sort of" upgraded is my other '93 S has a far right mm...
I'm treating both mm positions as part of the set even though our hosts don't recognize the two mm positions for '93 to '95. The also don't recognize the '92 Type 1 & 2 Reverse- I do."
Was just thinking here... Jeff is onto something. What would be an ideally configured registry set to go after? what would you want in it? If our hosts haven't put the right set content together, could we all agree on what that set might be then put our items into that configuration? would this be a joint-participatory custom registry set?
Vern, Paes, I like the 1907-S as a date and you have a nice version of it there. The following year, 1908-S is also near impossible to find nice in mid-circ grades. It would be great if I could improve upon both of my S-mint Fine specimens at some point.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Tim - Both the 07 and 08-S's were very tough to find nice in VF and XF, when I was putting together my raw set. Nice, 93 and 93-O, BTW.
Back from 2 busy days in Baltimore. Paesan, Jim and my friends Keith and Glen all stayed at the same hotel and had a great time at the show. Every one of us came away with some very nice additions to our collections. They'll be some pics here in the mega-thread over the next few days. Attended the Barber Coin Collector Society's club meeting on Friday afternoon, which had a nice presentation on collecting by Joe M, a member I had not met before. What a great hobby.
Pics for this PM, from Milo's second quarter set, PC20:
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
I've picked up several raw Barber Quarters recently and finally got around to photographing them over the weekend. I'll be submitting them to our hosts in hopes of upgrades for my set, but I may wait a few weeks untilFUN. Here's a 1916:
I think it has a decent chance at an AU 58. We'll see.
This is the FS-901 Clashed Die (obverse) variety. The coin is a bit dark, making the clashing a bit less obvious, but it's there. There's a die chip on the reverse connecting the mm to the eagles tail; I haven't seen this on any other coins of the variety.
Jeff, A lot of clash in the field in front of Liberty's face! Also interesting how the 'O' is tucked up under the eagle feathers and I see a bit of something on the top part of that mintmark like you said on that '92-O. Nice crust to boot!
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Ebay came out with their ebay bucks offer at the right time! Man the Barber Half's rolled out the door on ebay yesterday! Coast to Coast evidently came up with close to a set of Barber Half's as well as several other new listings from other dealers. Some of the coins were actually pretty nice as Coast to Coast coins go. I managed to rack up around $400 in ebay bucks. Bought a nice improver 97-O Half PCGS 40 CAC for my set! I believe that has my 40 set down to just 1 eyesore...the 04-S.
Once again Jon some great looking dimes. I really like the '99 O.
I've had a tough time finding a nice AU 1903 Quarter for my Everyman set; I've had to settle for a VF 35 for quite a while. I found one I think will work last week:
Jeff - you sound just like me with respect to the 03 in AU condition. I have a nice VF, but no dice yet on an acceptable AU. I've had a similar experience with the 06. Vern told me that it's kind of funny why some supposed common dates are sleepers. It seems odd to me as well, but it's real. Good luck on your 03 submission.
Vern - incredible 97-S in 64 !! That one will fit your set very nicely.
Milo
*****
What?!?! No Barber quarters in the mail today!?!? ... "heavy sigh" ...
I have an '03-P 25c in PC50... but that was only by accident in that I was sending it in expecting an XF return - it is a bit dark on the reverse especially. I don't see high-end circulated '03 offerings out there - seems tough. Jeff, I like the look of what you were able to pick-up there - very nice.
T
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Hey Jeff
Hope you are doing well. The 03 half is a little tougher too, similar to a 96-P in both denominations. Must be a logical explanation, but I doubt we’ll ever know what it is. I think Vern made s great buy on the 97-S. Nice coin
Darrell - Congrats on the 97-O in 40. From the scans I saw, it looked choice.
I'm surprised how tough the 1903 qtr seems to be in nice AU 55-58. I've yet to find one that excites me. I have an MS-64 holding that place until the right AU comes along.
Pics for this PM, DDO newp that Paesan picked up in Baltimore, PC53:
Vern l It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
For a very, very long time Barbers were my primary collecting focus. Then several years ago I expanded my interests to include all different types of classic coins. But even though I've diversified, Barbers still hold a special place in my heart. I guess you could say, I have a "love-hate relationship" with them.
There are days I truly despise the coins....
- Days I realize there are so many tough dates that I will probably never have an opportunity to acquire.
- Days I remember that there is too much competition with well-to-do collectors and dealers for me to be able to put together the type of sets I would love to be able to assemble.
- Days I lament the fact that it's insanely difficult to find truly great examples at reasonable prices.
Then there are days that I truly love the coins...
- Days that I get to see photos of Vern's amazing set of quarters (would LOVE to see that set in person).
- Days that I get to see "surprises" like the 93-S quarter that @Dave99B posted a while back.
- Days that @DIMEMAN posts a rare Barber dime die variety that I never even knew existed.
- Days that @JeffMTampa posts some raw find that has me scratching my head as to how the coin wasn't in a holder yet.
- Or days that I am able to acquire coins like this one:
Do any of you share my "love-hate relationship" with Barbers? Or am I alone in that sentiment?
My current coin collecting interests are: (1) British coins 1838-1970 in XF-AU-UNC, (2) silver type coins in XF-AU with that classic medium gray coloration and exceptional eye appeal.
For me the only thing that upsets me is the love affair with AT coins, obviously not your 99 quarter Barber Fanatic. That’s very attractive. The problem exists mostly inMorgan dollars ( mostly obverse??????). I find it hard to believe all these coins have been in hiding for a hundred years waiting for them to come into vogue!! IMHO the AT bs is terrible for numismatics. Makes our TPG services lose credibility with knowledgeable collectors. Also we will lose some collectors when the bubble bursts. Just a small step above the television hucksters
Getting off my soap box now, I hate heights.
@sedulous said:
Here is another Barber dime. I would like to focus your attention on the reverse and the nice die crack not far from the mintmark. 1912-D Barber Dime.
Ooh, after receiving this in hand, I noticed another die crack at about 9 o'clock to the viewer's left eminating from the leaf on the reverse! Also something going on at about 4 to 5 o'clock as well. Perhaps this is close to a terminal die state? / die end-of-life?
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
...Back from a "small" health scare and happy to see all the wonderful Barbers. ...Vern's images are terrific. I've sorted through the old collection and have pulled out a few early "P's"; 2-4-6-8-0, some old, some new.
Not the best pictures but the start of a little proof set I'm wanting to put together with Barber 10c, 25c, 50c and Seated 10c, 25c, 50c, $1. Have my eyes on a nice looking seated quarter PR64 at a live auction tomorrow so hopefully will check off both quarters.
I feel similar to @BarberFanatic 's post above. I absolutely love the series but became frustrated anytime I found an example I love seeing it go through the roof price-wise. Same with the seated series. The common proofs are affordable in both series so that's why I'm going this route for now.
This one is a PCGS PR63CAC and is beautiful in hand.
@No Headlights said:
For me the only thing that upsets me is the love affair with AT coins, obviously not your 99 quarter Barber Fanatic. That’s very attractive. The problem exists mostly inMorgan dollars ( mostly obverse??????). I find it hard to believe all these coins have been in hiding for a hundred years waiting for them to come into vogue!! IMHO the AT bs is terrible for numismatics. Makes our TPG services lose credibility with knowledgeable collectors. Also we will lose some collectors when the bubble bursts. Just a small step above the television hucksters
Getting off my soap box now, I hate heights.
Well said.
It is common knowledge that hundreds of thousands of Morgan Dollars coins sat idly for decades in their original government-issued bags inside bank vaults. It is also common knowledge that when those bags were released for public dispersal, collectors noted that the coins that were in contact with the fabric of the bags developed some wild and very particular/peculiar toning. It's unlike what we find on any other coin series.
Ever since the toning craze hit (was it back in the mid 90's? I don't remember specifically), we've had opportunists trying to capitalize on it. We see the results of casual "coin doctors" on eBay and it's instantaneously obvious to the seasoned collector that their brand of toning is artificial.
However, we also have "expert" coin doctors who have the time, resources and wherewithal to experiment with an overabundance of available and relatively cheap source material so they can perfect their methods of imparting the same wild toning using the same textile compositions. If the expert coin docs know the specifics of what caused a particular type of market acceptable (and more importantly, third party grading company acceptable) toning, then it's only a matter of time before they can create the kinds of coins we are seeing permeate the Morgan Dollar niche of our hobby.
And as fastidious as PCGS and NGC are, there is only so much they are able do to try to weed out this material, especially when it is virtually indistinguishable from coins that developed the exact same type of toning "naturally".
Because of this, I consider Morgan Dollars to be the "Wild West" of our hobby and I simply ignore them. The only examples I have in my collection are a couple of raw coins that were given to me by my grandfather several decades ago before he passed away.
My current coin collecting interests are: (1) British coins 1838-1970 in XF-AU-UNC, (2) silver type coins in XF-AU with that classic medium gray coloration and exceptional eye appeal.
Comments
Tim - Nice additions. That 98-O is a toughie.
Jon - Nice 99-O, with the look of an AU.
Glenn - Good to hear from you, and with such a neat pattern.
Pics for this AM, new (pics anyway) into Milo's second set, PC40:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Milo's '93-S isn't that easy to acquire either - nice job! The '98-O was tough to get that nice in color for me - I personally was surprised it wasn't a three figure $ number to get it. Thanks for the pleasantries Vern. Here is my second VF '98-O (picture is a bit darker than what the actual coin exhibits in natural light) purchased in May of 2014:
I have a VG '93-S along with this one in VF:
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Here's my 1885! PCGS MS64. Anyone besides me think they might have another look at it? I have always thought it was a strong upgrade candidate.
Looks like a 66 to me!
Yep- that '85 is VERY nice.
No way that is only a 64.
Might be tempting to send it to CAC first hoping for a gold sticker. If not gold stickered then send it in to PCGS. You have to look HARD to find even a MINOR imperfection. Not me series but the strike seems above average too. Congrats.
Jim
I would MUCH rather have it in a 65 or 66 holder than all the stickers in the world of any color.
With the recent spike in MS 85 nickels this coin would stand out with a gold sticker. I’m not a big fan of CAC but to ignore what the market is supporting price wise would be unwise. And you still have all other options if you don’t get a gold sticker But I don’t think you can go wrong with that coin
I picked up an upgrade for my VG 8 1914 S Quarter, a PCGS F 15:
It will do for now....
Nice original crusty Barber Quarter Jeff. That is a tuff date with the same mintage as the 16-D Dime.
Jeff, Really like the look of your '14-S
... crust is an enhancer
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Tim - It's never is a bad idea to have more than one of those tough dates.
erwindoc - I'd say you have a good chance for an upgrade. And I agree with Jim, that a PC64 with a gold CAC would stand out more than a PC65, when it comes time to sell.
Jeff - Another of my favorite tough dates.
Pics for this PM, from Milo's second set, PC40:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Very nice 94-O Quarter Vern.
Pic of one of my 1908-D RPD's. Click on pic to enlarge.
@JeffMTampa said:
"The reason I say "sort of" upgraded is my other '93 S has a far right mm...
I'm treating both mm positions as part of the set even though our hosts don't recognize the two mm positions for '93 to '95. The also don't recognize the '92 Type 1 & 2 Reverse- I do."
Was just thinking here... Jeff is onto something. What would be an ideally configured registry set to go after? what would you want in it? If our hosts haven't put the right set content together, could we all agree on what that set might be then put our items into that configuration? would this be a joint-participatory custom registry set?
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
You have to get PCGS to accept them as major varieties first. Many people have tried to get PCGS to recognize the 1907-S/S Barber Half and it is more pronounced than the 1911-S/S Barber Half which PCGS accepts as a major variety!
I find it odd that PCGS will turn away an opportunity to churn $$. As a stockholder I'm appalled.
Jeff - I find it odd as well.
Pics for this AM, from Milo's second set, PC20:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Pics for this PM, newp that soon will be cracked and replace the current 93-S in my raw set, thanks Milo. PC30:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Vern - I'm more than happy to help your terrific raw set!!
*****
What?!?! No Barber quarters in the mail today!?!? ... "heavy sigh" ...
Looking forward to Baltimore tomorrow. Anyone else coming? (besides Paesan and Jim, who I know will be there).
Pics for this PM, tough newp into Paesan's Stash, PC53:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Vern, Paes, I like the 1907-S as a date and you have a nice version of it there. The following year, 1908-S is also near impossible to find nice in mid-circ grades. It would be great if I could improve upon both of my S-mint Fine specimens at some point.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
1893-P quarter... I thought this one was pretty nice. Graded PCGS XF40.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Here is a 1893-O in PC30...
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Tim - Both the 07 and 08-S's were very tough to find nice in VF and XF, when I was putting together my raw set. Nice, 93 and 93-O, BTW.
Back from 2 busy days in Baltimore. Paesan, Jim and my friends Keith and Glen all stayed at the same hotel and had a great time at the show. Every one of us came away with some very nice additions to our collections. They'll be some pics here in the mega-thread over the next few days. Attended the Barber Coin Collector Society's club meeting on Friday afternoon, which had a nice presentation on collecting by Joe M, a member I had not met before. What a great hobby.
Pics for this PM, from Milo's second quarter set, PC20:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Very recently picked up this nice looking 1914-S Barber dime in the raw (VF). I like this sort of halo look in circulated grades.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Here is another Barber dime. I would like to focus your attention on the reverse and the nice die crack not far from the mintmark. 1912-D Barber Dime.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Nice die crack, Tim!
I've picked up several raw Barber Quarters recently and finally got around to photographing them over the weekend. I'll be submitting them to our hosts in hopes of upgrades for my set, but I may wait a few weeks untilFUN. Here's a 1916:
I think it has a decent chance at an AU 58. We'll see.
Wow Jeff, very nice 1916-P... love the look
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Thanks Tim.
Here's another new raw pickup, an 1892 O 25C:
This is the FS-901 Clashed Die (obverse) variety. The coin is a bit dark, making the clashing a bit less obvious, but it's there. There's a die chip on the reverse connecting the mm to the eagles tail; I haven't seen this on any other coins of the variety.
Tim - Neat place for a die crack.
Jeff - Good luck with the grading gods.
Pics for this PM, newp from Baltimore, PC64:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
Sweet '97-S Vern! very nice pick-up.
Jeff, A lot of clash in the field in front of Liberty's face! Also interesting how the 'O' is tucked up under the eagle feathers and I see a bit of something on the top part of that mintmark like you said on that '92-O. Nice crust to boot!
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Ebay came out with their ebay bucks offer at the right time! Man the Barber Half's rolled out the door on ebay yesterday! Coast to Coast evidently came up with close to a set of Barber Half's as well as several other new listings from other dealers. Some of the coins were actually pretty nice as Coast to Coast coins go. I managed to rack up around $400 in ebay bucks. Bought a nice improver 97-O Half PCGS 40 CAC for my set! I believe that has my 40 set down to just 1 eyesore...the 04-S.
Anyone else pick up anything?
Pic of my 1905-O Barber Dime. I got this back in 1996 from DLRC. And the 1899-O from Alpine.
This is my 1899-S from Alpine that I bought back in 96 also.
Once again Jon some great looking dimes. I really like the '99 O.
I've had a tough time finding a nice AU 1903 Quarter for my Everyman set; I've had to settle for a VF 35 for quite a while. I found one I think will work last week:
Has anyone else had trouble with the '03?
Jeff - you sound just like me with respect to the 03 in AU condition. I have a nice VF, but no dice yet on an acceptable AU. I've had a similar experience with the 06. Vern told me that it's kind of funny why some supposed common dates are sleepers. It seems odd to me as well, but it's real. Good luck on your 03 submission.
Vern - incredible 97-S in 64 !! That one will fit your set very nicely.
*****
What?!?! No Barber quarters in the mail today!?!? ... "heavy sigh" ...
I have an '03-P 25c in PC50... but that was only by accident in that I was sending it in expecting an XF return - it is a bit dark on the reverse especially. I don't see high-end circulated '03 offerings out there - seems tough. Jeff, I like the look of what you were able to pick-up there - very nice.
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Hey Jeff
Hope you are doing well. The 03 half is a little tougher too, similar to a 96-P in both denominations. Must be a logical explanation, but I doubt we’ll ever know what it is. I think Vern made s great buy on the 97-S. Nice coin
Jim, Jeff, '03-P. Seems like a good question that should be adressed in a future BCCS Journal article. Hmmm...
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Here's another raw pickup, a 1912 S 25C:
I should have posted a warning for Jim; this one has obviously been dipped. It hopefully will grade and replace my current XF 40.
Darrell - Congrats on the 97-O in 40. From the scans I saw, it looked choice.
I'm surprised how tough the 1903 qtr seems to be in nice AU 55-58. I've yet to find one that excites me. I have an MS-64 holding that place until the right AU comes along.
Pics for this PM, DDO newp that Paesan picked up in Baltimore, PC53:
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
For a very, very long time Barbers were my primary collecting focus. Then several years ago I expanded my interests to include all different types of classic coins. But even though I've diversified, Barbers still hold a special place in my heart. I guess you could say, I have a "love-hate relationship" with them.
There are days I truly despise the coins....
- Days I realize there are so many tough dates that I will probably never have an opportunity to acquire.
- Days I remember that there is too much competition with well-to-do collectors and dealers for me to be able to put together the type of sets I would love to be able to assemble.
- Days I lament the fact that it's insanely difficult to find truly great examples at reasonable prices.
Then there are days that I truly love the coins...
- Days that I get to see photos of Vern's amazing set of quarters (would LOVE to see that set in person).
- Days that I get to see "surprises" like the 93-S quarter that @Dave99B posted a while back.
- Days that @DIMEMAN posts a rare Barber dime die variety that I never even knew existed.
- Days that @JeffMTampa posts some raw find that has me scratching my head as to how the coin wasn't in a holder yet.
- Or days that I am able to acquire coins like this one:
Do any of you share my "love-hate relationship" with Barbers? Or am I alone in that sentiment?
For me the only thing that upsets me is the love affair with AT coins, obviously not your 99 quarter Barber Fanatic. That’s very attractive. The problem exists mostly inMorgan dollars ( mostly obverse??????). I find it hard to believe all these coins have been in hiding for a hundred years waiting for them to come into vogue!! IMHO the AT bs is terrible for numismatics. Makes our TPG services lose credibility with knowledgeable collectors. Also we will lose some collectors when the bubble bursts. Just a small step above the television hucksters
Getting off my soap box now, I hate heights.
Ooh, after receiving this in hand, I noticed another die crack at about 9 o'clock to the viewer's left eminating from the leaf on the reverse! Also something going on at about 4 to 5 o'clock as well. Perhaps this is close to a terminal die state? / die end-of-life?
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.
Vern:
Could you check that S on the '08S, looks like there is something north of the S to the eagle's tail.
RPM?
BHNC #203
...Back from a "small" health scare and happy to see all the wonderful Barbers. ...Vern's images are terrific. I've sorted through the old collection and have pulled out a few early "P's"; 2-4-6-8-0, some old, some new.
Not the best pictures but the start of a little proof set I'm wanting to put together with Barber 10c, 25c, 50c and Seated 10c, 25c, 50c, $1. Have my eyes on a nice looking seated quarter PR64 at a live auction tomorrow so hopefully will check off both quarters.
I feel similar to @BarberFanatic 's post above. I absolutely love the series but became frustrated anytime I found an example I love seeing it go through the roof price-wise. Same with the seated series. The common proofs are affordable in both series so that's why I'm going this route for now.
This one is a PCGS PR63CAC and is beautiful in hand.
Well said.
It is common knowledge that hundreds of thousands of Morgan Dollars coins sat idly for decades in their original government-issued bags inside bank vaults. It is also common knowledge that when those bags were released for public dispersal, collectors noted that the coins that were in contact with the fabric of the bags developed some wild and very particular/peculiar toning. It's unlike what we find on any other coin series.
Ever since the toning craze hit (was it back in the mid 90's? I don't remember specifically), we've had opportunists trying to capitalize on it. We see the results of casual "coin doctors" on eBay and it's instantaneously obvious to the seasoned collector that their brand of toning is artificial.
However, we also have "expert" coin doctors who have the time, resources and wherewithal to experiment with an overabundance of available and relatively cheap source material so they can perfect their methods of imparting the same wild toning using the same textile compositions. If the expert coin docs know the specifics of what caused a particular type of market acceptable (and more importantly, third party grading company acceptable) toning, then it's only a matter of time before they can create the kinds of coins we are seeing permeate the Morgan Dollar niche of our hobby.
And as fastidious as PCGS and NGC are, there is only so much they are able do to try to weed out this material, especially when it is virtually indistinguishable from coins that developed the exact same type of toning "naturally".
Because of this, I consider Morgan Dollars to be the "Wild West" of our hobby and I simply ignore them. The only examples I have in my collection are a couple of raw coins that were given to me by my grandfather several decades ago before he passed away.