Barber Coins - To much press lately
Barberman55
Posts: 1,605 ✭
Tyler's (ARCO), recent thread on Barber halves has prompted me to start another Barber thread......
I just finished reading my latest edition of Coin World, and once again, a numismatic publication has included at least one article (usually there are more) on Barber coinage. Same thing with the September issue of Coins magazine, more articles on Barbers.
The articles usually refer to how underpriced Barbers are, in relation to other US coin series, how tough a series they are to collect in original, not messed with, condition, and the like. Although I love to read about the series that I specialize in, it is making it harder and harder to find nice Barber quarters and halves, at prices that are still considered "undervalued". With all the latest collectors jumping on the Barber bandwagon, finding that special Barber, at a decent price, has become a 24 hour a day job.
All this attention being played to the Barber series would be great, if I had my sets at least near completion, but that's not the case. As some of the articles have suggested, prices will probably continue to rise, at least for the keys and semi keys, at an unbelievable pace. Coin World's "Coin Values" section, has used the 1896-s Barber quarter as an example of a key date who's price in VG-8, has gone from $700.00, in Jan of 2005, to the current value of $1,200.00.
I guess I just have to accept the fact that Barbers are no longer a series that are collected by a few, (which kept prices down), but rather, is a series that is picking up huge momentum in the numismatic community, and will continue to become even more popular in the future.
I just finished reading my latest edition of Coin World, and once again, a numismatic publication has included at least one article (usually there are more) on Barber coinage. Same thing with the September issue of Coins magazine, more articles on Barbers.
The articles usually refer to how underpriced Barbers are, in relation to other US coin series, how tough a series they are to collect in original, not messed with, condition, and the like. Although I love to read about the series that I specialize in, it is making it harder and harder to find nice Barber quarters and halves, at prices that are still considered "undervalued". With all the latest collectors jumping on the Barber bandwagon, finding that special Barber, at a decent price, has become a 24 hour a day job.
All this attention being played to the Barber series would be great, if I had my sets at least near completion, but that's not the case. As some of the articles have suggested, prices will probably continue to rise, at least for the keys and semi keys, at an unbelievable pace. Coin World's "Coin Values" section, has used the 1896-s Barber quarter as an example of a key date who's price in VG-8, has gone from $700.00, in Jan of 2005, to the current value of $1,200.00.
I guess I just have to accept the fact that Barbers are no longer a series that are collected by a few, (which kept prices down), but rather, is a series that is picking up huge momentum in the numismatic community, and will continue to become even more popular in the future.
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Type collector since 1981
Current focus 1855 date type set
<< <i>This attention is what has lead to the insane prices being realized for coins like the 04-s halves and 13-s quarters as of late? >>
Jim,
You're right, all it takes is one article, in a major numismatic publication, calling a particular date, a "sleeper", or "undervalued", and forget about it after that.
Connor Numismatics Website
For those who do have a complete, evenly matched set of these in grades better than VG-10, I congratulate you.
<< <i>A large percentage of the buying is by speculators and hoarders, not true collectors of the series. The result is the same. The supply of nice original coins, which was never very large, has dried up fast. >>
Good point, I forgot about the hoarders and speculators who are only thinking about the almighty dollar.
Connor Numismatics Website
The seated series is replete with underrated dates that don't cost a lick. The 1859-0 quarter is rarer in overall circ condition than any Barber coin (1901-s 25c included).....probably 5 to 10X as rare as the 1901-s quarter. Yet you can find those for $30-50 in decent circ grades. EF's cost around $100-150. Eventually, that hoopla over the Barbers will make its way back to many of the mid-range seated coins.
roadrunner
I would love to see the set of Barber dimes that you picked up. It must be a great feeling to buy an early set like that (even in lower circulated grades), and find so many nice, original looking coins. One day, I'm hoping it will happen to me with Barber quarters or halves.
Because the Seated series is such a tough and challenging series to collect (even more so than Barbers), and the series contain a ton of different dates and mintmarks, I don't really see the the early seated coins be collected for anything more than type sets.
Connor Numismatics Website
I have a circulated registry set, but I'm only competing with myself. I participate to share what I have. Fortunately the number of blast white shiney ones are in the small minority.
Dime prices seem to be heading up also.
Yeah, I think the upsurge (three more collectors have joined in
In addition, there have been some very well financed and dedicated MS Barber collectors (in the half series) that have been in friendly competition for the finest higher end MS pieces, two of whom post here. Harry Labstain's 04-S in MS61 for sale is listed as, "Call for Price" which means that its price is HIGH and rising too quickly for him to be bound by a fixed internet price.
I am lucky enough to collect in a grade range that is still affordable if not nearly impossible to find choice examples. However, I am disappointed to see the ever elusive 92-o micro O escalate in price like the quarter key dates. If it is any consolation Dan, while the prices have been rising, it still seems to me about equally difficult to locate choice and original pieces as it did five years ago. I have noticed that Heritage has had many more nice Barber coins these last two years. I once wrote Heritage all pissed off after scanning their site for about one year and not seeing a single nice Barber half. I wrote and told them I would NEVER buy from their lousy site that featured nothing but cleaned crap.
Tyler
Do not collect or support such an uninspiring, hideous design.
All Barber material under MS 68 (and PR 70) should be melted, and turned into Franklin Mint commems.
Oh, and one more thing --- Charles Barber was very mean man (who was also a hack).
Dave
<< <i>Barbers are extremely ugly coins, especially in grades below MS68. This is not my opinion – this is fact!
Do not collect or support such an uninspiring, hideous design.
All Barber material under MS 68 (and PR 70) should be melted, and turned into Franklin Mint commems.
Oh, and one more thing --- Charles Barber was very mean man (who was also a hack).
Dave >>
I wouldn't go quite that far
Barbers are handsome, highly collectible coins with some incredibly scarce dates, but compared to the superior coins of 1916, they are a little dull. In fact, viewing my Barber coins comes in handy when I have a bad case of insomnia. Works every time.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
My Auctions
Meanwhile - 1859-O quarter, eh?
<< <i>Dagnabbit roadrunner, shush about them Barber dimes!
Meanwhile - 1859-O quarter, eh? >>
The last time I returned to coin collecting, Barber Dimes seemed like the perfect set for me to build: no price fluctuations, no unaffordable dates, but a challenge in no-problem circulated condition. Dimes are too small to interest many collectors, and the design is not one of the most inspiring. Since there are not enough full Liberty Barber Dimes without problems to interest wholesale promoters, I jumped on the Barber bandwagon with dimes and have learned a lot, while completing two sets with many duplicates.
I have also completed a Barber Half set, and have most of the quarters that I'll ever be able to afford. Barber Halves have become too popular for my liking in the last year. Now I have to buy a graysheet every few months.
Still, every time I read an article about Barber Dimes being as undervalued as I have known for them, I feel like a couple dozen strangers are heading for my favorite obscure fishing hole.
I am also considering looking into Seated Liberty Dimes next, despite some of the expensive CC issues from the early 1870s.
Those of you who know my collecting habits realize that my sets are fairly uniform in grade and toning. Yes, a few white coins slipped in and a few MS coins fill holes which were meant for AU 55-58 examples.
The key word in collecting Barbers is "patience".
Yes, the supply seems to be drying up for better mid range circulated to choice almost uncirculated coins, but I see the supply that does exist seems to be going more to collectors rather than the investor base.
As far as the Seated Liberty VS the Barber Liberty Head debacle, I wouldn't dream of starting a Seated Liberty collection due to the utter rarity of most of these coins; yes, many are modestly priced (compared to their rarity factor) but there are SO many show stoppers in all the Seated series, it would be almost complete lunacy to attempt a complete collection of dates and mint marks.
Someday my AU 55 1901-S quarter will appear, I just hope I'm not in a nursing home
when that happens !
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
<< <i>Someday my AU 55 1901-S quarter will appear, I just hope I'm not in a nursing home >>
One more comment that I thought of after reading Mike's post. The Barber dimes and Halves are tough to finish but totally doeable. That is what many collectors want; difficulty, but a doeable set with some patience. As Dave knows...you are essentially out to lunch if you try the quarter set and hope for a choice 01-S quarter above VG. The same thing for much of the Seated series. Who can collect a date set? No, collectors need to find every damn date and mintmark in a series to feel complete!
Ebay link
I picked up a really nice MS 66 type Barber Quarter at Long Beach for a type price. If you want a high grade 16 D or a Philadelphia mint Barber Quarter and not pay a fortune for it, they are available. The hoarders are going after San Francisco and New Orleans coins.
High end Barber Dimes are always available.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Low grade Barber coins just are not that appealing but most circulated barbers are in the lower grades
so I had much more of a challenge on my hands.
I got most of the so called "common" dates but I'm not sure any Barber dime in VF can really be called "common". I'm missing about 10 coins (the 94-S of course) but I do have the 1895-O in VF
that I got from a B&M auction in 1983 for around $250. The price on that date in that condition has sure risen since then. Somewhere along the way I lost interest in working on the set but I still have it in a
Whitman bookshelf album. I got diverted by other things and the attention to the Barber set has suffered
for years. I hope to start working on it again someday.
<< <i>I started collecting Barber dimes in the early 1980s, trying to get coins in at least VF condition.
Low grade Barber coins just are not that appealing but most circulated barbers are in the lower grades
so I had much more of a challenge on my hands.
I got most of the so called "common" dates but I'm not sure any Barber dime in VF can really be called "common". I'm missing about 10 coins (the 94-S of course) but I do have the 1895-O in VF
that I got from a B&M auction in 1983 for around $250. The price on that date in that condition has sure risen since then. Somewhere along the way I lost interest in working on the set but I still have it in a
Whitman bookshelf album. I got diverted by other things and the attention to the Barber set has suffered
for years. I hope to start working on it again someday. >>
If I were only 10 coins away from completing the set, and you have the key date 95-o, I certainly would contemplate finishing the set. Of course, if the 10 coins included dates like the 1901-s, and 1904-s, then it could still be a real challenge.
Connor Numismatics Website
Having just read in Coins Magazine that Dimes, Quarters & Halves are undervalued and should be looked at in the future I get annoyed, that prices will rise faster then I can find nice VG Quarters and Dimes (grade not determined yet) in the future.....
I keep reading how VF and higher the Sets are extremely difficult, sets of these coins without a slick back is pretty difficult to me..... I have just stopped looking at the stores by me as they have nothing at this point..... Can't wait till that August Cleveland show.....
Tom,
I can not believe the variance in the Bullet sale and the Ebay sale prices. I also can't believe that the 97-S is the one ( and only ) coin I wanted to upgrade eventually. Oh well...
Tyler,
In twenty years you can visit me at "Shady Meadows" down here in Naples and I'll show you my 01-S quarter !
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
I've started buying more original XF/AU Philadelphia Barber Dimes for $15 to $40 each because I like them, can easily afford them. I never thought Barbers would rise in price so quickly, but if someone is going to try to promote them (the way Morgans, Franklins, late-date Walkers and other common coins have been promoted), these are still undervalued and available at less than CDN bid for sometone with a good eye.
There was a mostly decent VF 1897 there -- good looking but for one 'issue' of some sort, I forget what. There was also a VF35 1913 I think. Too rich for my blood, so I didn't click to look at it.
Some personal stories can illuminate the price rising.
For 3 or 4 years I bought all the XF or better Barber dimes I could find for less than $10.
Not eBay XF, the bottom band has to be complete to reach that grade. (Unless it is slabbed
by Heritage DBA ANACS.) Every couple of months I would post 40 or so of my XFs and plow
the proceeds into buying more dimes. The prices I got has risen from $10-16 to $15-25 in the last year
or so. There is definetly more demand for my series.
Every year I put together a G-VG set of Barber dimes just for the fun of it. When I finish the set
I admire it for a bit and break it up on the bay. Years ago I would spend from $750-900 or so
on my yearly pursuit. This year I am nearing $1200 and am still shy the 1897-O. I used to spend $40-55
for a nice G or G+ '97-O. I expect to have to shell out twice that much this year.
I put together 33 of the 74 coin set in slabbed MS63+ over the course of 5 years. I looked at tons
of coins and bought smart. I bought mostly white coins and put a great deal of importance on eye appeal.
I rarely if ever paid more than the CDN bid at the time. That would not be possible today. Part of the reason
is that there is a lot of investors tired of grade and price inflation in the usual suspects -- Morgans, Walkers,
Mercs., etc. But there is evidence of a strong collector base supporting the Barbers too.
<This 1897-S dime (ANACS AU55) closed on Ebay today for $430. It sold for $218 in May during a Heritage Bullet auction. Wow.>
I sold an unc. '97-S just a year ago for $200. It was at least as nice as the coin mentioned above. Investors
don't buy coins like that, collectors do.
I also grumble about the good old days when there was less competition for nice pieces. But I also enjoy looking at my
NGC 1904 MS64 picked up on eBay years ago for $140. That will never happen again. There are simplt too many
knowledgale collectors out there now. And that's a good thing.
Steve