A Tale of Two 1817/3 Capped Bust Halves........with TRUE VIEWS
drddm
Posts: 5,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have been searching for a nice, original 1817/3 Capped Bust Half for my CBH set for quite some time. I had even posted a thread this past summer asking where are all the nice ones..........
1817/3 Thread
So, here is a story about how I came across a couple of my recent CBH's.......
I had received an email over this past summer from a well respected dealer with some new CBH listings. As I scrolled down to see what goodies he had listed, low and behold there was an 1817/3 in PCGS AU. I immediately called him up for a description of the coin and asked him to put it on hold for me. That decision was quickly and easily made when I heard him say that the coin was “completely original”. I must admit I was nervous at first as I didn’t know what to expect when I heard that it was original since I have seen many original CBHs with an unattractive look to them. But when he sent me scans of the coin, I was thrilled to see that this 1817/3 was not one of them. So I quickly sold my XF40 I had bought early on when first putting together my set and received the 1817/3 AU a short time later. I was quite pleased with its look and also to have finally achieved my goal of getting an original example of this particular overdate.
However, as I really wanted a nicely toned and original 1817/3 CBH in AU, I tried to focus on the fact that this particular overdate was tough enough to find with nice original surfaces and so I started looking for other dates I needed to complete my AU set. Fast forward just one month later……I was checking out a well-respected dealer’s website inventory when I came across ANOTHER 1817/3 in PCGS AU, however this time, the nicely toned and original surfaces were there!!!
I couldn’t believe it, I had searched and searched for this overdate with the look I wanted for a long time and within a couple of months, I had found two beautiful original examples. I quickly called the dealer and asked him to put this coin on hold for me. Now I was faced with a tough decision, do I sell my original 1817/3 that I looked long and hard for to get this other nicely toned 1817/3, OR do I sell some other coin(s) to raise the cash and pick this one up as well? I must admit it was a difficult decision but I finally went with selling my last non-CBH coin, that I really didn’t want to sell, to get the nicely toned AU 1817/3. That coin happened to be my 1909-S IHC PCGS MS65RB. It was my last and most favorite coin that was not part of either my CBH or Lib nickel set. I had sold all my other key date coins to get my CBH set going, except this one. It wound up going to a fellow collector here on the boards who I have since befriended and am very happy he now owns it.
So now I have what I was searching for all along when I first decided to upgrade my 1817/3 XF40 to AU.....originality AND nice colorful toning!! I am truly grateful to have come across these two AU 1817/3’s when I did and also to have been in a position to purchase them. I really didn’t expect to own two of these particular overdates but in retrospect, I am glad I got them both. 1817/3 CBH’s in AU are truly tough to find with nice original surfaces, and toning that is also eye appealing.
Without further ado, here are the 1817/3’s I have been speaking about. The first pic is the XF40 I owned and sold to buy my first AU 1817/3 (second pic) and the final pic is the nicely toned 1817/3 I spoke about.
Comments and guesses as to grades (no cheating) are welcome, and thanks for reading the story behind these coins.
1817/3 Thread
So, here is a story about how I came across a couple of my recent CBH's.......
I had received an email over this past summer from a well respected dealer with some new CBH listings. As I scrolled down to see what goodies he had listed, low and behold there was an 1817/3 in PCGS AU. I immediately called him up for a description of the coin and asked him to put it on hold for me. That decision was quickly and easily made when I heard him say that the coin was “completely original”. I must admit I was nervous at first as I didn’t know what to expect when I heard that it was original since I have seen many original CBHs with an unattractive look to them. But when he sent me scans of the coin, I was thrilled to see that this 1817/3 was not one of them. So I quickly sold my XF40 I had bought early on when first putting together my set and received the 1817/3 AU a short time later. I was quite pleased with its look and also to have finally achieved my goal of getting an original example of this particular overdate.
However, as I really wanted a nicely toned and original 1817/3 CBH in AU, I tried to focus on the fact that this particular overdate was tough enough to find with nice original surfaces and so I started looking for other dates I needed to complete my AU set. Fast forward just one month later……I was checking out a well-respected dealer’s website inventory when I came across ANOTHER 1817/3 in PCGS AU, however this time, the nicely toned and original surfaces were there!!!
I couldn’t believe it, I had searched and searched for this overdate with the look I wanted for a long time and within a couple of months, I had found two beautiful original examples. I quickly called the dealer and asked him to put this coin on hold for me. Now I was faced with a tough decision, do I sell my original 1817/3 that I looked long and hard for to get this other nicely toned 1817/3, OR do I sell some other coin(s) to raise the cash and pick this one up as well? I must admit it was a difficult decision but I finally went with selling my last non-CBH coin, that I really didn’t want to sell, to get the nicely toned AU 1817/3. That coin happened to be my 1909-S IHC PCGS MS65RB. It was my last and most favorite coin that was not part of either my CBH or Lib nickel set. I had sold all my other key date coins to get my CBH set going, except this one. It wound up going to a fellow collector here on the boards who I have since befriended and am very happy he now owns it.
So now I have what I was searching for all along when I first decided to upgrade my 1817/3 XF40 to AU.....originality AND nice colorful toning!! I am truly grateful to have come across these two AU 1817/3’s when I did and also to have been in a position to purchase them. I really didn’t expect to own two of these particular overdates but in retrospect, I am glad I got them both. 1817/3 CBH’s in AU are truly tough to find with nice original surfaces, and toning that is also eye appealing.
Without further ado, here are the 1817/3’s I have been speaking about. The first pic is the XF40 I owned and sold to buy my first AU 1817/3 (second pic) and the final pic is the nicely toned 1817/3 I spoke about.
Comments and guesses as to grades (no cheating) are welcome, and thanks for reading the story behind these coins.
0
Comments
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
You have some AMAZING coins in your collection as well, and some that I would absolutely LOVE to have in mine.
Thanks again.
"Good things come to those who wait" or something like that...
These are gorgeous examples of one of the coolest marriages in the CBH set. Congratulations.
My set doesn't grade this high but I'll still weigh in for the fun of it. I'll venture AU 53 for the second and AU 53 for the 3rd. Each has both similar AND different merits and each has ever so slight deficiencies keeping them from AU55.
Both definitely have a WOW factor.
zap
102 capped bust half dollars - 100 die marriages
BHNC #198
And, thanks for reading.
Great story drddm, but each coin truly speaks for themselves.
It's rather interesting that there is a 10-point, 2 grade, difference between the EF-40 and the two AU-50's.
The EF-40 looks PQ for the grade, while the first AU-50 seem solid, and the second AU-50 also seems PQ.
It would be tough for me to decide which of the three was my favorite, and I've gone back-and-forth on this matter several time.
But in the end, I think your most recent AU-50 (the toned one) has the best strike to weak to luster to eye-appeal ratio (that's a long ratio!)
Like zap said, they both have their own merits but I am most in love with their originality and nice surfaces. The nice toning on the second one adds a little to its eye appeal in my opinion.
BTW, they BOTH happen to be AU53.
reverse looks cleaner.
BHNC member # 184!
http://www.busthalfaddict.com
The 1817/3 is probably my favorite CBH and I have been happy with my lowly VF30. I sure would love any of these. You are a very lucky guy, and the wait was certainly well worth it!
You really shouldn't have two...that's just not right.
Thanks for sharing the story.
Lance.
(edited to say, oops...completing this reply was interrupted by guests and breakfast; I see both are AU53. Sweet!)
Lance, I wish the second 17/3 was an AU58, boy do I wish that to be the case, but the luster just isn't up to par with an AU58.
As for which I happen to like more, as I've said before, both AU53's have their merits, the first AU53 being a slightly better strike on both obv/rev (especially for this normally weakly struck overdate) and for its really nice surfaces.
The second AU53 17/3 has the really nice toning (something not often seen on this variety, at least from what I have encountered) but is slightly weaker in strike on both sides, however ALSO has really nice original looking surfaces.
If I HAD to sell one, boy, would I have a dilemma.
Thanks again for the kind words everybody.
I have always looked at the strike on a 17/3 as being one of the most
important attributes. As you know, this variety is notorious for having
one of the weakest strikes among the overdate varieties. I first look at the birds head
on the reverse and the clasp on the obverse. I see a nice clasp and birds head on the second
example you posted. The skin looks better on the third, but the strike looks better
on the second, while it does look to possibly be a later die state than the third example.
In any event, any three of these coins are keepers in a nice set of CBH's.
Again, beautiful coins.
zap
102 capped bust half dollars - 100 die marriages
BHNC #198