1826 Capped Bust Half: My Return To Numismatics!

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,216
Franklin1790 New Member United States 5 Posts	Posted 12/21/2011 10:44 pm This is my first acquisition since the mid 90s when at the approximate age of 8 I accompanied my father to coin shows. Our interest cooled for a number of years but we're back in the hobby. While organizing and cataloging his collection I did some reading on the coins of the United States. The tie-in with my strong interest in American history drew me to this area. Of all the designs and varieties I studied the Capped Bust Half proved most attractive. The allegorical representation of Liberty appeals to my affinity for symbolism. In selecting an example I paid careful attention to her face; I wanted a coin with an expressive eye. The date, chosen because it's the year Thomas Jefferson died, is presented in a pleasing font. On the reverse of this design I couldn't find anything I didn't like. Our country's name frames the field well and the eagle makes a strong statement of freedom. E pluribus unum is tastefully placed. My favorite aspect though is the decimal notation for the value of the coin. Now, if you've made it this far, I invite you to consider this particular half dollar. Included are two sets of photos, one from my camera and the other from my scanner. They're not very good images, I know; I'm having some lighting problems at the moment. The obverse is strong overall although her hair shows more wear than I expected. The reverse has good detail with wear on the wings and an unfortunate scratch below the motto. During my shopping I noticed that many of these half dollars have a very weak motto, especially in the word 'Pluribus'. Is this simply a common wear pattern or a strike anomaly? I'm not an expert quite yet so perhaps someone here can shed light on that question. The edge of the coin is also in strong shape; "FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR" is easily discerned. My main concern with this coin is: has it been cleaned? I'd like to have it graded to determine condition and its Overton number (a topic I need to research) and I'd like to know what to expect. Was my $57 a good investment? Thanks in advance for your input. http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums...GEDC0172.jpg http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums...GEDC0173.jpg http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums.../1826Obv.jpg http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums.../1826Rev.jpg Images were not broken. Do not edit your posts after you get the information you sought after. We have thousands of members that can also benefit from the advise given here -Staff Edited by Franklin1790 12/22/2011 10:01 am Report this Post to the Staff

rachums107 Pillar of the Community United States 3345 Posts	Posted 12/21/2011 10:55 pm IMHO this coin has been cleaned. As for a fair price, ill let others decide as I'm not into these as much. Report this Post to the Staff
amida17 Pillar of the Community United States 4897 Posts	Posted 12/21/2011 11:17 pm Looks pretty harshly cleaned. Fine details. $57 may be a bit high, but I may have picked it up myself. One of the experts will chime in soon. Edited by amida17 12/21/2011 11:19 pm Report this Post to the Staff
TJsCoins Pillar of the Community United States 3229 Posts	Posted 12/21/2011 11:29 pm With the cleaning I feel that the coin may be a little overpriced, but its still a nice coin! IMHO Oh and Report this Post to the Staff
Jaobler Pillar of the Community United States 6390 Posts	Posted 12/21/2011 11:41 pm Welcome back to the hobby! Looks like F-15 details, with an unfortunate cleaning that hurts the eye appeal and value. Still an impressive coin. One nice thing about Capped Bust halves is that there were several massive hoards "back in the day" that preserved large numbers of coins that are now available to collectors. That means these classic antiques are pretty affordable, at least in circulated grades. Report this Post to the Staff
Franklin1790 New Member United States 5 Posts	Posted 12/22/2011 12:07 am Well, we all agree it's been cleaned. I do think the scans are misleading; it's not the streaky disaster suggested in those images but it does have an unnatural brightness which points to cleaning. Since folks feel it's in the Fine region (I agree now that the coin is in hand) I'll not bother grading it. To justify the cost of employing a TPG I would need at least a strong VF so in this case I'll just put it in a holder and look for a stronger example (and an earlier date). Thanks for your opinions! Report this Post to the Staff
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