Market Trends And Costs

I'd be happy to discuss these coins anytime you would like. In the late 1990s I gave a long, hard look at attempting either an AU IHC set, a full horn EF Buffalo set or a VF Barber half dollar set. Any of those three sets needed scrupulously original coins and I would not accept anything less. After a year or so of analysis I determined that AU IHCs can always be found for a price and that EF Buffalos could also be found, but sometimes without a full horn. Original, mid-grade Barber half dollars, however, did not exist in any meaningful numbers.

I spent the next five years building a complete VF set in the two volume Library of Coins albums. The only two coins I could not find with original skin and/or VF were the 1893-S and 1904-S. Eventually, I sold the set in pieces. The 1893-S was an original F15 and the 1904-S was a slightly boinked F12. Before I sold the set I had 125 VF/EF Barber half dollars and Coin Values magazine used the coins in my set to build a photographic grading guide for an issue in 2005 or 2006 where I also wrote the feature article on the set. The set was tough to build, but I was in a much better position than others since I am a full-time coin dealer who attends major shows and auctions.

Back in the early 2000s I had to pay 2x Greysheet for many of the original VF Barber half dollars. By 2004 or thereabouts the series exploded (relatively) in popularity and prices advanced. Aside from a few coins (1893-S, 1897-S and 1904-S) you can still find F12 Barber halves for around Greysheet, but those three tougher coins can cost far more if nice. Additionally, once the VF/EF range is reached then the Greysheet is woefully out of touch, in my opinion, with most issues in the set. The AU coins are easier to find as are the MS pieces.

Even though I sold the set years ago, I still have a fondness for the series and use the revers of a PCGS MS66 1892 Barber half as my avatar and also display it prominently on my website. I also stumbled upon a full-time dealer a few years ago who thought so little of the series that he sold me a completely original 1893-S for less than Greysheet while I also paid over 2x Greysheet for a choice VF 1904-S. My opinion is that this series will not drop in price and if you are intent on collecting them that VF is around the entry point for value and detail. Buy original skin coins with good eye appeal and do not be afraid to pay up for uber-choice pieces.

I apologize for rambling on within this thread and hope that I did not hijack the thread for other folks.

Thank you for the kind words. I generally do not carry AU Mercs and instead concentrate on gem or near-gem type as well as circulated earlier dates. I don't know that I am allowed to place a link to my site on the boards since I don't have that many posts, but my business name is Thomas Bush Numismatics.