Collecting Capped Bust Halves

I primarily buy coins raw and have obtained a few bust halves; of the five I have purchased two were problem free, two were AU scratched and the last was over dipped and damaged but the detail drew me to it. One coin when I received it was just not right and I sent it back to the seller. So my experience on my limited purchases was 30% problem free raw.

Listen to the voice of wisdom. Overton is the namesake of Bust Half varieties because he defined them, and his work is the only really relevant publication necessary for the Bust Half collector. The Fourth Edition (published after Al Overton's passing) is known for significant errata; leave it be.

I do my Bust Half attributions with the Third Edition Overton, in combination with Heritage Auctions' Archive for high-res images of individual varieties.

Although Bust Half counterfeits do exist, generally they're poor contemporary fakes or coins which do not resemble the known Overton varieties for the year. The problem in this issue is not nearly as bad as Morgans, for instance, but as always arm yourself with knowledge and an inner understanding of Occam's Razor. Try to attribute/confirm attribution of any purchase before you make it.

Just be aware that Bust Halves have a fanatical following (heck, their official organization is the Bust Half Nut Club, if that's any indication), so there will likely be genuine and informed competition for any coin you'll chase. Don't expect serious bargains, and question those you *do* see. I find these coins not only frequently cleaned, but also difficult to detect as such in "standard" auction images.

I'm not trying to dissuade you. Heck, I love the issue myself. But it's imperative that you be an informed buyer.

Any advice on where to find the Overton book? A quick search on Amazon, etc didn't turn up anything.

There is one on abebooks. This is the revised edition. It is the one I have. Maybe Ddave would let us know the difference between this edition and the 3rd?

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Boo...alf%2Bdollar

For the Overton books, the revised edition along with the first edition are both very outdated. You're going to want either the third edition or the fourth. The reason most serious Bust Half Nuts avoid the 4th edition is that it has some errors and with an issue regarding the authorship of the book. But, that being said, if you can't find or can't stretch for the 3rd edition the 4th should be fine for a time, while you learn the ropes.

I attribute my halves with a copy of Overton's book along with Glenn Peterson's "Ultimate Guide to Attributing Bust Half Dollars" 4th edition.

Another book that would be a great read is Edgar Sounder's Bust Half Fever, it will really provides a lot of great information about the rarity of overdates, true mintage figures along with great information about why you should stick with Bust Half with original surfaces. There are two editions that are both pretty hard to find but with time you should be able to find one for a decent price.

Have fun, it's a really great series.