How Did I Do On My First Coins Bust Half And Morgan?

to CCF!

Both coins appear to be decent deals with the Bust Half maybe a touch high, but not out of line.

Being a Young Numismatist, you might consider visiting some coins shops or shows to get a feel for grading and pricing before spending too much more money. Raw coins on ebay can be good or bad (slabbed too for that matter) and you should try to develop some grading skills before buying pricey pieces.

The Morgan looks fine but that date/grade (MS63) is available to top tier certified holders for the same price or maybe a touch less. Watch those fingerprints too. The Half looks XF to me and won't be available problem-free for much less than what you paid.

Keep asking questions and have fun!

Maybe the Morgan was a bit high, but if you like it, it's all good. With the Bust Half, Great Southern auctions always seem to top out on the higher end of the price spectrum because their photography is second to none, but I don't think authenticity is ever an issue with them. Congratulations. Those at 2 nice coins to start. Now that you have 2 great keepers hopefully, you can research your next buy. Just be careful not to get caught up in the auction frenzy. It's easy to at the start.

And I've had the same preference for 19th century coins over 1900+ since day 1 of my collecting. Gold over silver. Silver over copper. Large over small too. 1888 over other dates. Just because. Welcome to the forum.

Nice coins!

At 15 I was raiding my parents change jar to fill holes in my Lincoln and Jefferson albums.

And congradulations on having the mentality to use money wisely and have a decent hobby. Way to many kids of 15 are out of their heads on drugs. Your a bennifit to your family.

Hi Louis,

Welcome to the forum! The Morgan looks reasonably nice (but I don't know much about them), but I would avoid greatsoutherncoin IMO. They exaggerate their coins with flashy photography. Take a picture of the 1826 once you get it so we can see its true color, but if it is problem free it was a fair deal. Most of the 'scamming' on ebay is more subtle than just getting a fake coin, but it can happen. Its happened to me before but I was able to force a refund.

Personally, I would start very slowly if you are new to ebay. That's the way I did it because I figured out that if I did not, it would be so easy to get ripped off. There are a million ways you can be gipped on there and if you ramp up buying slowly as you accumulate knowledge and experience, you stand to gain more. I think its a good approach to post stuff here before you buy it. You can also buy off forum members here once you have 50 posts. I could also send you some links to good ebay auctions for Barber half dollars, and give you a few more tips on buying if interested.

Here are my assessments of the three halves you posted links to (I don't mean to shoot you down)

The 1898-S half dollar from Portugal looks cleaned and scratched, but not bad overall. It may actually be polished based on the dullness on the cheek. AU in grade, and looks genuine at a glance (I would have to verify versus coins on heritage auctions (coins.ha.com) as I do for all expensive coins and particularly ones bought overseas). The needle sharp detail made me a little suspicious of it.

The 1898 from fairtraderz looks around VF-35, but looks to also have some problems. The surfaces just look off (environmental damage?). Fairtraderz is an okay seller IMO, but they often don't mention issues.

The second to last coin is definitely one you would want to stay away from, as it looks no more than VF-20 and harshly cleaned/treated with baking soda. Color is way way off.

The last coin is reasonably nice, but only around F-15 to VF-20 and you could do better in price.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm fairly young too (turning 22 in a month) and its neat to meet other young people into coins, as there aren't many!

-Brian

Madlou22,

You did very well on your two coins that you recently purchased! Especially on the half dollar. I don't really see you with a bad deal as long as you follow a few guidelines. If the coin is struck well and possesses eye appeal then go for it. If the coin is in mint state does it have a nice lustre about it? You should do O.K. if you follow these simple facts and you can't go wrong.

Barbers can be tough! Many of them, especially the ones in the good range tend to have issues whether its scratches or cleaning. Many ebay auctions have pictures that really hide some of these issues and it makes it even harder to find problem free barbers. Good luck.

Hey guys, good news! My Morgan finally came, and she's a beauty! Tell me what you guys think!

*EDIT* I am really sorry about me constantly editing this post. The pictures just won't seem to be showing up. Please don't think I am bumping this or anything. Sorry!