How to Collect US half cents ?
Collecting U.S. half cents can present quite an enjoyable challenge, especially if you try to find them in high grades. For the most part, mintages (the number made of a particular coin) were low and most examples spent a lot of time in circulation. Problem-free examples with smooth, glossy surfaces are highly prized by collectors. Here's what you can expect when collecting:By type: A set of the five major half-cent types listed in the previous section makes a nice display that's affordable and easily completed. The only difficult coin to collect is the 1793.
- Difficulty rating: Moderately difficult. You may find some half cent types at your local coin dealer, but your best bet for locating a 1793 half cent is at a major coin show, at an auction, or by mail order.
- Cost estimate: Moderately expensive. In Fine condition, expect to spend upward of $7,000 for a type set of U.S. half cents, with the 1793 accounting for most of the cost of the set. (A type set is a set of each of the different design types of a particular denomination.) Spend $1,500 more and you can upgrade the later types to make the set even more attractive. (Upgrading is the act of improving the coin in your collection, or acquiring a coin that is better than another example of the same type already in your collection.)
- By date: A collection of all the different dates in which a particular coin was issued is known as a date set. And a date set of half cents is a real challenge. You're talking serious money when you get to the 1796 (either type), 1831, 1836, and the proof-only dates from 1840 to 1849 and 1852. Difficulty
rating: Very difficult. Be patient — it may be years before some of these dates appear on the market, especially in a grade you can afford! Cost estimate: Very expensive. Figure on spending at least $125,000 to put together a date set of U.S. half cents. You may get by with less, but you won't be happy with the quality of the coins. On the other hand, you can spend much, much more to get nicer coins. - By die variety: Some collectors seek to acquire a coin from every combination of dies used to strike half cents . Difficulty rating: Almost impossible to impossible. Many varieties are common or slightly scarce, but others are extremely rare. Most of the rare varieties are already held by advanced collectors, so figure on making this a lifetime project. Cost estimate: Unbelievably expensive. We won't even venture a guess here except to say that the amount of money required to complete a variety set of half cents (if it could be done) would run into many, many hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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