Bust Half Dollars?

I have found a newly acquired passion for Bust Half Dollars. I became tired of type coins because everyone was doing them and they were too easy to find. There were really no key dates or any rarities that you really need to search for. I decided to do Bust Half Dollars about 2-3 weeks ago. I have found that Bust Half Dollars are beautiful coins and there are many coins that in there that are very tough to get. I wanted to find a set that would be hard and that I can work on for the rest of my life, because I am only 15 years old.

I also became interested when I was reading about their history in ?Walter Breen?s Encyclopedia.? They were first designed by John Reich, who came to America to escape the Napoleonic Wars. His Capped Bust Half Dollar design received heavy criticism by the public because they said that the liberty was designed after his fat mistress. The Halves minted during his era had many eras. He was replaced by William Kneass in 1823, because Reich had died at the age of 79, and the design really didn?t see many changes. In 1833, the new Philadelphia mint was completed and they started to mint the Half Dollars there. In 1836, Christian Gobrecht took over and the new steam presses replaced the manual screw presses. Gobrecht design the new Reeded Edges, they were the first coins struck on the new steam presses. They have a long and important history. It is amazing that Reich received so much criticism during his days and now these wonderful coins are now one of America?s most beloved coins. This series paved the way for the rest of the coins to come.

I will purse my newly acquired passion for Bust Half Dollars which much anticipation. I am not sure how much material I will find as the market is hot and a lot of good material is being snatched up by collectors. But I hope to work on this set my entire life and some day finish the set.