For the Standing Liberty Quarter Specialists

[Newmismatist]

Here’s an area that Standing Liberty Quarter Specialists on our forum can help out their non-specialist fellow members.

 

How do you define “Full Head”?

Which Dates are difficult to acquire with Full Head?

How much more are the Full Head dates worth than their non-full head counterparts?

 

[lclugza]

I think three leaves must show in the hair, the hairline must be separate from the face, and there must be an ear hole. The hardest to find with Full Head are probably the 1918/7S and the 1927S.

[Elbesaar]

I know this is a tired old saying, but, buy the book before the coin. J.H. Cline's third edition will answer most of your questions.

 

Yes the overdate and the 27-S are the toughest to locate in FH, and there are no real FH's for 1916 (regardless of what the holder says) but for those with very deep pockets nothing is unobtainable.

 

Alot of fairly common dates are very rare in full head. The 24-D, 26-D, 28-D and for that matter the 29-D are very pricey in full head. The other rarities, such as the 19-D, 19-S, 20-S, and 26-S, are priced out of sight in FH.

 

The 23-S is a coin that commands alot of money in lower grades, as the raised date wore off quickly, but it falls into line with the other pricier coins in gem grade with a full head.

 

This series takes alot of patience. I put a set of almost uncirculated coins (sans the keys, eg: 16,19-S,27-S) in a Whitman bookshelf album back in the 1970's.

I sold the set to a dealer when I realized that most of the coins had scooped out heads and what I originally thought were bargain priced coins were not worth keeping; especially if I wanted a really choice set. Seven sets later, I'm still upgrading.

 

Jumping one grade can easily double the cost of a coin.

 

You will never find a more beautiful coin than the Standing Liberty Quarter ( in my humble opinion) and the more you collect the series, the more enjoyment you will derive from it.

 

I recommend two retail web sites to look at: SLQS.COM and SLQCoins.COM.

Its a Fantasy World in there, but well worth the experience.

[Tassa-migration]

I'd have to recommend Standing Liberty Quarters by J.H. Cline as well. The pictures and descriptions used for comparison are pretty clear.

[Newmismatist]

You will never find a more beautiful coin than the Standing Liberty Quarter ( in my humble opinion) and the more you collect the series, the more enjoyment you will derive from it.

 

Absolutely agree - I have 2 sets in Whitman bookshelf albums, but haven't upgraded any coins in years because they're all slabbed now & there's a bit of sticker shock out there on some of these. I also have several of Cline's books starting w/his 1st edition.

 

Your post is excellent and is quite helpful to those who may be interested in this series. Any thoughts on the price disparity between FHs & Non-FHs and what really constitutes a full strike SLQ?

[Elbesaar]

With regard to price disparity, between Non Full Heads and Full Heads, the rarer the coin ( POP ) the pricer it is. The 1926-D is a prime example. I own five slabbed ones: PCGS 65, NGC 65, NGC 64, and two PCGS 63, which are strong strikes, but far from Full Heads. I paid more for a raw MS 64( from Superior Auctions in June, 2002) than I did for the better graded PCGS & NGC 65's. As a matter of fact I paid 25% more for the raw 64 than either slabbed 65. Simple answer, the head is close to 90% full. Almost all the shield bosses are there and it has most of the verticals on the inner shield. It'll never grade higher than a 64, but to get a coin in this grade with that extra 10% amount of head detail will set me back an additional $15,000. Need I say more ? Again, its the strike rarity that constitutes the price disparity.

 

Coin World Trends for SLQ's is an interesting read. Remember, though, its only a guide and not a Bible. I also recommend going into Heritage's Archives for prices realized on this series. You'll see coins that stand on their own individual merits, and sell for vastly different prices with the same grade and grading service. Alot of the variances are from coins being encapsulated in older holders and the Crack-Out-Kings ( and Queens) can spot an undergraded coin and submit it and will more than likely get it back a grade or two higher. Its all Dollars and Cents. People make a living out of this and their trained eye and experience are rewarded financially, and justifibly so.

 

Collecting is still a hobby for me after forty years; I enjoy the hunt for the perfect coin , I hate parting with duplicates, but finances won't allow me to continually buy with out divesting myself of these cherished duplicates. I am stictly speaking of Standing Liberty Quarters. I would not hesitate to liquidate most of my other sets for that special coin(s). Can you guess which ones ? 18/17-S 64FH and the even tougher 27-S 65FH. I keep buying Lotto tickets with those two keys in mind.

 

Talk about price disparities, the difference between non FH and FH in these two keys is staggering. Its all about strike rarity. Its tantamount to the 53-S Franklin in MS 65 - 66. Full Bell Lines or Non Full Bell Lines. The POP report shows the rarity and the price disparity is self evident.

 

An old antage is ..." You want the best, then you gotta pay the price" .

 

 

[Elcontador]

Due to the intricacy of the head, outer and inner shield detail, this is a coin that IMO should not be bought sight unseen (in other words, if you can't view it yourself or have someone you trust look it over, pass on the coin).

[Newmismatist]

Mike

 

Nice post and informative. Here's a nice FH SLQ for anyone who likes high end coins. I think this one qualifies as Full Head, Full Shield, Full Rivets, Full Breast and maybe even Full Nipple

[MarkFeld]

Another old post of mine from the other forum (it included images for reference at the time I wrote it, but, alas the images are no longer available to include - sorry):

 

It SOUNDS pretty easy to explain / define - in order to qualify for a full head (FH) designation, a Standing Liberty Quarter must meet three criteria : 1) the three leaves in Liberty's hair must be completely visible; 2) the hairline along Liberty's brow must be complete and 3) the indentation or ear hole must be obvious.

 

That definition presents three different characteristics to examine AND debate. Sometimes it is easy to make the call but many times it is quite difficult. For purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to Type Two Standing Liberty Quarters only. They are a different breed, entirely from the Type One's.

 

Some of the difficulty in making the FH determination is due to the fact that different issues within the series are made / struck / better than others. The 1930 is by far the most readily available in FH, based on the combined PCGS and NGC pop report numbers - PCGS has attributed 1970 FH examples of all grades, while NGC has certified 1221. Those numbers actually make a non-FH 1930 more than twice as rare as a FH one.

On the other end of the rarity scale is the 1927-S, with a combined PCGS and NGC population of only 32 pieces, making it approximately 24 times rarer with FH than without. The difference in price for an MS65 1930 FH vs. non FH is roughly $250. For the 1927-S, the value differs by roughly $90,000 (based on prices listed in the CCDN) ! And yes, because of the value differences between FH and non-FH for some issues, unscrupulous individuals have been known to "create" FH specimens with the aid of tools.

 

 

[Newmismatist]

I will be referring to Type Two Standing Liberty Quarters only. They are a different breed, entirely from the Type One's.

 

So that 1917 FH SLQ I posted above doesn't count? Maybe we should call the Ty2's "FH" and the Ty1's "FT"?

 

 

[Elbesaar]

.... 1917 MS 65 FH&T... She does show a strong breast strike.

That Ty 1 was a beauty. It looks like you've kept it in raw state.

I also like the concentric toning.

.....Anyone who has collected SLQ's realizes there are three distinct types;

Ty 1 --1917; Ty 2 1917 to 1924; Ty 3 ( recessed date ) 1925 to 1930.

I look at the 1916 as a sub-type or almost a pattern piece because its got

quite a few variances from the 1917.

.....Hope anyone who is interested in this series has had the opportunity

of viewing the web sites I mentioned previously. I did again after my first post on this thread, and picked up a stunning 1924-S PCGS 66. Its got a 95% FH

for tons less than a 100%. It'll be an upgrade to my other 24-S coins, a PCGS 65

and an ANACS 64FH.

.....As you see, this series is an addiction for me; I can't pass up a great looking coin that's an improvement on my current collection's specimen.