Braided Hair Half Cents - SET COMPLETE!!! (Business Strikes) 0

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

Building a set of braided hair half cents was a lot of fun, and was my "original" goal in collecting half cents in general (this goal has expanded greatly in scope).  The braided hair type is a set of coins that I would recommend to any collector who wanted to start learning early copper.  The series is lower mintage as a whole, but very accessible in nearly all grades.  The lack of popularity in this series allows collectors with modest budgets to collect attractive coins in AU for <$200 per coin.  The series becomes more challenging and expensive in MS grades and very challenging when working to acquire coins with original red coloring.  

This set is short, and contains only 8 coins when collecting business strikes (note: proof braided hair half cents are all quite rare and expensive).  I like not feeling "bogged down" in gigantic sets, however, this set still took almost 2 years to build.  My goal was to build this set in MS63RB, however, the 1849, 1850 (key) and 1853 dates proved to be too challenging to find with any original red color.  Despite having to compromise on those three coins, I do feel that I put together an attractive set.

With the completion, I have made this set public in the NGC registry: Neophyte Braided Hair Half Cents.  I am excited to have a set complete - my first one other than "pocket change" collections formed from circulation. 

[Fenntucky Mike]

Awesome set NN, those are some real beauties! Congrats! 

So, what's next or what are you currently working on now?

U.S. Half Cents are on my short list of coins to possibly collect once I finish up a few of my current endeavours. 

 

[Coinbuf]

Awesome set Neo!     Congrats on a complete set, always a great feeling 8 coins or 80.

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

@Fenntucky Mike Thanks.  Next to be completed will either be Draped Bust Half Cent date set (two coins left) or Mercury Dime Proofs (two coins left).  I still have the rest of the half cents that I am doing with a date set (plus a few varieties, die states, Half Cent Colonial and HT Token).  Half Cents get most of the focus, but I do have a 7070 and like other series.

@Coinbuf Thanks, it really does feel good to have it completed.   

Edited April 15, 2023 by The Neophyte Numismatist

[Henri Charriere]

First and foremost, congratulations on your achievement!  (Q.A. and his sidekick, Ricky, were similarly impressed and send their regards from Vladivostok.)

I have taken the liberty of viewing your set, the first I have seen with a genetic melding of two prominent  acronyms. Irrespective of how the coins in my series is defined by the respective TPGS, grafting and miscegenation of world gold coins, is expressly forbidden.

My understanding of NGC's Set Registry is limited.  Would your point score be higher if you'd've cross-graded your coins (at admittedly great cost) or did the change of slab policy make your job easier? I don't have that luxury.

Lastly, while not exactly a lifetime effort, regardless of final disposition, do you have any preference as to whether your collection remains intact with whomever inherits or buys it, or does it that matter to you in light of the time and effort you have invested in your respective compilations?

You may regard yourself as a Neophyte, generally, but where braided half cents are concerned I am sure there are things about these coins one can only become uniquely knowledgeable about including reliable sources, what the French quaintly call frappe totals (mintages) and the true availability of real-time scarcity of the various preservation states.  Great achievement!

P.S.  I thank Moderation for extending me the privilege of expressing my thoughts in this post.

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Henri Charriere
Minor changes.

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

Q: Would your point score be higher if you'd've cross-graded your coins (at admittedly great cost) or did the change of slab policy make your job easier? 

If playing for points, I would have bought MS65BN for the same price.  I am not really playing for points, and I will never win.  That was never my intention.  My intention is to build a really nice set of coins.  This is the beginning of that.  That said, what you see is what you get.  I will not upgrade.  The next braided hair in my collection will be PF. 

Q:  Do you have any preference as to whether your collection remains intact with whomever inherits or buys it, or does it that matter to you in light of the time and effort you have invested in your respective compilations?

I guess every collector puts together a collection by painstakingly handpicking each coin, and (s)he would love for the collection to stay together in perpetuity.  However, it is impractical to think that the collection will remain intact outside of my heirs keeping it so.   

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

@Fenntucky Mike If you want to get into half cents there are some very great books out now.  If buying one book, I would recommend Bill Eckberg's book.  If you wanted to really get into varieties, I would recommend the series that Ed Furhman has recently put out.  That series is an investment, but worth it for variety identification.

Edited April 15, 2023 by The Neophyte Numismatist

[J P M]

Wow, what a nice set of coins Neo. I love it.

[Just Bob]

Congratulations! That's quite an accomplishment. Very nice looking set, indeed.

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

@J P M and @Just Bob thanks so much.  I know it's a small set, but I am so excited to have my first set completed.  I learned so much in this process, and met so many great people.  It was a wonderful experience, and I definitely feel my numismatic growth and it's been so encouraging.  I was in my first year of collecting when I started this set, and I knew nothing.  While I am still no numismatic expert, I know I have learned a lot... and I am now in a position to teach others.  That feels good.

Thanks so each of you!  Many of you have helped either in my education, or this set directly... here are a few of my standout moments of help from the forum:

@Coinbuf Thanks for your help on the 1856.  You called the coin I had in mind over-graded, and you were 100% right.  I was blinded by the red on that coin, and weary from waiting.  I would have bought that coin if you had not commented.  A much nicer one popped-up for me in short order after cancelling that deal. I am so grateful for that!

@RWB Thanks for sending me previews of your PennyWise articles regarding Braided Hair proofs.  Being able to read that level of depth of information is fascinating to me always, but at that point in my collecting journey (which was the very beginning), I was spellbound and it motivated me to study more.  I can honestly say that I dug deeper than I would have into Half Cents because of you.

@Lem E Thanks for feeding me leads on 1850 coins.  It means so much when the nickel guru sees a half cent and thinks of me.  I really enjoy the communication and fellowship.

Edited April 18, 2023 by The Neophyte Numismatist

[RWB]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:36 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

@RWB Thanks for sending me previews of your PennyWise articles regarding Braided Hair proofs.  Being able to read that level of depth of information is fascinating to me always, but at that point in my collecting journey (which was the very beginning), I was spellbound and it motivated me to study more.  I can honestly say that I dug deeper than I would have into Half Cents because of you.

Glad to have made some small contribution and encouragement to deeper investigation.