A very nice 1809 Bust Half

[MikeKing]

I think that in collecting a set of Bust halves, the most daunting path could be consistency in grade, toning and overall appearance of the Bust halves. It's also a path I have no desire to take, and the reason for that is not that it be daunting (if not impossible), but that collecting a full set (NOT each and every Overton number though) gives me an opportunity to explore all the different kinds of Busties out there. There is so much these coins have to offer on so many different levels, no matter what grade or appearance they are collected in. For me, I don't have any fixed goal regarding grade, as you could see by looking at my collection. Part of this, yes, is cost, but part of it (and no less so) is that a VF Bustie can have such eye appeal that it could easily rival an MS counterpart. At least, that is my opinion.

 

The coin I'm posting here today, I'm very excited about. I thought I would have only one 1809 in my collection, and that was the 1809 IIII edge which was my initial purchase (ex Heritage, ex Anaconda). But then, I found a really nice XXXX edge, and after acquiring that one, I began a search for a nice plain edge. Actually, I had been looking for a plain edge even before that, but just could never find one that I liked.

 

I finally found it. I bid on this coin in the Legend auction but lost out to two higher bidders, one of which, I believe, was Premiumnumismatics themselves, and I felt it was just too much money for an 1809. Of course, I couldn't get this coin out of my mind. I just never saw one quite like it. Yes, the eagle head is a bit soft, and if I focused on just that, it turned me off, but when you look at this coin, you cannot look at just that. The softness over the upper left wing is just so commonly seen in Busties that I tend to just not pay much attention to it (But I do look at it in my overall assessment of any Bust half). The central Bust is also a bit soft, and like the eagles wing situation, I don't mind that too much at all, IF there are qualities in the coin that overwhelm that. This is just that kind of coin.

 

Firstly, the luster is exceptional. The color is light, the coin has been dipped in the past, but properly so, AND if anything, the dipping just allowed the coin to express its radiance. Examining it in person, there is a nice light golden skin that envelops the coin. The luster and mild toning are almost confluent over the whole piece.

 

The strike, outside of the weakness I mentioned above, is very good to excellent.

 

The surfaces are nearly flawless. In fact, it takes quite a bit of searching to find any marks on this coin, it's amazing.

 

So overall, I just couldn't resist contact Premium and obtaining this outstanding 1809, which I'm very happy to have in my collection. I hope you enjoy it too. Comments + or - are welcome.

 

Grade? Overton? I'll tell you later.

 

I have to use the photo from the Premiumnumismatics site until I can get to photographing this coin myself.

 

 

[rbrown4]

MIke,

 

That is truly a nice looking coin. I have a 1834, 1837 and 1838 halves. Will try to post some pics.

[dooly]

Very nice coin.. i have just sent a 1828 over the pond to NGC.. lets see which Variety they come up with

[MBA101]

I would chime in a bit more, but we kinda already had this discussion, so I will remain silent.

[123cents]

Beautiful bust half Mike. Thanks for sharing it.

[TJ'S Coins]

A very nice bust half. You are putting together a great collection of these halves!

 

Stars 4-13 are well struck. There is that typical weaker strike near center as evidenced by the shoulder clasp on the reverse, less distinct hair and what appears to be a flatter strike on the eagle's head, neck and edge of the wing feathers. From you description, this would be a wonderful coin to have in hand to appreciate all the nuances it has to offer. All in all this is a super specimen that you should enjoy owning

 

My guess for grade would be in the AU53-55 range. Am I close?

 

I love your philosophy when it comes to assembling a collection of these beauties. I've seen exceptional, eye appealing VF coins and some AU that do nothing for me. With so many different toning patterns one could put together an attractive year set with a couple examples of each. IMO every coin has something to teach in this series.

[JRocco]

Wow ... that 09 is one heck of a looker Mike.

Nice coin

This series sure has a way of pulling you into it. I also started out thinking I would acquire a nice date set.....BOY was I wrong...

My last 3 purchases were ALL 1818's....

 

Those fields are beautiful and the re-toning is really eye appealing. I see a high end AU coin, 55 or 58 by the pics.

 

This one is a keeper.

[Mozin]

That beautiful 1809 CBH must have cost you a bundle of money.

[coinman1794]

This is technical AU58 that could easily be MS63 or so on a good day if the luster is there. You are right; the weak central strike isn't bad considering how stong the rest of the coin is. A very appealing coin this is!

[Hoot]

Sweet Mike. Great description and story. Very lovely coin!

 

Hoot

[MikeKing]

thanks for all the great input.

No one guessed it's an Overton 103.

If I can get up the nerve to use my closeup lens I'll take photos of the interesting features.

[MBA101]

Looking forward to your pics.

 

No fun to "guess" when you already know from the Prestige site....

[SkyMan]

That's a NICE looking coin Michael!

[WinstonWare]

I would chime in a bit more, but we kinda already had this discussion, so I will remain silent.

 

And here I was thinking that I was special Nice coin Mike

[MikeKing]

I finally took some magnified pics. And I also included a couple of more macro shots done with distant room lighting so the background is kind of yellowish, though I did a white balance thing on a grey card. Maybe because I changed the lighting after the white balance adjustment huh? duh...

 

for the O-103, the dates 1 8 is farther apart than the 8 0 9, and the 9 leans right. Also, you can see the incredible flow lines from the die wear that led to the outstanding luster.

 

 

 

the thirteenth star has it's signature notch, but it's on the arm that is pointing towards the bust:

 

 

additionally, there is a tine over the inner point of the 5th star, but if you look at all the stars, you'll find most of them have small tines or blobs or something in there, this photo is good too, for demonstrating how the stars are being pulled outwards due to die wear, and one of the benefits of that too, are the die flow lines so evident in these close up photos:

 

 

 

 

there is a line extending from the corner of the shield, into the right wing.

 

 

the A has two lines extending from it's base, into the upper serif of the M which is also rotated clockwise. The first photo doesn't show these lines that well because of my lighting, but I think I got it a bit better with the second foto that follows. Again, you can really see the stretching outwards :

 

 

last but not least, macro photos using distant room lighting

 

edited to add: oh...and the coin is a pcgs au58 by the way.

[MBA101]

Fracking cool!