Proof Barber type coins trading at low prices
- Published: Aug 2, 2016, 7 AM
The height of summertime is typically slow for the rare coin market as dealers take a well-deserved break in July and prepare for the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in early August.
Online auctions keep things moving, however, and with weekly auctions by GreatCollections, along with online auction offerings from several firms including Stack’s Bowers Galleries, Legend Rare Coin Galleries, David Lawrence and Heritage, collectors are never too far from buying opportunities.
Here is one of three coins sold in recent online auctions that we're profiling in this week's Market Analysis:
The Lot:
1900 Barber half dollar, Proof 66+ Cameo, CAC
The Price:
$4,840
The Story:
Right now many Seated Liberty and Barber type Proof coins are trading at relatively low price levels when compared with the past few years. At Legend’s July 19 online auction, the firm sold a 1900 Barber half dollar graded Proof 66+ Cameo with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker for $4,840. The auction firm hoped that it would surpass the $4,935 that a different example brought last year, but that was not in the cards.
What is the value of your Barber half dollar? Coin Values tells you.
Q. David Bowers wrote in his book The History of United States Coinage as Illustrated by the Garrett Collection: “A survey in 1900 showed that there were 21 full-time and part-time rare coin dealers in the United States. There were several thousand serious collectors, many of whom ordered Proof coins from the Mint each year.” In total, 918 Proof sets were sold in 1900, and over time, many Proof coins have been mishandled, making pristine survivors scarce to rare. The offered coin had attractive toning consistent with coins that were stored for decades in paper holders.
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Keep reading this summer online auction Market Analysis:
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