Set Description
Numismatics- the study of coinage, the hobby of kings with unlimited resources.
A king I'm not, but I raised my children to believe that we could have anything if we worked hard enough for it. I always dreamed of putting together a set of coins that were rare enough that they would challenge me until the day I die. With Liberty Half Eagles, I have. Is this set perfect? Why ask a hard-core collector that question? The answer is obvious, you never stop trying to improve the set. But for all its imperfections, it has all the elements that you would expect- it was a challenge due to its massive overall size, it was an accomplishment, and it was a thrill to hunt down the ones I was able to find. In short, it fulfilled the requirements of a thoroughly enjoyable hobby. But why all the details graded coins in the set you ask? Because lightly cleaned or dipped gold can look every bit as nice as uncleaned and undipped coins after enough years have passed to give it a second skin, and because your sister isn't ugly just because her complexion is a bit off. Many of the details coins in this set would not be noticed in an album set without someone's opinion that it was 'cleaned'. While I agree wholeheartedly that details graded slabs are useful and keep the hobby honest, they also don't tell the whole story on that tiny label, so you'd need to see the set in person to see how well the details graded coins fit in with the problem free coins. This is my best attempt at completing the entire liberty half eagle series on a blue collar budget.
I purchased my first Liberty half eagle way back in late 1988 or early 1989. It was a PCGS AU50 1881/0 and wow was I proud of that, as it was also the first obsolete gold coin I had purchased for my set. It was the last also, because on a military E6 pay it was difficult in those days to juggle the collection with raising two little girls and they won out most of the time. I left the military a couple years later after a decade of service to raise my family the proper way (I was a sailor, too many six month cruises away from them) and started a computer business that kept me very busy for fifteen years. About five years ago I went back to collecting in earnest and assembled this set for the most part over the past five years. It has been an exciting journey and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way, including a few who weren't asked but so gracviously offered their assistance anyway. There is no better community of people than in numismatics and it is a pleasure and great honor to be among them. As of this update, I need just 18 more issues to complete the standard 201 piece set (one of every date and mint, less all of the extra varieties).
Cleanings and minor damage aside, I feel lucky to have been able to assemble such a super set with so many true rarities for such a relatively small sum of money. A lot of this was done by trading & upgrading, so if you are like me and have coins to trade, please feel free to contact me, I'd love to trade my extras for yours if it helps fill more holes in our sets!
I'd like to apologize for the lack of quality photos- I am not a professional and did the best I know how with the limited equipment at my disposal. (Samsung Galaxy with zoom lens with 5500K LED bulbs) Some of the photos look orange or even washed out- they were likely taken under florescent lighting. I didn't like the effect so I switched to LED because it brings the luster out a little better. As time permits, I will try to post photos of the most important coins in the set with verbal descriptions and my thoughts, likely during the winter months, and I'll update the set as I get lucky enough to have the funds at the same time I have the finds.
Call me lucky and wish me luck!
