Welcome to the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) Gerry Fortin, LSCC Regional Program Chair

page 2July : Born in Hanover, PA (South-central PA) Clockmaker, inventor, die maker and engraver 1811: Moved to Philadelphia 1823: Applied for Chief Engraver : Second Engraver : Chief Engraver Patterns, medals, regular issue Liberty Seated coinage Christian Gobrecht ( )

page 3July 2011 Reverses  Half dimes and dimes  wreath and laurel, legend, and denomination  later wreath of agricultural products  Other denominations –  eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows Obverse Liberty in a flowing dress seated on rock Shield symbolizes defense Pole with cap symbolizing freedom (Liberty Cap) 13 stars = 13 colonies Liberty Seated Design and Denominations Minted

page 4July 2011 Minted from at three mints Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco Five Major Design Changes No Obverse Stars ( ) Obverse Stars, No Drapery ( ) Obverse Stars, With Drapery ( and ) With Arrows at Date ( ) With Obverse Legend ( ) Liberty Seated Half Dimes

page 5July 2011 Complete business strike set contains 70 coins Difficulty level: Challenging Key coins: 1846, 1853-O No Arrows Semi-keys: 1844-O, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866 and 1867 Die variety collecting becoming more popular The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dimes Al Blythe, DLRC Press 1992 Liberty Seated Half Dimes

page 6July 2011 Minted from at four mints Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City Six Major Design Changes No Obverse Stars ( ) Obverse Stars, No Drapery ( ) Obverse Stars, With Drapery ( and ) With Arrows at Date ( ) With Obverse Legend ( and ) With Arrows at Date ( ) Liberty Seated Dimes

page 7July 2011 Complete business strike set contains 114 coins Difficulty level: Extremely challenging Key coins: 1844, 1846, 1856-S, 1858-S, 1859-S, 1860-O, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1870-S, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC, 1874-CC, and S Uncollectable rarity: 1873-CC No Arrows, Unique Die variety collecting is quite popular! Liberty Seated Dimes

page 8July 2011 Encyclopedia of United States Liberty Seated Dimes, Kamal M. Ahwash, Kamah Press 1977 The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Dimes Brian Greer, DLRC Press 1992 The Definitive Resource for Liberty Seated Dime Variety Collectors Gerry Fortin, Liberty Seated Dimes

page 9July 2011 Minted from at 3 Mints (1877/1878 Proofs Only) Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City One type for series Business strikes: complete set contains 4 coins, excluding the super rarity 1876-CC Difficulty level: Easy Proof strikes: complete set contains 4 coins Difficulty level: Attainable No book on series and series not popular Twenty Cents

page 10July 2011 Minted from at 4 Mints Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City Six Major Design Changes No Drapery on Obverse ( ) With Drapery on Obverse ( and ) With Arrows and Rays (1853) With Arrows ( ) With Motto on Reverse ( and ) With Arrows ( ) Liberty Seated Quarters

page 11July 2011 Complete business strike set contains 108 coins Difficulty level: Extremely challenging Grade Rarity: 1859-S, 1861-S Super rarity: 1873-CC No Arrows, 5 or 6 known Liberty Seated Quarters Key coins: 1849-O, 1851-O, 1852-O, 1853 No Arrows, 1860-S, 1864-S, 1866, 1869, CC, 1871-CC, 1871-S, 1872-CC, 1872-S, 1873-CC, 1878-S, 1884, 1886, 1887, and 1891-O The Comprehensive Encyclopedia Of United States Liberty Seated Quarters Larry Briggs, 1991

page 12July 2011 Minted from at four Mints Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City Six Major Design Changes No Drapery on Obverse (1839) With Drapery on Obverse, No Motto ( and ) With Arrows and Rays (1853) With Arrows ( ) With Motto on Reverse ( and ) With Arrows ( ) Liberty Seated Half Dollars

page 13July 2011 Complete business strike set contains 112 coins Difficulty level: Very challenging Key coins: 1850, 1851, 1852, 1855-S, 1866-S No Motto, 1870-CC, 1871-CC, 1873-CC No Arrows, 1874-CC, 1878-CC, and 1878-S Super rarities 1853-O No Arrows - 3 known 1866 No motto - Fantasy piece, Unique Liberty Seated Half Dollars

page 14July 2011 Die variety collecting is very popular The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars Randy Wiley & Bill Bugert, DLRC Press, 1993 New Book – May 2009 SF Branch Mint Die Varieties By Bill Bugert New Book – May 2010 CC Branch Mint Die Varieties By Bill Bugert Liberty Seated Half Dollars

page 15July 2011 Minted from at 4 Mints Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City Two Major Design Changes No Motto ( ) With Motto ( ) Complete business strike set contains 43 coins Difficulty level: Very challenging Key coins: 1851, 1852, 1854, 1855, 1861, 1862, 1870-CC, 1870-S, 1871-CC, 1872-CC, and 1873-CC 1870-S (9 known – not a regular issue) Liberty Seated Dollars

page 16July and 1852 are usually show-stoppers 1858 is a proof only issue that is highly valued Die variety collecting is not popular Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States (Volume One) Q. David Bowers, Bowers and Merena Galleries, 1993 Liberty Seated Dollars

page 17July 2011 Thematic Liberty Seated designed influenced by William Barber Issued for trade with the Orient Minted from P to 1885 are proofs only One type for series Heavily counterfeited in China A few major varieties 1875-S/CC Trade Dollars

page 18July 2011 Complete business strike set contains 17 coins Difficulty level: Attainable Key coin: 1878-CC proof-only coins often added to the business strike set 1884 and 1885 proofs are extreme rarities and not regular issues Trade Dollars

page 19July 2011 Die variety collecting is becoming more popular Chopmarked (counter-stamped Oriental characters) collecting is also becoming more popular Modern Chinese counterfeits Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States (Volume One) Q. David Bowers, Bowers and Merena Galleries, 1993 The United States Trade Dollar John Willem, Whitman Publishing, 1965 Trade Dollars

page 20July 2011 Dues are $20 per year. Three issues of The Gobrecht Journal are published annually Monthly issues of The E-Gobrecht are ed free Liberty Seated Collectors Club Web Site: John McCloskey, President and Editor Club Membership: Len Augsburger, Secretary-Treasurer

page 21July 2011 E-Gobrecht – Free monthly electronic newsletter available to all – 2006 and 2008 ANA “Best Electronic Publication” – Subscribe via Bill Bugert at LSCC Website – – Gobrecht Journal index, issues #1 - #99 – Free chat board – E-Gobrecht archives Gerry Fortin’s Liberty Seated Dime Web-Book – Electronic Resources

Welcome to the Barber Coin Collectors’ Society (BCCS) John Frost, BCCS Regional Program Chair

page 23July 2011 Barber Coin Collectors’ Society Collectors of coins designed by Charles E. Barber – Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint series – Liberty Head (Barber) Dimes – Barber Quarters – Barber Halves – Liberty Nickels

page 24July 2011 Barber Dimes regular issues (dates and mints) All but a few dates are readily available in lower grades – Most 20 th -century dates readily available in all grades Coins stand up well to wear and look decent down to VG Key date: 1895-O (mintage 440,000) Semi-keys: 1895, 1892-S, 1901-S, 1903-S, 1904-S, others Complete sets very achievable

page 25July S Barber Dime One of the top classic U.S. Rarities! Only 24 coins struck Mysterious origin 9 confirmed specimens known 2 circulated (both ~ Good) 15 unaccounted for, and presumed circulated and lost Finest known (Proof 66) sold for $1.9 million in 2007!

page 26July 2011 Barber Quarters Most often available AG-G – Although less so now! (silver melt) Mid-grade (F-XF) sets very hard to complete Many semi-keys nearly impossible to find in better circulated grades Uncs often available for a price (except for a few dates) Original coins getting impossible to find

page 27July 2011 The “Big 3” – Can be budget busters 1896-S (188,039) – Roughly as tough as 1895-O dime – Available AG-VG, scarce finer 1901-S (72,664) – King of 20 th Century regular silver – Available Fair-Good, rare Fine-Unc 1913-S (40,000) – Lowest 20 th Century Mintage – Available Ugly Fair to VG, and UNC – Rare Fine-VF, very rare XF-AU Many people now build sets minus the 1901-S (or all 3)

page 28July 2011 Barber Halves No show stoppers! – Easiest set to complete in G-VG Low grade keys: – 1892-O (390,000) and 1892-S – 1897-O and 1897-S are next High grade keys are different! – 1904-S by a good margin – 1901-S and 1896-O are next 1904-S is the rarest regular issue Barber coin in Mint State Why?

page 29July 2011 Low-mintage dates! 1910 – 418, – 188, – 138, – 124, less than 1909-S VDB, but VG = $30! Touted as rare, but hoarded in G-VG All of these are ALWAYS available in lower grades In high grades, they are all tough

page 30July O Micro O Reverse die with Mintmark intended for the quarter Error apparently realized quickly and die replaced Variety discovered 1893 Only known Most often seen AG-G, or Unc

page 31July 2011 Liberty Nickels Charles Barber’s first coin Entirely made in Philadelphia except final year 1912 (D,S) 33 dates and mints A couple of keys, and few tough dates otherwise Ended with unauthorized clandestine issue in 1913

page 32July 2011 Key dates and collecting the series 1885 is the undisputed key – Usually in ugly Fair-AG – Proofs more common than VF- Unc 1886 and 1912-S are next – Mainly exist in low grades Most dates common all grades Completing series is very doable More people are collecting the Proof series (31 coins) Many collect by type: 1883 without and with CENTS

page 33July 2011 BCCS – Barber Coin Collectors’ Society Founded 1987 Dues: $15 per year The Journal published 4 times per year Varieties Census studies to begin in 2012 Website --

page 34July 2011 BCCS – Resources – Grading Barber coins – Authentication of “Big 3” quarters – Census and Rarity Ratings of each date in each grade – Articles and images, patterns, medals, and counterfeits – Meeting notices Online “Complete Guide” books –