QUARTERLY REVIEW: Focus on Proof Half Cents & Early Quarters; Introductory Pricing of Colonials

This edition of the Quarterly I publication is the first of the calendar year and represents our fully-updated layout for this publication. Beyond cosmetics, however, we have continued our intensive pricing review of the series represented in the Quarterlies. In this edition you will find updates to half cents – especially the proof issues – and bust quarters.

Proof half cents were a natural this month because Jim McGuigan has updated his 1997 Monthly Supplement article on the subject in this month’s edition of the same. We encourage you to reference this article and save it for future reference. Of course, you can find it here on the CDN blog site. We thank Jim for his input on pricing for this Quarterly edition, as well.

Readers will note that values for proof half cents have risen dramatically in the last few years. This owing, in part, to collectors appreciating the true scarcity of these coins in the proof format. No contemporary discussion of proof half cents would be complete without mentioning the Missouri Cabinet Collection, sold by Goldberg Auctions in January 2014. Many pricing records were broken in this sale and it’s time these values were recognized on these pages.

We would also like to recognize Rich Uhrich for his contributions to the Bust quarter pricing. As we continue our improvements to pricing here at CDN, it is obvious that we need the help of experts in certain areas. Coin pricing is an art form and experience trumps all. Specialists like Jim McGuigan and Rich Uhrich are generous to offer their expertise in these areas, though we also edit the final numbers to maintain objectivity and consistency.

Quarterly Proofs Moved Around
You will also notice that we have integrated the proof copper issues of Indian cents, matte Lincolns and two-cent pieces into their natural order. Proof 3-cent silver, 3-cent nickels, shield and Liberty nickels are now all integrated into the Monthly Supplement, where they are much easier to reference.

Introducing Pricing on Colonials
The final exciting feature of this issue is the addition of a select group of Colonial coins valued by expert Stuart Levine. This is in response to numerous requests for Colonials on the Greysheet, and is a “beta” test. We started with a limited sample of issues and set price indications based on “AA” (above-average) quality coins for the grade.

There may be no trickier area to pin down than the pricing of Colonial coins, so we implore our readers to do their research. In setting these initial values, we debated a “spread” to capture the range of value that a specific issue might trade for in a particular grade. Given the space limitations of a printed newsletter, we decided that indicating the values for high quality coins was the appropriate direction for Greysheet readers. This value/quality pairing is consistent with all of the Greysheet products. That is, we are establishing values for above-average coins. Anything that falls short is assumed to be worth a lower price.

As always, the values defined here are indications only. Scarce and rare coins trade infrequently and do not always have a buyer waiting with an open “bid.” Also worth noting is that coins of exceptional quality may (and likely will) trade for considerably higher prices.

We are excited about offering this information and look forward to your feedback.