Everyone wants good discounts. When they can, dealers and collectors will pay more to see a beautiful collection that has been hidden for years. Competition for excellent coins might be fierce. If you want a good value, you must look hard. Few collect in the series, although they exist.
Seated Liberty half dollar. Few people collect Seated Liberty half dollars. Collectors are few for designs people have never seen in circulation. It may be “out of sight, out of mind,” but dealers rarely promote older coins, which makes it hard to attract new collectors.
Collector numbers for Seated Liberty half dollars are likely limited for another good reason. Why? Dates like 1882. If you can find one, the 1882 is a terrific value, but trying to collect many dates like it may force many to move to state quarters or Roosevelt dimes. Rechecking the 1882 Seated Liberty half dollar mintage yields 5,500. The total was 5,500, with 4,000 for circulation and 1,100 proofs.
We would never hear the end of a Kennedy half dollar, new South Dakota quarter, or Roosevelt dime with such mintage. Prices would skyrocket and be the primary concern for six months. The 1998 matte-finish Kennedy half dollar had a mintage 10 times higher than the 1882 Seated Liberty half dollar and a survival percentage of 99.99 percent, while the 1882 was sold or issued in 1882.
A matte-finish Kennedy half dollar costs $400 now. MS-60 1882 Seated Liberty half dollars cost $1,000. The 1882 half dollar at its current values and mintage of 5,500 compares well to almost any coin as a good buy.
Though cheap, the matte-finish 1998 pales in comparison to an 1882. There are many Seated Liberty half dollar dates from the 1870s and 1880s with identical mintage and prices. Nowadays, the 1882 starts at $290 in G-4. It costs $850 in XF-40 and $2,500 in Prf-65.
Whatever grade, the price is low for a coin with a mintage of 5,500. That's because demand is low. Even if the survival rate is higher than typical, going out to buy an 1882 half dollar would be harder than current prices suggest.
If a dealer has one sitting in a corner for years, you might buy it for current pricing, but otherwise, the dealer will know this coin is tougher than its price suggests. The dealer must also assess how long and how much it would cost to replace the one they sold you.
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