Are you here because I mentioned “bust” coins? 😉

This week, I snagged a real gem, friends: an 1834 “bust” half dime. Back then, the U.S. was too sophisticated for nickels, haha, and they seemed to prefer their coins on the smaller side!

These coins are some of the tiniest ever minted in the U.S., which is why the photos I took turned out a bit blurry—sorry about that. You can’t tell from the picture, but the coin is actually resting on a drink coaster with little square tiles, and I had to zoom in quite a bit. Still, it doesn’t outshine the 1836 1½ pence piece from Great Britain we acquired last year—that one was super tiny!

Anyway, here’s a shot of the reverse side:

I got this little treasure from a friend as part of a trade valued around $185. He traded me 18 coins and an old $2 bill for this one beauty! It worked out perfectly for both of us: he now has 19 new items for his shop, and I filled a gap in my 19th-century coin collection. Plus, I got to clear out some items from my Trading Binder that I no longer needed. A win for minimalism!

After our trade, my friend was quick to boast that he had only paid $20 for the coin (he works for a dealer, after all). But I wasn’t too bothered—I commented right back that many of mine came to me for free! There’s an advantage to helping others sell their collections: you often get to keep a few pieces!

Speaking of collections, I managed to sell my dad’s old mini collection of Morgan Dollars to a Morgan enthusiast for $500. And I sold silver Eagles for $20 each within my coin club. It’s the best place to buy, sell, and trade coins!

Has anyone else picked up any interesting finds lately?