Bogo Collection Commentary

Gerry asked me to write up some comments on many of the photographed pieces. The pieces I have submitted are much more of an accumulation than a collection. I did not seek them out so much as run across them in my travels and in no way do I consider myself to be an expert on this series. Your help will be needed to put together an accurate listing. Please keep in mind that the metal listed is just a guess based upon a visual observation. Rarity comments, when made, are also just a guess. I have seen many other examples over the years but did not have my own pieces to compare to see if they were from the same dies. Also I made no attempt to record what I have seen. Clearly rarity estimates will become more clear as additional collectors compare and submit their holdings.

No doubt the number of varieties will increase dramatically. For historical information I suggest reading Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars by Keith Davignon. This is an outstanding work on similar pieces in the Bust Half dollar series. I have been told that since its publication the number of varieties has Doubled.

Finally, when looking over the images it becomes obvious that the pieces can be separated into (at least) two categories. First are those that are struck from hand cut dies. These are quite fun and the details can be anywhere from nearly accurate to absurd. Any date and mint mark combo is possible. Secondly are a large number that appear to be struck from dies made from genuine coins. Many of these show reworking of the dies especially the denticles. These pieces do look to be struck rather than cast ( it is tough to tell on some for certainty) and again non existent dates can exist.

Brian Greer, August 27, 2006