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17 Years in the Making - The Dr. and Mrs. Peter K. Shireman Collection of Barber Half Dollars

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In 2005, PCGS had the privilege of displaying the Dr. and Mrs. Peter K. Shireman collection of Barber half dollars side-by-side with the Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Duckor and Dale Friend Barber Half collections. At that time, the Shireman collection was ranked #3 in the PCGS Set RegistrySM.

Now, six years later, the landscape has changed. Dale Friend retired his set early in 2009 with a #2 ranking. And in summer 2010, the multiple award-winning, top-ranked Hall of Fame Duckor Collection was sold. With the purchase of some of the Duckor specimens, Dr. Shireman's set rose to the #2 All-Time Finest ranking.

The cmaraderie among these three distinguished collectors is noteworthy. Each has numerous stories about how they have helped each other through the years achieve the very best collections possible.

Now ranked #1 Current Finest, Dr. Shireman's ultimate goal is to land in the coveted Number One All-Time Finest spot for his Barber halves. He is well on his way. Pedigrees abound throughout the collection with past owners including Duckor, Eliasberg, Friend, Hugon and Price. Incredibly, the Shireman collection contains five finest-known examples:

  • 1906-S PCGS MS68 – Any MS68 Barber half attracts attention as there are only 11 or 12 known for the entire series. This is a spectacularly rainbow-toned, nearly flawless specimen from the Hugon collection.
  • 1907 MS67+ – Purchased from the Duckor collection, this is another beautifully toned coin with deep golden color around the periphery.
  • 1909-O PCGS MS67 – With an eye for quality, Dr. Shireman purchased this coin with a Hugon provenance from Harry Laibstain.
  • 1909-S PCGS MS67+ – Another Hugon coin purchased through Laibstain. It's light gold in color with prooflike surfaces.
  • 1912-D PCGS MS66+ – Displaying prooflike surfaces, this coin is rare in 66. 66+ elevates it to finest-known status.
17 of the coins in the Shireman collection are tied for the highest-graded. With a weighted grade point average of 66.08 for the major variety set, this collection is less than a point away from becoming the finest Barber half dollar collection ever assembled! A true collector at heart, Dr. Shireman is in for the long term. There is no doubt that in the years to come he will reach the pinnacle of success.

The Dr. and Mrs. Peter K. Shireman set is now advanced and mature, but not yet finished. Peter's favorite coins in the set are the 1894-O MS66+, 1904-S MS67 Norweb, 1892-O micro O MS65, 1904-O MS66+ Eliasberg, and 1906-S MS68 Hugon. All of these coins have great looks, great stories, and are at or near the top grades for the issues.

Last week, PCGS had the honor of displaying the Shireman collection at the Long Beach Expo and will display it again at the American Numismatic National Money Show in Pittsburgh, October 13-15th. For those who are unable to travel to these shows, the set is open and viewable in the PCGS Set Registry. Each coin has been beautifully photographed with PCGS Trueview

Photography Service and every coin has been meticulously described by Dr. Shireman. Just click here for a look at one collector's passion.

BJ Searls is a graduate of Pepperdine University with a Master’s in Business Administration. She has been involved in numismatics since 1973 and has worked for Collectors Universe since 1997. BJ is the Set Registry and Special Projects Director for PCGS, PSA and PSA/DNA. Email: [email protected].

Great Collectors and Collections Barber Half Dollars (1892-1915)