Easily the finest set of Standing Liberty quarters to enter the numismatic marketplace in recent memory, the Just Having Fun Collection is the sort of collection of which legends are made. Complete by date and mintmark, virtually every coin in the set is the finest certified or tied for finest certified by PCGS. In fact, the Just Having Fun Collection ranks #1 on the PCGS Set Registry and is enshrined in the PCGS Hall of Fame. It certainly must have been “fun” pursuing these beauties in the numismatic marketplace.
The 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is a landmark date in any grade — the specimen in this world-class collection is graded MS-67 FH by PCGS, and that’s just a hint of what’s to come in this cavalcade of quality quarter dollars. The 1917 Type I quarters are likewise exceptional, with the 1917 graded MS-67 FH by PCGS. The 1917-D is graded MS-67+ FH CAC and is the finest certified of the date by PCGS, while the 1917-S is tied for finest graded by PCGS at MS-67+ FH CAC. The Type II quarters of 1917 are likewise remarkable, with the 1917 Philadelphia issue graded MS-67+ FH CAC and tied for finest certified by PCGS. The 1917-D is called MS-68 FH and is the finest graded by PCGS, while the 1917-S is earmarked MS-67+ FH and is tied for finest certified by PCGS.
The 1918 issues are also superb, as should be expected, with the 1918 certified MS-68 FH CAC and the finest certified by PCGS, the 1918-D in MS-67 FH and the finest graded by PCGS, and the 1918-S graded MS-66 FH by PCGS. Two other remarkable 1918-dated pieces are included, the first a gorgeous 1918/7-S graded MS-64+, the finest certified by PCGS of this rare overdate; error specialists will also be drawn to lot 11376, a 1918-S quarter certified MS-64 FH by PCGS and struck 10% off-center.
One of the most beautiful and important pieces is a 1919 graded MS-68+ by PCGS, representing the finest of the date seen by that firm; its Denver Mint counterpart is called MS-67 FH and is the finest graded by PCGS, and the 1919-S is likewise superb at MS-67 FH PCGS, also the finest graded for the date. The 1920 is MS-67+ FH and finest graded by PCGS, with the 1920-D — no doubt among the nicest Standing Liberty of all dates — at MS-68+ FH CAC and the finest graded by PCGS as well. The 1920-S is also the finest graded by PCGS, weighing in at a bold MS-66 FH designation. The stand-alone 1921, a classic semi-key date, is graded MS-67 FH by PCGS with a CAC sticker, and is tied for finest certified of the date.
Further on into the 1920s come the 1923 issues, the Philadelphia coin called MS-67 FH and tied for finest graded by PCGS, with the semi-key 1923-S called MS-67+ FH by PCGS and bearing a CAC sticker as well — it is the finest certified of the date. Both the 1924 and the 1924-D are called MS-67 FH by PCGS, and both are tied for finest FH of their date at PCGS, while the 1924-S ranks at MS-66 FH and is likewise tied for finest graded by PCGS. The 1925 comes in at MS-67+ FH with a CAC sticker and tied for finest graded by PCGS.
Into the home stretch we find the 1926 called MS-67 FH by NGC, the only non-PCGS coin in the set, and tied for finest certified of the date by that firm. (The JHF Collection also includes a 1926 in PCGS MS-66+ FH offered elsewhere in our Philadelphia ANA Auction.) The 1926-D, notorious for its weak strike, is graded MS-66 FH and is tied for finest certified by PCGS — as our cataloger noted, this remarkable coin is, “A prize for the numismatist who demands the ultimate quality.” The 1926-S is yet another highlight, graded MS-66 FH by PCGS, accompanied by a CAC sticker, and the finest certified of the date by PCGS. The PCGS-certified trio of 1927 issues are spectacular as well, the Philadelphia piece called MS-67 FH and tied for finest graded; the low-mintage 1927-D is called MS-66 FH and tied for finest graded as well; the key date 1927-S garnered a grade of MS-67 + with a CAC sticker and is the finest example of the date graded by PCGS. All three 1928 issues, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco, are graded MS-67+ FH by PCGS, and each is a stand-alone finest certified by that firm — the Philadelphia and San Francisco pieces are adorned by CAC stickers. Indeed, a second 1928 is in the collection, it called MS-66 FH and an ideal coin for the underbidder on the MS-67+ FH example immediately preceding it.
Not to be outdone are the Depression-era dates of 1929 and 1930. The 1929 is graded MS-67 FH with a CAC sticker and tied for finest of the date certified by PCGS, while the 1929-D is called MS-66+ FH with a CAC sticker and also tied for finest of the date certified. The 1929-S is likewise tied for finest certified by PCGS with a CAC sticker and a grade of MS-67 FH. The final year of the series, 1930, brings us two beautiful coins. The 1930 is called MS-67 FH by PCGS with a CAC sticker, and is tied for finest certified by PCGS, while its counterpart from San Francisco, the 1930-S, is graded MS-67 FH with a CAC sticker and also in a tie for finest certified by PCGS.
Once the remarkable world-class Just Having Fun Collection is broken up we suspect it may be years before another set of Standing Liberty quarters of comparable quality will be assembled. This offering truly represents that once-in-a-lifetime event in numismatics, so be prepared when the bidding begins!
