Collector Spotlight: Doug Noblet

Doug Noblet started collecting coins like so many others during the numismatic heyday of the early 1960s. “I frequented a local hobby shop in Kansas City, Missouri, owned by Mr. Hart Mayer. He hosted contests for individuals who put together model airplanes and cars. My impatience in painting and putting together these models proved early on to not be my forte.”

Mayer suggested that young Doug try collecting coins, selling the budding numismatist his first coin folder – designed for Lincoln Cents. “In my change from my purchase was a 1950-D. In it went into the folder, and I was on my way.”

Noblet said his mom, a former employee of a five-and-dime store who fondly recalled handling Mercury Dimes in her day, indulged him in his hobby. “In my early days, those [Mercury Dimes] were still occasionally available in change.” But he didn’t stick with only Lincoln Cents or Mercury Dimes too long. His ambitions soon turned to half dollars, first Liberty Seated Half Dollars and then Capped Bust Half Dollars, the latter going on to form the core of his incredible PCGS Set Registry endeavors by the early 2000s.

So, what is it about Capped Bust Half Dollars that appeals to Noblet? “I like the type and am an avid fan of eye appeal, particularly nicely toned pieces. I completed the necessary requirements for the Everyman Sets after about 23 years. Although, at the time, I hadn’t given much thought to submitting to the Registry Set. But in early 2024, I thought ‘why not submit my set and see where I show up on the list?’”

He has too many favorite pieces among his set to list, but if he had to choose just two, they are his 1815/2 overdate and 1836 Reeded Edge halves. They speak to his desire for rarity, quality, and eye appeal. He has already laid claim to pieces he calls “dream coins,” including the finest-known 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar, the rare 1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar, and the iconic 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar.

He confesses there are simply too many different areas of the hobby he would like to explore. However, he wryly concludes, “I’ll let Mr. Eliasberg keep that record,” speaking of celebrated numismatist Louis Eliasberg, who famously assembled the most comprehensive collection of United States coins in his time during the mid-20th century.

The Capped Bust Half Dollar aficionado offers advice to those who are hoping to build successful PCGS Registry Sets of their own. “For one, stick to what you like. Narrow your scope. Buy the keys first. And buy the best you can afford.”