Ten coins every collector should own!

Ten coins of the rarest and best quality you can afford to buy.

Then sell and upgrade over time to better ones.

 

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Depends. If you're looking for appreciation, low mintage special issue moderns. If you don't care about appreciation, pick 10 classic coins you like.

 

A list of ten coins EVERY collector should own is worthless without an explanation of why they are on the list. (And I am keeping this all US related.)

A half cent, the smallest denomination the US as made for domestic use.

A Large cent, this and the half cent were the coins of the people in early America. To the average man these were these were not trinkets but real money and the average person probably seldom had much need for larger coins in everyday commerce.

A two cent pieces
a nickel three cent
a Shield nickel, these three coins represent the civil war era when the nation tore itself apart and the uncertainty resulted in the economic hardship that required these no coins of base metal that wouldn't be hoarded to replace the precious metal coins that had disappeared.

A buffalo nickel
A Pratt Indian head gold piece (either denomination) These coins are distinctly American in design and depict the Native Americans who were here first and yet who were eventually pushed out. Something we should remember and be somewhat ashamed of. A remembrance that Might does not always make "Right".

A double eagle, preferably a Liberty head. Born of the great California gold strikes that drew our people west and made the "Manifest Destiny" of a country stretching from ocean to ocean likely, and most likely possible.

A silver dollar, preferably a Morgan. The large silver coin has traditionally been the status symbol that a country was a serious country. A matter of prestige and in the case of the Morgan also a symbol of the vast mineral riches of the Comstock.

A steel cent, a symbol that once again as we went to war we economized and substituted to provide for the war effort to help eliminate a truly horrible foe.

I think a pretty fair list. For the most part one everyone could afford (With the possible exception of the double eagle) and ones with meaning that were actually a part of the history of this country and used by everyone.

 

I think they should all own what they like. Sounds to me your are talking more about doing some type collecting. Some coins I just wanted some examples and ended up working on a date set. Of course this eats any profit from Ebay sales when the best date from the lot goes into my book but oh well.

 

Question seems impossible to answer. I can only answer for myself. I despise wheat cents, most things designed by Barber, all nickels aside from Buffalo, and so on. What I'd pick would differ greatly from any collector and the same would apply to all. The top of my list would simply say, "buck the trend".

 

Here's another way to look at it — from the perspective of a 15 year old collector who's saving for college. 10 U.S. coins I think Sully should strive to own now, in the highest grades he can afford:

1. Half Cent
2. Large Cent
3. Indian Head Cent
4. Buffalo Nickel
5. Mercury Dime
6. Standing Liberty Quarter
7. Walking Liberty Half
8. Morgan Dollar

And two more because of their connection to important historical events:

9. 1943 Steel Cent
10. 1964 Kennedy Half

I purposely left out 2, 3 and 20 cents and half dimes. Those are rather pricey and, in my humble opinion, less iconic than the denominations represented above. Plenty of time for him to get into those later on if they interest him.

 

You consider the addition of chainmail to the obverse and the addition of 3 stars to the reverse to be "significantly changed"? Really?

 

The obverses are completely different between the two types. Different hair/heads, different torsos (one armored), different drapery on the gown, totally different shield designs (along with a decrease from 30 to 16 rivets on the shield), different branches in her right hand, different Ls, different overlap points between the gown and the surrounding devices, the style and placement of the reed and bead along the rim is totally different, the panels on both parapets are different heights and placed farther from the stars, the position of the mint mark was altered. The only elements on the obverse to remain unchanged were the date, "IBERTY", and the position and heights of the parapets.

The reverse wasn't changed as significantly, but of course, the star positions, the position of the eagle, the size, font, and position of "United States of America" are all different. That's basically everything on the reverse modified in some way except for the denomination. You don't find those changes to be significant?

 

At the micro-analysis level, sure there are changes. But the general gist of the design is the same. Certainly they are not "significantly" different enough to merit both types having a spot on any top 10 list -- at least not in my opinion.

 

Right here...
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/these-are-the-10-top-coins.263339/

 

A real nice mercury dime, an Indian head cent, a Buffalo nickel, a seated liberty coin, a capped bust coin, a barber coin, a half cent and a large cent. a peace and morgan silver dollar, a asg eagle, a quarter eagle, a gold dollar, an indian half eagle, a silver three center, and a 3cn, a set of coins from the civil war era, a capped bust half dollar overdate, a nice example of a clipped planchet, a nice offset strike coin with the date, a monitor civil war token, a nice anti Jackson hard times token, whoops thats more than ten so I will shut it before the turd in the punchbowl shows me he knows how to count to ten.

 

Do thousands of wheat pennies count?

 

I agree with what everyone else has said

 

No. You guys are all wrong.

THIS is the correct Top Ten (I personally have two of each of these coins):

1. 1849 Double Eagle
2. 1877 Half Union
3. 1907 Saint Gaudens
4. 1794 Silver Dollar
5. 1933 Double Eagle
6. 1804 Bust Dollar
7. 1822 Half Eagle
8. 1913 Liberty Head Nickel
9. 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Million Dollar Coin
10. 1787 Brasher Doubloon EB on Wing

 

Bison Nickel? I don't think I've ever heard anyone call it that.

 

1. Liberty Head $20 gold
2. Liberty Head $10 gold
3. Liberty Head $5 gold
4. Liberty Head $2.5 gold
5. Morgan Dollar
6. Peace Dollar
7. Walking Liberty Half
8. Seated Half
9. Bust Half
10. Large Cent

 

No 1964-D Peace dollar? peasant .

 

No counterfeits allowed..