Like many collectors I started with Lincoln Cents. One of my uncles gave me the 13th Edition of The Red Book and the two Whitman Lincoln Cent folders. Folder #1 (1909 to 1940) is long gone because I got a "Library of Coins" album to replace it in the mid 1960s. Lincoln Cents have never been my top priority. While in high school, my interests ran toward gold coins, type coins and Indian Cents. Over time I gradually filled the old Lincoln album. The last regular issued I needed, appropriately enough, was the 1909-S-VDB. I bought that with ANACS papers (remember those?) in 1983. The ANA the called it a "VF-20." Later NGC graded it EF-45. NGC was closer to correct. That filled the album except for the 1922 Plain hole. I viewed 1922 Plain cent as a die state which was not that important. When I was a dealer, I bought a set of Lincoln cents from the estate of a collector. There was a 1922 Plain in that set, raw, in VF-EF. I was going to keep it and put it in the album, but a dealer who saw it kept upping is offer on it, until he shot me “a price I could not refuse.” Today I spotted a piece, with the Strong Reverse, which is only variety I would buy, in a PCGS EF-45 holder at my local club show. After some thought, I decided to buy it. So now the old Lincoln Cent album is complete. I’m not going to crack it out. There will be two holes in the album for the 1909-S-VDB and 1922 Plain which are both slabbed. But after 66 years the collection is complete.
Mine is not complete and probably never will be. I don't care! I loved the in circulation hunt. Anyway at 79, its time to start selling/giving away some of this stuff.
Memories of your uncle will always follow your improvements, great memory, great direction, congrats.
Congrats - took me about 45 years to finish what me and my brother started back in the late 60's. We started collecting when my grandma let us search her pennies for wheat cents. So our main books were pretty well worn - some coins continually fell out. I took and transferred them all to a dansco album first. Some of the coins are rough - but I still kept them. I don't remember the year I did this - but then over the next 4-5 years I bought low grade keys. I know it was around 2015 when I bought 4 or 5 more. Then finished up to 2015 - think I still have spots for 2016 to 2021 open.
I am so glad for you "completing the set". I'm still in awe of your accomplishments. I would love to be able to sit and talk to you about your journey, and, of course, see your collection! I describe myself as a hobby collector of "regular issue, circulated coins". It's fun to me and I'm not in it as an investment, but for the enjoyment that I get, finding that next one! But, I focus on regular issued circulated coins. Not "error" coins, so I never considered a 1922 No D as necessary in my collection, because I always viewed it as an error coin. Me too! I love circulated coins. Coins that circulated throughout history. Just imagine the story they could tell! I try to collect the nicest ones that I can find or purchase, but I'd rather have an AG one, filling the space, than to have the space (it's just one that was the most "used"! I know I'm different). I'm thrilled when I see Proof coins, or Uncirculated coins, I'm glad someone collects them, but that's not going to be me. They are way out of my price range, and I like coins that have "lived" along the way.
