Easiest and hardest

Just wondering what you guys think the easiest us coin collection there is to assemble and what would be the hardest excluding gold?

Nickeldude

 

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Easiest: Roosevelt Dimes
Hardest: Large Cents

 

Easiest- SBA dollars and perhaps a 21st Century Type Set come to mind.

Most difficult- maybe some real early series like Bust dollars.

 

Depends on your definition of collection - all date and mint marks? All varieties? Major varieties? What kind of grades (ag, f, xf...ms)? Too me all of the modern coins can be completed easily by date and mint mark. The older you get the harder they get - not that they can not be completed, just extra bucks. Personally I like the idea of type sets.

 

Yeah...depends on definition.

One that comes to mind right away is Barber dimes. Try getting your hands on an 1894-S (mintage: 24)

 

Easiest? Jefferson nickels.

 

easiest: Jefferson nickels, roosevelt dimes. No real stoppers in either one.

hardest: depends really, bust half dollars by overton number, um large cents by newcomb number, seated dimes, etc.

 

Mark makes a very good point ,however if you are talking in general terms I would have to say the easiest to put togeather would be the Lincoln Memorial cent set.

 

Sorry double post.

 

Easiest - Jefferson Nickels
Hardest - Fully struck Full Step Jefferson Nickels

 

I have a Dansco book & a plastic Capital holder for the memorial set. These both include the 72/72. I don't know if the Whitman or other coin folders include 72/72.

Very best regards,
collect89

 

Nothing like turning a $1,000 collection into a $100,000 collection huh nickelman. That is the best answer I have heard yet in this thread and the funniest.

My answer is:

Easiest: IKE Dollars
Hardest: Draped Bust (Heraldic Eagle) Silver Dollars. Good Luck with the 1804, It ain't the king for no reason.

 

My Dansco Memorial cent album #8102 list only a 1972 P D and S mint mark not sure what you are saying about a listing called 72/72 .

 

Easiest - Forward facing Jefferson Nickels

Second Easiest - State Quarters

 

As others have mentioned Jefferson Nickels and Roosevelt dimes have no key dates.

Nearly (not all) any other denomination (assuming non-modern) have some.
Indian Head Cents, Wheat Cents, Liberty Nickels, they all have at least 1 coin that's really really hard to get - or at least, just costs lots of money

 

Exactly! Some sets (such as the barber dime) would be hard to complete since there are some where there are only a few known!

Such as:

http://www.coinfacts.com/dimes/barber_dimes/1894s_barber_dime.htm

http://www.coinfacts.com/twenty_cents/1876cc_twenty_cents.htm

http://www.coinfacts.com/dimes/mercury_dimes/1916d_mercury_head_dime.htm

 

I was actually going to come back and post that, but I already gave an answer. I'm glad you thought to make the distinction.

 

Another candidate for hardest, and it is a real short set. Draped bust small eagle half dollars. Only need two coins for a full date set, three coins if you want all the dates and die varieties. And every one of them will cost you five figures in Good. Not to mention that there are only something like 180 coins total known for all three varieties combined.

There are lots of candidates for easiest. SBA dollars just by date and mint not variety. Sac dollar only "key" is the 01-S and even that is within the reach of most every collector even the YN's. And they are all easily available. For a very easy old series how about the flying eage cent? Only need two coins, three if you want both large and small letter 58's, and a VF set is within easy reach for all but the poorest YN's. And they could do it in Fine. Braided hair large cents, 1857 a little more costly but not out of reach, and it is another older set that can be affordably built in VF or better by many collectors.

 

I'm going to stick with my first answer.

Everyone had some great answers and when we look at all the varieties it could drive a numismatist crazy. All this stuff makes you think but I'm going to stick with my first answer.

The PCGS Website is kind enough to list the full set prices for many series. I went there today & just arbitrarily compared some series in MS65. The SBA set listed at $455. The Ike set appears to be more expensive and Jefferson Nickels (not full step!) listed at $2,748. I couldn't get a good read on the Bust dollars because of the 1804 and we would need to look at grades other than MS65.

Have a Happy New Year.
collect89

P.S. the Sac dollar could be cheapest except for that darn "Cheerios" and Goodacre dollar totalling about $6500.

 

Yeah, the Jefferson nickels in MS-65 are tougher than you would think. Not only do you have the 1939-D and 1939-S, and 1938-S, which are tough in 65, but there are also some dates in the early to mid 1950s that are also very tough.