When collecting a series, (After getting the key dates you can afford) how do you collect the rest? By price? In order by date? reverse order? Theoreticaly, if you had the budget you could search out the majority of some series faily quickly (Like lincoln cents etc.). But for those of us on a budget who have to complete the series over time, what would you suggest?
Fill in the holes as you find coins in the grade you want at a price you're willing to pay. If you try to schedule the order in which you buy the set parts you could spend a lifetime not completing the set.
I like to buy coins in groups. Many people sell like 1990 through 2000 nickels or pennies or dimes and because it is such an odd grouping of coin years, I usually get them for less than I'd have to pay for them if I bought them one by one. Then I fill in the holes that are left.
I would agree, keys/semi-keys first if you can afford/ind them. However, for some series that is easier said than done, so there are a few alternative things you could do. If you just can't find them, set aside enough mony for them (and then some, ideally) and use what you have left working on the other dates working your way down in price-per-coin. Or, you could write them off as unattainable for now and scramble when you eventually find them. Any guess which I'd prefer? the problem is, if you bite off too much, you can be in a real bind. Look up what the 1793 and 1796 half cents go for in any condition problem-free for a lark. In the end, all you can really do is what you think will make you happy and try to enjoy yourself.
I just fill them as I find attractive examples at a price I can afford. That's pretty much all there is to it. Just choose a couple of the coins at random and start looking for a nice example. If you don't find one, no big deal - choose another couple you need and repeat. As someone else suggested, the way to save money (atleast at first) is to find people selling groups and buy those. The really odd groupings you see on places like eBay can be great deals if you need all the coins in the group. Once there are only a few holes left, you usually have to hunt them down one by one though.
I agree, you simply find the pieces that you like and get them. If you go in order you'll never complete a set. Think about trying to do a set of early Lincolns that way. Most dealers will not have complete sets in the grade that you want to collect. So, after getting the keys and semi-keys, just look for nice coins.
I made a big mistake in trying to collect Imperial Russian coins. Now the set seems to be almost impossible to complete!!!
I like to buy the common dates in "lots" of whatever I can afford from the earliest dates to the most recent. I guess I like to see the pages of my albums fill up from the beginning... As far a key dates go: whenever and whereever I find one that pleases me!
I disagree. Just because a set is very difficult, or even impossible, to compete doesn't mean it isn't fun to try. The only "mistake" you can make in trying to acquire a particular set is choosing one where you don't like the appearance or there is some other special reason that prevents you from enjoying it.
I couldn't agree more! I have a number of Barber quarter sets, all minus the '01 S, and I still enjoy them. And I am still trying for the 1892 O micro O half dollar,but I still enjoy my half sets. Frank
