Does anyone have any experience for organizing a type set? I want to get an affordable type set, as a sorta work in progress. I have the 7070 dansco album, but I'm worried on getting fakes.I'm pretty bad at telling if a coin has been cleaned, or other wise improperly cared for so I'm guessing I should just buy them all slabbed? Which, kinda makes the dansco useless. And any more tips om how to get started with it? Thanks!
Do what you feel is the safest way you can. I was lucky to have been born into a family that been collecting for three generations . Also a Grandmother who owned a bank.
Start with what you know and build from there. Even if you wish to do this on the cheap, you're still going to want to find high quality (which does not necessarily mean high grade) specimens, so take your time and consider asking someone for help that you know, trust, and who has a good eye. This, of course, does not mean starting a new thread every time you come across a coin of interest, but someone you can ask privately for help. There are many ways to do this, so there is no right and wrong other than jumping in face, or in this case wallet, first.
I wanted to fill a Dansco too...but didn't want to spend the money on slabbed coins only to crack them out. So when I start putting it together I won't use a Dansco. If you can't tell if the coin has been cleaned, etc. and you don't have someone you trust to buy raw from then you should consider slabs. I bought the book by Q. David Bowers "A Guide Book of United States Type Coins." I've only skimmed through it so far but it has information on every type and recommended grades to collect. It also has very good pictures.
Educate yourself. Become the top leading mind on counterfeit detection by reading books, researching and even picking through dealer tables. And then come here and be our resident Counterfeit Expert.
I am really making progress on my own Type Set. For me, I started with coins I already had. Meaning, when I decided to stop collecting by series and by date, I sold off a bunch of coins, like 80 slabbed coins, all the Type duplicates and all the proofs coins. I kept one I liked from each series, and that was the basis for my "new" collection. I then bought the easiest and cheapest Types first. Now I am getting into the harder stuff: harder to find, harder to pay for. Buy what you like and what you can afford first. I would say stick with slabbed coins, but that's just me. Otherwise, buy raw from a dealer your trust.
Feel free to ask questions. I have specialized in type coin for years and this specialization includes both circulated and gem mint state or proof pieces. I have built my own sets and have worked closely with others. Additionally, I am generally quite willing to help via PM and do not require you purchase anything from me in order to share my knowledge. Good luck; this is a terrific niche.
Just be careful if you do. There are threads on the right way to crack a slab. I once did a crack out and turned a beautiful 1928s MS 62 Peace Dollar that I was going to submit for upgrading into a details coin, with one bounce on the floor.
For the early copper (half and large cents), deal only with reputable copper specialists. Chris McCawley, Greg Hannigan, Tom Reynolds, Doug Bird, etc. (this is not a complete list, but just a listing of some dealers I have bought from in the past and will continue to do so in the future). All of these dealers go to major shows. I almost never buy slabbed early copper because all of these dealers will stand behind their coins. If you can't make any of the shows where you might run into any of them, check their websites (Bird doesn't have one, but can be contacted by phone-google him to get the number). You might also consider the Ira & Larry Goldberg auctions. One last piece of advice—don't buy any "details" or problem coins; when it comes time to sell or upgrade, you'll never get your $$ back. If you're going to be at next week's Long Beach coin show, private message me and I'll try to set up some introductions.
Buy from reputable sellers that stand behind their stuff whether slabbed or unabbed there's several that have replied here I'd trust wholly! I'm 7 coins away from completing my type set nearly all pre 1807 and 4 will be tough but I've been doing it for 30 years and have a lot of extras too your welcome to shoot me a pm with your wants
A 7070 is a great reference but not the end all of Type Set models. The nice thing about slabbed coins is that you know what you've got and they are much easier to sell if you want to upgrade to a nicer coin or even change direction completely(and I've done both). I would encourage you to set a budget and from there pick realistic grades by type. For me I choose all problem free slabbed coins(no details grades) in common dates. My standard was MS or better 20th century coins, XF40 or better 1850-1900 coins and the minimum grade I would accept for older stuff was F12 for draped bust large cents etc. This can easily be done for $5000. It jumped to $13K when I added the gold. Now I'm upgrading some and going in other directions on others. I put all my coins in pages that held slabs so they displayed in folders nicely. You can start with just a sample of each if you want or go all out for the varieties. All the seated varieties is what did me in on the type set. Nothing wrong with just picking any seated quarter if want instead of the 4 I think it requires. Same with the different IHCs, Type 1 and 2 buffalo, etc Have fun and enjoy. It won't be long before you decide to triple your original budget and upgrade coins. Not a bad idea to check the classified here too. Some guys sell stuff a really good prices and you can also list WTB(want to buy) items.
I have similar standards most of my early stuff is f-vf most of the capped bust xf- ms same with seated with a few proofs for good measure and most of my barber and 20th c stuff is g-vg!! I know I'm upgrading slowly but my love being the rarer early stuff it's not a priority
i have two type sets, one in the 7070 and one thats slabbed. the 7070 i buy slabbed coins up to very fine, crack them out and put them in the album (no key's etc). sometimes they are problem coins (say cleaned, small scratch, etc) but show good detail. its a nice set to show kids coins from by-gone days, etc. the slabbed set is made of the best coins i can get for my budget. over all a lot of fun to collect.