Key date type set?

Thanks for the input. Most of the coins in the grades I listed are around the same money. The problem is the 1995W that you can't touch for twice what the other coins go for but I felt I couldn't exclude it. I am hoping to upgrade coins down the road so having to put a couple poor condition coins in there to begin with is okay with me.
Believe me, I in no way am looking to impress anyone. I am actually hoping to buy the dips. Look for three or four coins of the set that may be dropping in value and buy them when I can get them for what I consider a value. I feel that limiting myself to three or four coins per year will force me to research, fine the best opportunity, and then be able to pull the trigger when that opportunity presents it self.
Something that I have been hearing a lot of is the fact that I would have a bunch of MS coins and then a few low grades thrown in. Isn't this pretty much normal? How many Mercury dime collectors have an all MS set and then an low grade 16d? I think without very deep pockets, this is just part of collecting on a budget.
Thanks everyone for your ideas!

 

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FWIW, most of my sets have an erratic mix of high, mid, and low (sometimes very!) low examples. I can see how this could come off as unappealing in a type set format, but hey, do whatever makes the most sense to you.

 

I realize that yesterday I wrote this would not be a strategy I would advise, but that short post left out the reasons for it and I don't want the post to appear to be bitter or otherwise negative. Therefore the reasons, as best as can be written, are expanded upon in this post. Please keep in mind that anything I write here will of course be biased to an extent by my own likes and dislikes and part of your job is to tease away what is specific to me and what is of a more global nature.

You've laid out parameters for the set and this is an excellent start to any type set. They appear to be twentieth century issues that would be considered "key dates" with perhaps three or four purchases per year. That is well thought out start. In my opinion, type sets have the great luxury of being constituted however one would like as opposed to a date or date/mintmark set where the coins to include are largely determined prior to beginning the set. This gives type sets the possibility of having more of a personalized signature than other sets. When I look at your list the signature that comes to mind is "better date, twentieth century, affordable". There is nothing wrong with this and if that is the ultimate goal then it would have to be considered at least partially successful.

There are a few things I generally keep in mind and suggest that others keep in mind with these sets and these things are the audience, the market and the appearance of the coins. As currently constituted, I am confused at who your audience might be and what the coins may look like, but am fairly confident of your market and the market's ability to furnish these coins. Obviously, the set has to be satisfactory to you and it should bring joy or a sense of accomplishment to you, but most of us here prefer to also share our passion with others who are both likeminded (coin geeks) and not likeminded (family, friends and co-workers who may not be coin geeks). Given all of the above, below is my reaction to the set.

The mixture of circulated, mint state and proof pieces really should not bother most folks, though the low grade circulated coins are going to stand out pretty strongly. However, I believe the non-geek audience will be lost or not grasp the significance of the 1901-S Barber quarter, 1916 SLQ and likely the 1916-D Merc because of the very low grades chosen for each. While other coins can retain a lot of meat as low as F12, the Merc series doesn't always afford much remaining meat at this grade level. This leaves a few coins that cost a bit of money in an arena where they actually showcase very little of the design of the type.

Other coins, such as the 1937-D three-legged Buffalo and 1955 DDO Lincoln cent are listed with grades that will most likely yield fairly unattractive coins. The MS60/61 grade level is many times a barren wasteland for these series where one encounters nicked up, stained, poorly struck, thoroughly carbon spotted or fingerprinted coins that can be aesthetically challenging. An MS60/61 Buffalo may be an AU55/58 Buffalo on a different day while an MS60RD Lincoln cent might be covered in pox or may have one or two large gashes on the cheek that might result in a net graded on another day. They will both tie up a bit of money and both may be tough to move in the future and may also be difficult for both the geek and non-geek audience to get geeky about. The fact that they are "key" issues only because of a specific die marriage does not bother me in the least, though others might have issue with a common coin (both the 1937-D Buffalo and 1955 Lincoln are common) being considered "key" because of a specific die marriage.

The remainder of the list seems like they would be fine choices for both the goal of better date coins as well as in a grade range that would yield attractive coins that might be appreciated, although I would suggest to avoid going below MS63 for most copper and the requirement for the RD designation will not necessarily give you a more attractive coin than the RB or BN designation. My opinion is that you only have a single coin in the list that might be difficult to find and that is the 1921-D WLH in EF/AU. Every other coin on that list will be found fairly easily and in quantity.

You may want to work with a likeminded dealer who can screen coins for you or who at least might be used as a sounding board for ideas, directions or acquisitions. I have worked in this capacity for many folks in the past and I enjoy it greatly, but your goals and my niche do not overlap so we would not be a good paring. Good luck and please keep us updated on your progress.

 

Collecting anything is a journey all in and of itself, there is no right and wrong except for your personal tastes, which may change given any number of factors. You have to do what you like, how you like it, and in a way that ultimately makes you happy, it is after all your collection.

 

This is just a very random thought. If wanting variety and challenge why not go for a Carson city set? One coin from each denomination/design minted at the Carson City mint?

 

Lots of good things to think about! I appreciate the ideas and will consider them all. I know that this isn't a typical set and I guess that more or less matches my personality. The collection would be for me to enjoy as the primary motivation, what others may think as a distant second. Who knows, maybe someday when someone on this forum needs to finish a set, I may be able to help them fill a spot or help upgrade their set.

 

I once tried putting together a set very much like this. I ran out of money very quickly and lost interest in completing it.

On a very positive note, I never had a problem selling any of the coins from this set. The key dates are always in demand, and I never had to settle for common prices even on the coins that had light cleanings or other negligible problems.

I say collect what you like. Collect it the way you like it, and because it makes you happy.

 

Another thing to think about and I am considering this as part of my type set is to seek out a collectoin of all special designations. Examples are Full Head, Full Bands, Full Bell, Full Steps, Full Torch.......not sure if there are any others out there or not. All 20th century coins and all affordable and interesting IMO how certain parts of the coin are held to a high standard.

I've been looking at Full Step Jeffersons and have since learned the distinction between 5 steps and 6 steps. It seems that PCGS only needs 5 steps to be FS and NGC distinguishes between 5FS and 6FS....

 

The one exception is that I'd go for a VG 1916 SLQ, more meat and more likely a full date, or closer to a full date.

Great idea.

If the '01 S is too much, try the lower mintage (and lower price) 1913 S BQ