Most under appreciated/neglected coin set?

Hi all. I am a new collector and looking for a series to collect. I thought I would ask what y'all think is the least appreciated or neglected series is. Modern or older. I am planning on doing some of the classic sets like Peace and American Eagles (I know more of a bullion) but would like to look for something a little more esoteric and thought I would get the opinions of seasoned collectors. I'm not looking to spend tons of money as a father of four which is why I say under appreciated Thanks!

 

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Good gosh, there are tons of them. To answer your question though, do you want only US coins or others? If US coins only, things like silver or nickel three cents pieces are interesting and esoteric. Also the two cent pieces are fun.

If it doesn't have to be US, then there are tens of thousands of very interesting sets.

 

I'm looking mainly US. I am hoping this gets a little bit of a debate going on here so I can learn a bit about the sets a little bit as well.

Esoteric isn't a requirement. I'm just a bit eccentric myself.

My brother buys bags of pennies and halves which got us started looking at coins more closely. He also does Thalers.

I got my three youngest state quarter albums they are working on so I'm trying to make it a family affair. Really just looking for an area that is interesting and achievable without dropping too much money (at least not until my wife is on board too)

 

I would say the Z-Lincolns are the most under appreciated, either them or Jefferson nickels !!

 

I'd say half cents of any type. There are enough of them out there that every once in a while, one should run into a half cent collector, but I've never met one.

 

Have you given any though to the Ike dollars as a set? They only made them from 1971-1978, proof & business strike, clad & 40% silver.

Chris

 

If your looking for low cost than I would say Lincoln penny or jefferson nickel. If you have a bit more buffalo nickels are good and not expensive at all in lower grades. Indian cents are nice as well.

 

1946 1970 Roosevelt Dimes are one most overlooked coin series. In my book.

 

Another option is Franklin halves. They start at silver melt (for AU or lower pieces of most dates), on up to hundreds or thousands of dollars (if you want to look for high grade FBL pieces, toners, or certain varieties).

 

Ok so lots of different series. Now I guess I should add this to the question: why collect any of those over the others?

And, to the modern series suggestions in particular, are these basically best to collect in a Dansco or Whitman album or worth trying to get certified (or already certified)? To the older series, because something about the two or three cent pieces strikes a chord with me, is it better to try and get those already certified or is raw better?

I know I'm asking a lot but these seem like pertinent questions to try and build a collection on. As to cost. I like the idea of the pennies and nickels as something to do with the kids. I'm thinking a series that the coins don't top a couple of hundred dollars e

 

Each would work for me. (Sorry doing this by phone and accidentally hit post). I'm looking to find something that could be long term and take a bit to build a nice set.

 

Only thing is mate buffalos and indians are not at all under appreciate they are most likely two of the most popular set out there !!

 

If you want graded buy graded instead of submitting raw, at least until you become more comfortable with grading.

Susan B Anthony dollars don't seem to be very appreciated and can be found online inexpensively.

 

I agree. But I figured I would throw those out there.

 

We can give you our objective assessments as to which series are under-appreciated/undervalued.

Beyond that, it boils down to which coins do you like?

If you hang around a coin forum long enough, you'll see the phrase "collect what you like" ad nauseam.

Personally speaking, I'd steer you to something like Ike dollars and Franklin or Kennedy halves to start, but it really depends on which coins trip your trigger.

 

I'm kind of looking for those objective assessments. They might steer me toward a series I wouldn't even consider for a while. I like a lot of the popular series that's why they are popular. Looking for off the grid types. Something I might not run across in day to day life. I already like the idea of two- and three-cent pieces so I have already got a push in a different direction. Half cent sounds interesting but just a cursory glance at pricing and they are advanced. Thanks for all the input so far. Lots of great suggestions and info.

 

I haven't seen anyone recommend a 19th-20th Century type set yet...

 

Barber coinage.

 

The problem is, there are no U.S. coins that are truly off the grid. They're all collected — it's just that some are collected more than others.

Perhaps you should look into world coins.

 

Things to consider are the size of the set and the value of the key dates. Make sure your collecting goals are realistic based on your budget, given the grades you want to collect. The most important thing though is to collect what you like. Filling holes for a series you don't really appreciate just for the sake of filling holes just takes money away from the series you enjoy the most.

Short sets like 2 cent pieces can be very rewarding. My primary set is a short set of only 8 issues (capped bust quarters 1831-1838). If you want to get more advanced with a short set, you can always expand into die marriages or even die states.

Long sets are also great, but many have expensive key dates. This is less of an issue with moderns. My favorite full set is Washington Quarters 1932-1998. There are only two keys and a handful of semi-keys. All are relatively affordable compared to many other series, and the coins are readily available in all grades.

World coins are also a great option. I started out only collecting US, but eventually I got into colonial Mexican and classic Hungarian as well. Kind of an unusual mix but the coins really clicked with me.