I placed an order for the last 5 Washington proofs that I needed to complete my first 1932-Present P, D, and S Washington quarter dollar set. Whew! That took some work. I just love completing any sets and will stare at them for weeks after I have nothing more to add to them. Then I put them in storage and pull them out every once in a while to add the most recent year's coins or if they are part of an ended series just to look at them one more time. I don't think there is anything more satisfying than completing a set of coins. I learn so much completing the first set that I then apply to the 2nd and 3rd sets. It makes the next two easier because I already know where to get the best deals already. Every set is different even if they are different sets of the same coin type. Now on to sets #2 and #3. :loud: Let the hunt begin, Gentleman, start your engines, ready, set, go, ...
Moen: Congrats, I did the same thing, for one complete set 1932-1998. I ignored the states quarters. Then did another couple of sets just silver. Again, congrats, I know how hard it is to put together nice sets. .
Congrats Moen! What was your standard for your set? A good set to complete, very awesome! :thumb: Phoenix
I was thrilled when I finished my jefferson and Roosie Collection. I'd love to finish my Quarters up, only 5 to go for me. What will your next collection be?
It's going to be about a week for pictures guys. Sorry. My wife took the digital on an Alaskan cruise this week for her mother's 70th birthday. I got no way to take a picture other than my son's camera phone and they aren't images worth seeing anyway. The set was a combination of my father-in-laws collection and mine and many of the earlier silver quarters have some wear but they are in pretty good shape. I don't know what the average grade would be maybe VF-20 to F12 with some being better and some being at the lower end of the range. Anything after about 1940 look almost uncirculated but some toning. Everything after is Uncirculated. They are in two Whitman Classic Coin Albums, one from 1932 - 1990 and the other obviously from 1991 - Present. At this point, I have collected 307 coins in the series. I just need the WY, ID, and UT business strike statehood coins to finish 2007. I don't know how impressive photographs of two Whitman Albums will be but I'll post them when, and If, my camera comes home. If it falls over the side of the boat, it may take a little longer. Thanks for all your congrats!
Proofs? Just curious - what do you guys and gals do about proofs and "complete sets"? I have an almost complete set of Roosies but now am debating about the proofs. Heck, the 195-53 proofs will cost more than the entire rest of the set!! I was thinking about only doing from '65 on, but that doesn't seem like a "complete" set anymore. And of course, the pre-1940 proofs for the Washington quarter are way out there.... Or I guess a more general question would be what the general role of proofs is in set collecting????
Well, first of all, well done Moen! That is a more difficult set than I have completed yet. As for what Pocket Change asked about proofs, different people do it different ways. I personally am wokring on sets without the proofs, and will probably go back and try to add the proofs someday, if I can afford to.
I have completed sets of 1938-1994 Jeffersons, Mercury dimes (missing 2), Complete Roosevelts, Washington quarters (missing the 1932 mintmarks), Complete state quarters sets, Complete Franklins, Kennedys (several sets) and duplicate sets; But never included the proofs of any of them. They do look nice with the proofs and all though but I'd never spend cash on that. Been doing a complete set of Walking Liberty halfs for about a year now with only 8 left to get. There's some real money tied up in that. If I want to sink a lot of money into coins it won't be proofs, it will be pre-1933 US Gold. Take my avatar for instance. 1913 Indian ten dollar gold piece. $517 bucks for one coin! So far my most expensive purchase. I'll skip the proofs...
Pocket: I only added the proofs that were 'proof only' dates to the set, including silver proof only. I (personally) don't feel that you have to have every date unc & proof to be a complete set. For example, from 1936 to 1942 plus from 1950 to 1964 I have uncs. I only added the proofs for 1968 and on.
I have to agree with everybody else here, a set is what you want it to be. I like all the P's, D's, and S's in my sets but some only collect all the P's and D's and that is just fine. My problem is whether to add the SMS coins. It just seems like they are the ones that are going to be worth much more in the future because of their low mintages and current high prices. My albums don't have a spot for them so I figure as I collect them, I'll put them in airtites. You're right about the rosies though, the earlier proofs are spendy. I put together 3 complete sets last year and never want to look at another dime. I sort of wish they'd change that design or sharpen it up a bit. They are tough to look at for very long. I collected a bunch of extra 1996W's because they will be needed by other collectors in the future and I want to have them. I pick up one every now and then and stash it away. I even asked one company if they'd give me a discount if I ordered a 100 of them. I think they got suspicious and refused the discount. Oh well. I think the term "complete set" is taken too literally. You should collect what you enjoy collecting and consider a complete set whatever you want to consider it.
I agree. Use that logic that a complete set needs proofs, that means that full sets of the Liberty nickels aren't full sets without the 1913 and it's proof. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have every proof exapmle of each year for my sets. Phoenix
most consider the 1913 5 cent piece as a variety or somthing.. its not considered a regular release so not counted. then again, i could be wrong
