State of the Collection (SOTC) for my 8080 Type set as of Feb 25, 2026 is as follows: Exactly 127 graded coins: NGC graded: 30 coins PCGS graded: 97 coins CACG graded: 0 coins ANACS graded: 0 coins Raw Coins: 0 coins Grand Total: 127 My commentary: Still no CACG coins in the Type set, I was not expecting that. I heavily favor buying PCGS coins, but I wont be submitting directly do them again anytime soon. CAC stickers: CAC Green approved: 81 coins CAC Gold approved: 2 coins CAC Failed: 4 coins CAC Future Submission: 3 coins CAC ineligible: 37 coins Grand Total: 127 My commentary: I totally disagree with 3 out of the 4 failed coins. I may even send back for reconsideration and ask for grader notes so I can understand the rejections. I Purchased these coins from: Great Collections: 44 coins eBay: 32 coins misc Dealer: 13 coins fellow collector: 10 coins Bozarth Numismatics: 7 coins David Lawrence: 7 coins Northeast Numismatics: 3 coins StacksBowers: 3 coins usmint.gov: 3 coins Coin Show: 2 coins Heritage Auctions: 2 coins Childhood Collection: 1 coin Grand Total: 127 My commentary: GC still the heavy favorite, but as prices realized there have exploded in past few years, I actually have started buying again on eBay, something I had abandoned for years. Funny how things go in cycles. I rarely us HA.com these days, and I hardly ever find a coin to buy at a coin show, although I do enjoy going. A single coin from my childhood is still in the Type set! Subjective "Look" / Special Characteristic: Nicely Toned: 16 coins Gorgeously Toned: 9 coins CircCam: 4 coins semi-CircCam: 4 coins No Special toning: 94 coins Grand Total 127 My commentary: Love CircCam look, I want more. I also loved toned coins, but they go for moon-money which is outside my budget. The non-special-toning coins are not necessarily blast white, many have a pleasant even color, like battleship gray. Note to self: I probably should add the "blast white" criteria to my coin spreadsheet. Strike Types: Business: 126 coins Specimen: 1 coin Proof: 0 coins Grand Total: 127 My commentary: No surprise here, this is a NO-Proof zone! Only proofs that remotely interest me are: Three-cent nickels, Indian Head cents, and Barber coinage. Coin Numeric Grades: Grade 2 … 3 Coins 3 … 1 Coin 4 … 3 Coins 6 … 2 Coins 10 … 4 Coins 12 … 3 Coins 15 … 2 Coins 20 … 1 Coin 25 … 2 Coins 30 … 4 Coins 35 … 5 Coins 40 … 6 Coins 45 … 8 Coins 50 … 2 Coins 53 … 3 Coins 55 … 7 Coins 58 … 7 Coins 62 … 4 Coins 63 … 5 Coins 64 … 10 Coins 65 … 17 Coins 66 … 10 Coins 67 … 11 Coins 68 … 1 Coin 69 … 2 Coins 70 … 4 Coins Grand Total: 127 My commentary: I love having ALL the grades, but I am still missing a few. Continue to blow my mind that I don't have a single coin graded VG8! Coin Values: Average (mean) coin price $250. Median Coin price: $230 Mode is also $250 My commentary: I wasn't expecting the most common value (mode) to also be the mean value, but hey, that's why we do these SOTC. So my collection truly is a $250 per coin Type set. My original goal was to have an "Affordable" type set. I know that means very different things to different people, but for me, this has been a total success keeping coins <$500 each, while still buying what I consider to be very nice examples of US Coin Types. Future Upgrades: There are currently 2 coins I am actively looking for upgrades. I like the coins I have, but I don't love them. So at least 2 coins will likely be replaced within the next year. Missing Type Coins: Coins I can afford: 3 missing coins Coins unlikely to find in my price range: 6 coins My commentary: 3 missing coins (that I can also actually afford) will likely be found within the next 12 months, and they all happen to be Territorial US Philippines. The 6 others, well, I don't think I will ever find them. Example: Isabella & Lafayette commemoratives, CAC approved and affordable. I been looking for nice ones for 10 years! I wont give up, but I also don't think it will happen. That's all for now, Hope you enjoyed my SOTC. I like to do these once a year for myself, just to actually understand my collections from a high-level view. Usually I find a few interesting stats I wasn't expecting. Anyone that wants to break down some stats on their collection, feel free to post in this thread if you so wish.
Here are the two coins I want to upgrade: I like this coin mostly, but there are horizontal scratches under the "CENT" on reverse that drive me crazy. I have intentionally chosen a photography angle that shows them as you see the coin head-on in hand. Meaning, they are really not that prominent. But at other angels, and especially when shining a light on them, they appear. Once I saw them, I couldn't un-see them. So it bothers me more than it should, and so I think eventually I will replace this coin, even though I like the Obverse quite a bit. With more light on the problem: Every time I pick it up, its like "oh, its the scratched coin" Second coin I will upgrade in the future: Nothing wrong with the coin below, its just a bit boring. I think when I am ready to upgrade, I will go MS67 and try for a more interesting toning, or a coin in a special slab, or some other pizazz. I chose this coin back in the day because of how hammered the wheat stalks are. They just pop in my opinion. I wish the Obverse strike was better.
You should have began this post with “The state of the collection is strong!” Then paused for applause.
@geekpryde I see why you would want to upgrade the Flying Eagle and I'm sure you will find a better example. The Wheat Cent is nice and lustrous. It seems perfectly fine but if something cooler presents itself at a decent price, why not upgrade.
