Lordmarcovan: where I stand with a US Basic Design Type Set (19th + 20th C.)

(Note: I’m mostly posting this list for my own reference, but feel free to follow along or comment if you see fit.)

I keep my US coin collection organized chronologically rather than with the standard sorting by denomination and type that most collectors and reference guides use. This is is how I sort my all of my collections, so I do it that way for consistency.

However, that order makes it harder for me to determine what types I’ll need if I want to complete a type set, which I’m considering.

Mostly I'm pursuing just a 19th and 20th Century basic design type set. For now, I'll be ignoring most of the types that began and ended in the 18th century. Most of that stuff is just too expensive for my budget (and I’m skipping all the pre-1834 gold). I’m also skipping the types that began in the 21st century, as I’m less interested in modern Mint issues and rather out of touch there (neat though some of it is).

As of this writing, there are still plenty of types missing, but I do have the advantage of having purchased all the necessary gold a few years ago, when bullion prices were a lot lower. So now it’s time to circle back and focus on the rest. The Draped Bust types (particularly the small silver denominations like the half dime and dime) will be challenging. Some of the more modern 20th century slots will be much easier to fill.

* Coins in italics are types I'm excluding.
* Coins in red are types I need.
* Coins with hyperlinks are ones I own.

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Liberty Cap Left Half Cent (1793)
Liberty Cap Right Half Cent (1794-1797)
Draped Bust Half Cent (1800-1808)
Classic Head Half Cent (1809-1836)
Braided Hair Half Cent (1840-1857)
Flowing Hair Chain Cent (1793)
Flowing Hair Wreath Cent (1793)
Liberty Cap Cent (1793-1796)
Draped Bust Cent (1796-1807)
Classic Head Cent (1808-1814)
Coronet Head Cent (1816-1839)
Braided Hair Cent (1839-1857)
Flying Eagle Cent (1856-1858)
Indian Cent (1859-1909)
Lincoln Cent (1909-2025)
Two Cents (1864-1873)
Three Cent Nickel (1865-1889)
Three Cent Silver (1851-1873)
Shield Nickel (1866-1889)
Liberty Nickel (1883-1913)
Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938)
Jefferson Nickel (1938-present)
Bust Half Disme (1792)
Flowing Hair Half Dime (1794-1795)
Draped Bust Half Dime (1796-1805)
Capped Bust Half Dime (1829-1837)
Liberty Seated Half Dime (1837-1873)
Draped Bust Dime (1796-1807)
Capped Bust Dime (1809-1837)
Liberty Seated Dime (1837-1891)
Barber Dime (1892-1916)
Mercury Dime (1916-1945)
Roosevelt Dime (1946-present)
Twenty Cents (1875-1878)
Draped Bust Quarter (1796-1807)
Capped Bust Quarter (1815-1838)
Liberty Seated Quarter (1838-1891)
Barber Quarter (1892-1916)
Standing Liberty Quarter (1916-1930)
Washington Quarter (1932-present)
Flowing Hair Half Dollar (1794-1795)
Draped Bust Half Dollar (1796-1807)
Capped Bust Half Dollar (1807-1839)
Liberty Seated Half Dollar (1839-1891)
Barber Half Dollar (1892-1915)
Walking Liberty Half Dollar (1916-1947)
Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963)
Kennedy Half Dollar (1964-present)
Flowing Hair Dollar (1794-1795)
Draped Bust Dollar (1795-1804)
Liberty Seated Dollar (1836-1873)
Trade Dollar (1873-1885)
Morgan Dollar (1878-1921)
Peace Dollar (1921-1935)
Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1978)
Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979-1999)
Sacagawea Dollar (2000-present)
Presidential Dollar (2007-2016)
American Innovation Dollar (2018-2032)
Liberty Gold Dollar (1849-1854)
Indian Princess Gold Dollar (1854-1889)
Draped Bust $2-1/2 (1796-1807)
Capped Bust $2-1/2 (1808-1834)
Classic Head $2-1/2 (1834-1839)
Liberty Head $2-1/2 (1840-1907)
Indian Head $2-1/2 (1908-1929)
Indian Princess $3 (1854-1889)
Draped Bust $5 (1795-1807)
Capped Bust $5 (1807-1834)
Classic Head $5 (1834-1838)
Liberty Head $5 (1839-1908)
Indian Head $5 (1908-1929)
Draped Bust $10 (1795-1804)
Liberty Head $10 (1838-1907)
Indian Head $10 (1907-1933)
Liberty Head $20 (1850-1907)
Saint-Gaudens $20 (1907-1933)

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The list is derived from the roster of the PCGS Registry Complete US Coin Design Set (1792-present). I note that set lumps the Type 2 and Type 3 gold dollars (small and large Indian heads) into a single slot, though I consider them to be two distinct types. I do have all three gold dollar types, but my Type 2 is not linked above.

 

Love a good Type Set!!

I'm surprised to see that Indian cents not broken out into subtypes, along with the Buffalo nickels, Lincoln cents, etc.

I guess I'm so into the weeds with tiny design changes to expand a 7070 into an 8080 and beyond, I lost sight of the fact that many collectors "zoom out" and simplify a US Type set to just the broad design categories.

Love how you can click a coin and go to a dedicated page for that coin.

 

Yeah, but that’s why it’s a basic design type set. Much simpler. Later, if I’m still feeling inspired after completing this (and I’m not broke and/or out of safe deposit box space), I could go back and delve further “into the weeds with tiny design changes”, as you put it.

Thanks. As you can imagine, it took a long time to post a dedicated thread for each individual coin, particularly since I also did that for the Exonumia and commems and all the World & Ancient stuff not on the list above. That way I can link to each individual coin writeup from my main collection pages. Was a lot of work, but totally worth it. And it will make it easier to build a proper website from the information later.

 

Main reason for posting this thread:

Now I’ve got a handy quick reference on where I stand, and I can also link to this thread from elsewhere to use it as a wantlist.

 

@johnmilton - Though not in the game nearly as long as you, I have been a type collector myself for several decades, and am a 3-time veteran of the Dansco #7070 album and once of a complete 1798-2000 nongold certified type set. Then later on the PCGS Registry, including gold.

So I already knew most of the information you just posted, but I do appreciate your posting it, anyway, and some of the more detailed observations.

As to your bafflement over why I do not as of the present posting have some of the ridiculously easy stuff like the Jefferson nickel and Roosevelt dime, that’s because this just happens to be Day 1 of a restart- from scratch, so to speak.

My past completed type sets were sold long ago, and for the last few years I’ve simply been accumulating stuff that interests me, without much serious attempt at covering the stuff that doesn’t, so much. So for the last few years I’ve collected without much structure.

This is why you do not see a Jefferson nickel or Kennedy half or Ike dollar in my present inventory. I simply haven’t bothered. Of course I do have things like that in my giveaway inventory, but not higher-end PCGS/NGC examples. Note my earlier comment about not having much interest in moderns. That’s the main reason you see some of those easy types missing right now. They won’t be for long.

That’s why I posted this thread- to see where I’d stand if I transitioned my present US Type holdings into a very basic type set. And I think I’ll give it a go. Type sets are fun.

Given my F12 minimum in the existing collection, I suspect it will be challenging to find a Draped Bust half dime of decent quality at a price I’d like to pay. In my past attempts at a fuller 19th century set, I found that type to be either wretched or too nice (and thereby expensive), without much happy middle ground.

 

@mark_h and @Tall Paul - thanks for sharing y’all’s endeavors. I’ll check those out later.

 

I’ve done the PCGS Registry in the past, back in its earliest days. I was even in the Top Ten with one of the simple 20th Century gold type sets very briefly. (Well, #10, technically.) But that was when the Registry was new and there was much less competition.

A Registry set doesn’t really work for me nowadays because I’ve got a mixture of PCGS and NGC, and I’m certainly not going to go through the frustration and expense of trying to cross everything over to one service.

 

How well I know about that! You always do such a great job when you “give ‘em the treatment”.