I'm working on two CSC sets - one graded, one raw. I plan on getting all 52 or 53 (yes, I said 52/53) in slabs, with all MS63 or higher, except for a few that would bankrupt me in those grades. Those will be (hopefully) in the AU ranges. The raw set will not have the high end coins (think Hawaiian, Cincinatti, Antietam, New Rochelle, etc), as they are usually details coins, and not worth the money. I have a number of raw that would detail, but cost on them was typically <$100, so that's okay with me. But I won't spend $1500 on a raw details coin. I get a lot of flack about the raw set, but whatever. Anyway, I decided to make a digital album that is a mix of both. Right now I've only got the obverse album up to date (see below). I'll also be doing a reverse album, and that will also have net mintage numbers for each coin. This is current as of today for all CSC's I own, including some I haven't received yet (purchased but not arrived). I'll update this every so often as new arrivals come. What do you think? (it's a pretty big file, and you can click to enlarge it.)
Oh, and as for why I say 52 or 53... Along with the typically accepted 50 coin type set, I also consider the 1932 Washington Quarter and the 1925 Norse American Medal to be commemoratives. That makes 52. The 53rd would be if I decide to include the thick/thin on the Norse. I have the thin planchet, and not really sure if I need the thick planchet as well.
I love it and don't know why anyone would give you a hard time about it. Keep up the good work. They look great.
Nice start! You have picked some nice coins so far; keep up the good work! By the way, I'm interested in learning why you consider the 1932 Washington Quarter as a commemorative? The Norse medals are considered by some to be a related issue, but I haven't heard a connection with the quarter.
I've read this a number of places, but the quickest I could find was from Coin Week: And the link to the article.
If you are going to slab them with Details grading, ANACS may be the cheapest way to go. They have deals they post with free return shipping in the $9 range.
The raw ones will basically stay raw, unless there is a straight grade gem in there. My Albany, Columbia, and Elgin are in transit as we speak to ANACS. They should all grade 64 or better (the Albany has a shot at 65), but I may have scratched the Elgin removing it from a basement slab. The rest of the raws are details (from what I can tell all are improperly cleaned), and will probably stay that way. I may change my mind down the road though.
I know what you're saying, but I can't find evidence (fact or fiction) that it was designed as a 'commemorative'. Roosevelt didn't like any of the Barber designs, and basically had all eligible coins redesigned, which included the cent (IHP). As the timing coincided with Lincoln's birth centennial, is was chosen as a memorial to Lincoln. I strongly considered the cent, but until I can figure out for sure that the initial redesign was for a commemorative coin, or for commemorative purposes, I'll leave it out. It is also has never been considered by collectors as a commemorative, whereas the Washington was, and there are even 'Commemorative Collector Boards' (albums of yesteryear) with a spot for the Washington.
The penny was the only coin in circulation that WASN'T a Barber issue. It was actually done by Longacre in 1859. The cent did commemorate Lincoln's birth bicentennial. The 1975-76 quarter, half and dollar were circulation commemoratives.
Ok, someone on another board suggested I do a mouse-over that would flip from the obverse to the reverse. Well, that's html at the very least, and beyond my basic skill set. So instead, I created this .gif Let me know if it's too long, or too short. It's a fairly large file, so give it a second to load. Thanks for looking!
I like what you've done so far and your digital album makes for a nice display. Excited to see how it progresses. The old commems have some beautiful designs.