Dansco #7172 - Silver Dollar date set album

I had a leftover Amazon gift card balance to burn, and the coins I saw for sale on there are for the most part rubbish or heinously overpriced - or both - so ... I went for this.

I need another collection like I need a hole in my head. In fact, I recently decided to sell off my secondary love token collection to feed my primary "Eclectic Box" collection, which gets pretty much all of my (very modest) discretionary money.

But I figured I'd try this one out for a little while as a very casual sideline, fill some holes (maybe even try for 50% completion), and then sell it onwards to someone who wants to complete it. I've never collected silver dollars before, aside from the few pieces I've needed for type sets (But I am a three-time veteran of the classic Dansco 7070 Type album).

Anyway, I thought this might be fun. I'm sure some of y'all have done it.

I figure I'll go for just common mid-grade Morgans, say F-VF, but with nice original grey looks. Like the CircCam look I'm so into. Ditto for the Peace dollars. Just nice grey circs in VF-XF. I'd go all UNC for the Ikes and Susies.

This should be fun without being too horribly expensive, I think, at least for a while (by which time I will likely sell or swap the partial set, as mentioned, rather than struggle with the tougher holes). But in the meantime, I figure can assemble a pleasant, affordable "starter set", for as close to melt as possible. Common circs with modest value but good eye appeal. What do you think?

 

Exactly. I'm only after a casual sideline I'll play with for a little while, and I could never afford to build a complete Morgan collection, which is why I figured if I was ever gonna collect them at all, I'd go with something like this. To be candid, Morgan dollars, though lovely coins, always have bored me just a little, because they're everywhere. They're so popular, and I prefer to walk the roads less traveled. But maybe I'll try to find some appealing circs to fill a few holes in this album, build up the set for a little while, and then sell or swap it for something I want to add to my primary "Eclectic Box" collection. I did this last year with a partial Seated Liberty type set- I worked on that for a month or two and then swapped it (not quite completed) for a lovely 1847 proof Liberian penny that's in my primary collection now. (And no regrets there, though there was a nice Trade dollar in that partial Seated set I swapped.)

The love token collection never got proper pictures or organization. It is a bit of a mess, and not all the pieces are photographed. But there are some cool pieces there. I've sold a few of them and might put the rest on eBay before long. Not because I haven't enjoyed them (love tokens are a blast and I've built three collections of them), but because I don't need a whole bunch of side projects draining my meager budget. I'd rather just focus on the Eclectic Box. That's why this silver dollar set is destined to be only a temporary endeavor. (But like many of my short-lived sideline projects, it might be fun while it lasts.)

(Note: there happen to be for sale tags on some of the love tokens in that page I linked to. No spam is intended- I only posted the link because @Youngcoin asked, and was interested in seeing the coins.)

 

Eh, this does look like a fun idea, but I'm afraid it's a nonstarter for me. The whole reason I'm selling my love tokens is to focus on my primary Eclectic Box collection, so fun though this seems, I think I will sell or swap (or maybe even give away!) this album. I got some nice BU Ikes to put it in it from @MontCollector, so it won't be empty when I pass it along down the line.

I just don't need another distraction right now.

Well, the distraction would have been fun. What I really mean is I don't need another drain on my limited budget right now.

 

Well, it's 2018 now, so time to update this.

I kicked around with this idea and changed my mind, as you see in the previous post. Had pretty much decided not to follow this idea after all.

But then my Secret Santa from the forums (whose identity remains a mystery to me, and who must have seen this thread) sent me a nice, crusty 1900-O Morgan with the grey appearance I like so much. It's a lower grade coin but has just the right look.

So thanks, Secret Santa, whoever you were, because you changed my mind back, and I've decided to play with this sideline set for a little while after all.

It started with that modest 1900-O my mystery Santa gave me for Christmas.

As you can also see in these pictures from December, I got some BU Ikes from @MontCollector around the same time. One is peeking through from the back pages in the second image below.

So I figure I'll do circulated Morgans with the "CircCam" look, in low to middle grades (say VG to VF, preferably closer to the latter), Peace dollars in VF+ or so with original grey toning, and all BU coins for the clad Ikes and Susie B's.





So that was the beginning of this set.

I've since added a few coins.

I'll post some additions here now and then, but all of the pictures (when I have them) will be in my...

CollectiveCoin gallery for this album.

(As of this post there isn't much to see there just yet.)

 

Here's a nice "crusty" 1890-O I got in a swap from @Justinokay. This is the look I'm after. "Original grey" is the catchphrase to sum up what it's all about for me in this set, at least for the earlier silver dollars. (I'll go BU for the clads.)

 

Though I just started this set, I've gotten one of the tougher Peace dollars out of the way early. I ended up with this 1921 Peace dollar in a swap for some nice love tokens (which were my last sideline collection).

This one has a little bit of contrast and similarly nice greyish toning, so into the album it went. I figure this is the look I'll go for in a circulated Peace dollar, since finding true "CircCam" contrast is a bit more difficult on that type- you don't tend to see that black-and-white contrast on the lower relief Peace dollar design. In fact, since this 1921 is the one high relief year for Peace dollars, I might find it challenging to duplicate this look with the later years in this series. We'll see.

 

Here's a 1903 that's on the way. So far only an obverse picture, though the seller assures me the reverse toning is consistent with the obverse.

 

This 1901-O is also on the way. I'm not sure if it will have enough contrast to suit me, and it's a bit low grade, like my 1900-O, but it was cheap. My swap partner on Collectors Universe told me to just send him something -anything - interesting that's worth about the same as the melt value of this coin.

I'll probably upgrade some of these later, to shoot for VF-ish pieces with nice contrast. Stuff like this will do in the meantime, if it comes my way for melt-ish money, or in swap lots.

 

This 1892-O is also on the way. Has just the right look, even though as of this moment I've only got an obverse image.

 

Well, the 7070 is the best, hands down. I've done that at least three times over the decades, and might do it again, especially since they've re-released that album. But this should be fun, too.