Hi all! At the local show this weekend I picked up a Dansco 7070 Type Set album. This is something that I've been thinking of starting for a while and I am very excited. I figure it will give me something to work on/play with when I run into roadblocks and dry spells in my other pursuits. I would love to hear any tips, suggestions, thoughts, etc. on building a nice type set from those of you that have embarked on this challenge. Thanks! Robin
Hi, Robin. Does your album have the optional "gold type" page? LOL If I could offer any suggestions, they would be to go slow. Many of those holes are going to be very expensive to fill. I have been working on a type set all my life, and I never expect to complete it. That may be because I don't settle for just any coin, in order to fill a hole, but I'd rather have a few coins with a fair amount of detail, than a lot that are barely recognizeable. Anyway, it sounds like you realize that this will be a long-term project, and one that will no doubt bring you, and Joe, many hours of enjoyment.
There are quite a few holes in that album that can be filled with high grade coins (raw) at very affordable prices. Seeing how the date is not important for such a set you will find more common high grades within most budgets. Take your time and be prepared to dig a little deeper for the rarer coins needed. I filled my type set in this manner and found only the Seated Liberty dollars really hurt, even in lower grades, but having a full book really makes it worth while. Be patient and buy WHAT YOU WANT, when you want it. The hunt can be very enjoyable if you make it so!
I'd consider what you want to overall "look" of the set to be. Whether it's a certain grade range, a certain color or other criteria, you may want to consider how you'll want the collection to look. Or maybe you'd rather just buy nice coins and cobble them together -- that works, too.
How much effort you want to devote to this is entirely a matter of your own idea of fun. One approach is to fill a Type Set with rarities. They do not need to be expensive -- often not as costly or only a little more so than commons. For instance, for the Buffalo Nickel, you could have the famous Three-Legged, or one of the 3 1/2 leggeds more recently identified, or an overdate. Mercury Dimes are not that exciting as a series, but a semi-key with split bands would be an example, or at the least a 1916-P with split bands. (On the other hand anyone can find "Mint State" Mercs from 1941-1945.) Red Book varieties are fairly easy to identify and perhaps not so easy to find and therefore add a nice dimension of "true numismatica" to a Type Set.
Oh Jody...that is truly a thing of beauty. I now have drool all over my keyboard. I can only hope to assemble a set that would be half as nice, but I am looking forward to the challenge. MINUS the gold pages! Is that yours? Absolutely stunning.
Nice finding that album Jody. I really enjoyed looking at it. Good luck Joesmom, it looks like you will have some fun with your son on this.
Unfortunately, no. A gentleman, on another website posted it, so I thought I would share his accomplishment with the members here. I do have most of those, in similar conditions, though. (minus the gold and early silver dollars)
Thanks for all of the words of encouragement as I start off on this new challenge. I'm really looking forward to learning more about the coins that I don't normally collect through this project. Not to mention that Joe will get a big kick out of some of the older denominations and seeing how our coinage has changed through the years.
Robin I think a type set is the most fun (and challenging) and educational (and frustratingly fantastic) sets that a collector can assemble. In many ways, it's the perfect collection. You get to learn about every series of U.S. coinage. You learn how to grade them, which dates are better than others, what to look for to detect cleaned/altered/damaged or counterfeits, etc. And the best thing about a type set is that you're never really finished. Even after the holes are filled you can always look for upgrades! Somewhere along the way you're sure to find a coin type that really sings your name...something that really grabs you...and voila, there's the makings of your next set. Some of the greatest collectors ever got started with a type set! I wish you all the best in your hunt. Remember that like life itself, the fun is in the journey, not just the destination. Hah, that last sentence reads just like one of my books on Taoism Nick
Nick...I just had a conversation with a friend recently that included that same message. That not everything is black or white, all or nothing, beginning and end...to enjoy all of the grey areas that life has to offer. The journey itself is the reason we're here...not just to reach the end. I knew I liked you for some reason ...great minds think alike. And thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm really excited about the type set. I've been poring over my Breen book, and just about everything else I can get my hands on when I have a free moment or two. The hardest part right now is deciding what to start with so I can begin studying up on that.
Mom Hi, I too saw this album at a show last week. Would be a great challenge to build a good collection. Thanks Jody for the great pics, that is a beautiful collection. Tony
I have that album too! I'm having trouble finding commems that I like that I can afford to fill those back page holes. Unfortunately the Old Spanish Trail coin is a little bit out of my price range... My album is about half-full, still missing most of the Seated Liberty coins and the large cents. I started working on it in 2002, so all of the current coins are dated 2002, plus my Washington quarter is an Indiana quarter. Thought that'd make it a little different than normal! Rachel
The Dansco Type Set is probably the most enjoyable collection I've worked on so far. I would advise, as others here have, to take it slow at first and try to assemble a reasonably "matched" set. Very few folks can afford to do one of these in MS!!! When I started mine, I bought everything I could afford, and I now regret not waiting and saving for a nicer example of several of the coins. I will have to upgrade these as I find them, but, that can be fun, too. I only lack three coins to fill all the holes (including the gold page) and it has been a blast. You will enjoy it!!!
