If I want high quality simple moderns for albums (lincolns,jeffersons, 50 states) is buying and cracking non proof mint sets the way to go? And if yes, what is the maximum reasonable price for these?
That's probably the most expeditious way of filling an album. Not as fun as going through rolls for some of the most recent ones. Prices vary for mint sets. The best way to get these cheap is to buy them on the last day of a multi-day show in quantity when a dealer who is about to pack them up (again) would much rather pack up some extra cash instead.
Instead of building several books at once i would start with building your first book with your favorite coin type and focus on one at a time. If you do want to go the set route and build 5 or 6 books at once then buying mint sets and cracking them out is the best way as you will get higher quality coins. I was doing a road trip in NC a few years ago and decided to build a peace dollar book during the trip with a challenge of completing the whole book. I spent a week driving all over NC and stopped in every coin store along the way. My first stop is where i purchased a dansco album and a few peace dollars and the challenge started. By the end of the week i actually filled the entire book including a nice deal on a 1928 with a small scratch that I got for a great price. Of all the dansco albums i have the peace dollar book is most memorable and i wouldnt oart with it for anything. Make it fun and make a game out it when you can.
If you want to collect all of the series, then buying a mint set is probably going to be your best avenue. If you only want to collect one or two of them, I would suggest going to Ebay. Plenty of dealers there have already bought and broken up mint sets, trying to find a few of the highest grade coins to submit and selling the rest off wholesale. You can usually get them still in their mint cellophane for a low price.
