Abe Linsoln has always gotten short shrift in my collection with almost all of my Lincolns being proof from 1938 through 1956. I suppose I could aim for the ‘36 and ‘37 proofs or matte proofs from early on. Then it’s collecting the key dates, which seem to be universally listed as the 1909 s, 1909 s VDB, 1914 D and the 1931 s. You veteran Lincoln collectors agree with those? What about other desirable issues? Let me have it. I’d love to get your advice. Thanks, all!
I collect the original Lincoln presidential campaign tokens and medalets from the 1860 and 1864 campaigns. I limited myself to generally one example of each portrait type. That is tough enough. I have been at it for 25+ years. There are many listed Civil War tokens with Lincoln’s portrait on them. Beyond that there are U.S. Mint medals plus many private issues. Paul Cunningham wrote a book on the subject which was a update of the classic book by King. If you are coming to the winter FUN show, I will be giving a presentation on the 1860 presidential campaign and Lincoln’s remarkable life.
I collect circulated Lincoln wheat cents and enjoy CRH for them in the wild. The key and semi-key dates are pretty much impossible to find in the wild so I've had to buy them. I have completed my first set and am working on another!! Here is a resource I use that shows which wheat cents are considered key or semi-key dates! I agree with the dates you listed as key dates! http://www.lincolncentresource.com/keydates.html
Some earlier mintmarked Lincolns which aren't often thought of as key dates are REAL tough in nice UNC with a sharp strike, especially with original red. See 23-S, 24-S, 25-S, etc, you won't find too many of those at shows. Most casual-level Lincoln collectors are fine with getting those dates in XF or whatever, and obviously there's nothing wrong with that. The high-level Lincoln collectors often have real trouble with those dates though. Quite rewarding when you do find a nice one though!
