$1,000 to Purchase 20th Century Slabbed Type Set - What should I get?

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Thanks for some very interesting and diverse suggestions thus far.

 

I like the raw Dansco 7070 route. I think you will learn a lot -- I know I did. I'd stay away from slabbed coins in the price range you're talking about -- most all can be found raw at lower cost. Being able to hold and examine all sides of a coin more closely will also be very helpful.

Good luck...Mike.

p.s. the other idea I was going to float was to buy one $1000 coin or two $500 coins -- in order to slow down a bit and really focus. If you were to go that route, I'd recommend PCGS coins, and sticking to earlier type coins (say your favorite one or two series, pre-1950). But even buying PCGS coins is a risky proposition, and I don't know how confident you are in your grading or how risk tolerant you are...so YMMV.

 

For modern stuff, buy Designer initialed PCGS Slabs.

 

My grading skills are average, that is one reason I would like to go slabbed. Also, I was hoping to just put something decent together that was representative of 20th century U.S. coinage.

 

LGL,

Honestly, if you think that Tim's list is good, then my advice for you is to learn a little more about how to build a type set. Before I started my Jefferson Nickel collection, I almost completed a certified rainbow toned 20th Century Type Set. Your first move should be to buy David Lange's book on the subject.



The whole idea behind a type set is to buy the highest quality specimen for each series focusing on the common dates that best show all of the intended detail. This usually means that you want to purchase a high grade common date coin from early in the series. Limiting yourself to $1,000 for the entire set will leave you with a basically subpar typeset full of coins that nobody wants. You would be much better off buying a partial set and focusing on quality.

Here is what I would buy with the $1,000 and focusing on NGC graded material. I chose NGC simply to make your money go longer.

Lincoln Cent: 1909 VDB MS66 RD $200
Jefferson Nickel: 1940-D MS67 5FS $150
Jefferson War Nickel: 1943-D MS67 5FS $100
Mercury Dime: 1939-D MS67 FB $150
Washington Quarter: 1939 MS67 $200
Walking Liberty Half Dollar: 1936 MS66 $200

When building a type set, you are looking for a spectacular example with a great strike and above average luster. People think that building a quality type set is easy. It is not! Your patience must rival that of the date/mm collector. Before you buy a coin for your type set, ask yourself this question. What makes this coin special? If you can't answer the question, don't buy the coin. I will tell you that I never was able to find a suitable specimen for any of the Barber coinage. If you would like to see any of the example from my toned typeset, let me know which coin you would like to see, and I will post a photo.

 

Here's a complete 7070 on eBay at about 2.75X of your budget, very similar to mine (lower grade examples of the more expensive coins):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/United-Stat...96?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2a27f2b750

Of course, you can always stay within your budget and then upgrade as funds (or a particular coin) become available.

 

I think this is great advice, but I also think there is something to be said for buying below value and upgrading. For me it is about the thrill of the hunt and scoring a good deal.

 

Great advice! I agree that a smaller set with a focus on quality is the right way to go! Good luck lonegunlawyer!


btw lehigh96, I sent you a pm with a question.


regards

ryan

 

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