Hi Folks, As many of you know, I'm pretty much still a beginner coin collector. I was pretty convinced in purchasing some proof American Silver Eagle Dollars to add to my collection, but I think I may be jumping the gun on that front. So, in an effort to learn a bit more about the collecting hobby, I decided I would start a type set collection. My idea was to start with a small series, and if I ended up liking those types, to expand that into more varieties of that coin type. If I was still interested, I would expand that further to include all dates and mints. Does this sound like a safe, easy way to really dig into this deeper? I think my first type set will be dimes. They seem to be rather undervalued, and I absolutely fell in love with the Mercury design. I know folks recommend collecting the highest grade possible, but I'm having some difficulty determining where that should be. I believe I will be collecting someplace between a high AU to a low MS, especially since I'm only doing types to start. (And I'm going to start roll searching) What do you guys think? I love the American Silver Eagle Dollars, but I'm afraid I might get burned if I jump in too quickly with those. Thanks!
Personally I believe type collecting is the best place for a new collector to start. Its great since you get to see a wide variety of coins for your money. For grades, I like a nice AU. I think they are one of the best deals out there. Buy what you can afford, but very few of us ever regret buying a better coin rather than a lesser one. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with a nice VF/XF barber dime. You will find barbers especially attractive in higher grades, not so much in low grades. Other coins like that are the V nickels and Seated Liberty types to me personally.
Howdy, For older series, I'm concerned more with XF, or better yet AU, than trying to do MS. If you're buying Raw coins, so many of the would be Uncirculated coins have been dipped. If I'm buying Unc's, I want them slabbed. Medoraman mentioned a type set. Great idea - interesting, pretty easy to put together, within most any budget, attractive, informative, etc. This is something I want to put together because of my grandkids. I've got Indian Head cents in AU except the 71 and I'm trying to get my Liberty Nickels the same way. Modern stuff is either BU or Proof but taken mostly from sets. I'd love to shoot for AU because even an idiot like me can tell that grade and not have to worry about doctored coins. peace, rono
Thanks for the feedback guys! I think i'm pretty set on what I will move forward with. After looking at ballpark costs, I'll go with AU for now.
I visited the SJ Coin Show today, and picked up all 4 dime types I needed! (Barber/Mercury/Silver/Clad) I wasn't sure about getting a Barber dime, but one dealer had a good price, and the quality was well above anything else I saw. I was able to get mainly AU/BU and proof dimes. (And also had a blast too!)
Nice photos and nice dimes, drwonga. The '14-D looks cleaned to me (I may be wrong), but still a good looking coin.
After photographing it, I think you may be right jloring. Next coin show, I might look for a better representation...but I was surprised at all the detail it showed nonetheless! I'm having a blast ldhair! It really is a fantastic way to start collecting.
What type of luster is on the barber dime? Also, how bad is the scratch across the face of the bust in person? It doesn't look to bad to me. I love the barber design.
I'm not sure how to describe the luster on the barber. The scratch through the cheek isn't actually very visible under a normal 10x loupe. Compared to the other barber dimes (which were mainly in G or VG condition), I thought this showed enough details to really describe the coin.
