i am working on a type set, but i am presenting it in a different way. instead of a 70/70, i am presenting it in my 3-ring binder, roman style. saf-t-flips, with the paper insert roman coin style (i.e. description, including legends and fields, of both the obverse and reverse). upon the paper insert, i am saying the type of coin, year minted, city of mint, a brief description of the obverse and reverse, and who was president at the time of mintage. ok, so here's my thing. i don't expect the president thing to catch on, but when you look at a coin with who was in office, it takes on a different perspective. for example... i have an 1872 nickel 3 cent coin. you can look it up in the red book and get the mintage info, (i.e. place of mint, coins minted, designer, etc.), and i do put these things on the insert, but i am taking a step further to put it into historical context. in 1872, the president was ulysses s. grant. yes, that grant, who won the civil war. all of a sudden, it's a different coin, right? i don't expect how i present coins to catch on, but is it too nerdy?
My standard reply. It's a type set so you get to do anything you want. You get to decide on the coins you want to include. You get to decide on how you want to display/store them.
I love your idea. In fact, I am now considering a whole new way to display my raw ancients and raw US coinage that would include time relative facts. GREAT IDEA!
Putting a capsule history of the era and in your case, the President in office at the time of issuance, is a very good idea; a well known author and numismatist that typically does this in his publications and articles is Q. David Bowers. I found it very interesting to read about the economic and political conditions in the country, and within the Mint, that resulted in the various style and type changes that occurred over the course of time.
For my part, I think it's a great idea! I bet evolves too... learn something new, add it to the presentation, and so on. Great idea! -L
I like the idea, but I think for a type set, you might include facts about the entire period in which the type was minted. I think if presented right, it could come off like a well-done museum exhibit (kind of cool, if you ask me).
