Are You A Collecting Purist?

1. Do you assemble all of your sets of coins in a specific grade or just assemble as you can afford, mixing grades? Modern or classic.
2. Do you consider Proof coins as an integral part of your collections to make them complete or just the regular issue business strikes? Modern or classic.
3. Do you consider your collections to be complete only when all special issues have been acquired, such as special finishes, special issues like the gold Mercury dime, quarter & half, etc.?
4. Do you have to have varieties as a part of your complete collection. Like the 1922 plain cent, 1942/1 Mercury dime, 1955 Double Die cent, etc.
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts. For me my modern sets are only complete with Proof issues for the cent through dollar coins. I do not consider this when I collect the Silver Eagles, instead collecting only by year. My classic sets were put together as I could afford them at the time but I settled for nothing less than Fine for most and am continuing to upgrade as I go along. I also do not consider varieties as a necessary part of a complete collection. Thanks for your input. Tom

 

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I don't collect varieties in any of my collections. My 'moderns' do have to have all of the 'special finishes', so there I go contradiction myself again

 

Well Tommy you're not a variety collector, as I am not an album filler.....that said everyone has their interest and that said to each their own....as a variety collector I am more interested in xf or better specimens however some vf coins are part as sometimes they are all one can find or afford.
I will on a very rare occasion buy a detailed coin,depending on the damage and series. I have also passed on such a prime example of was an 1876 shield nickel variety known as a bleeder. A rare coin that had damage on both surfaces.
I am no longer collecting modern coins. My last Jefferson nickel stopped in 2006
And yes I am aware that modern actually begins in the 1950's so nothing after 1964 .
I did collect ASE'S but found them boring.....I prefer Kooks and British for my bullion fix.
I also collect some Canadian, and world coins.
Not saying in all that I do collect I don't have a series that fills an album ,after all I have two complete sets of Jefferson nickels in unc. And proof, A set of MS Franklin and proofs. The same goes for my Roosevelt dimes.
My passion is half dimes 1829 -1837 seated 1837-1873.
And of course any variety I can cherry pick, no matter what series.

 

the older I get the older the coins that I collect get, but I run into a few problems along the way, for example I happen to like half dimes too, but I'm having trouble reading the dates on them these days.

 

That's what the scope is for....... it also helps with the variety specimens.

 

I do collect varieties and also sell them Paddy, just that they are not a part of my collections for filling a Dansco say. I have these as a separate collection in their own albums. I also collect Canada but just the basics in their albums and Australia also, Large Cents, 3 & 6 Pence and Florins. I am also putting together a type set of Newfoundland. Varieties are wonderful but a specialty set aside from the regular issues. Thanks for your response.

 

1. Mixing grades, focus always on eye appeal no matter the grade. Will almost always go for high grade high eye appeal common dates over meh key dates for my type set. For my non type sets I'm working on ($10 libs and Morgans mostly both very long term things I'm chipping away at) I'm saving the key dates for later or for when one pops up that I can't pass on. Otherwise just chipping away with more common dates in as high of a grade possible when the deal is right.

2. Don't consider proofs integral but would love to add them when possible.

3. I am not into moderns so what I collect don't generally have any special issues type things to go after.

4. Same as I mentioned with key dates above...varieties, overdates, etc. I'll save for the end if ever. I don't really worry about them right now but that may change when again my set's nearing completion and OCD kicks in.

 

I am working on PEI, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland coins. Also.....
But if I see a coin no matter where it's from or date that stri,especially my fancy I pursue it.....it's sort of a way to break the rules and still stay in bounds.

 

As for proof coins I find them to be a costly addition in some cases....yes some do
hold their value most don't. And finding a buyer maybe A bit of a chore.

 

I don't really collect sets of any kind, so I'm probably not within your post's target demographic. I mainly buy coins that appeal to me upon sight, no matter the country, no matter the vintage or metal. For US coins, I'm more of a type collector, so I don't really delve into varieties or errors. Mot recently I've returned to bullion coins, which are fun to buy but then they go straight into the vault. I at least take photos before I say goodbye.

There is one big exception to this. Since I was a mere tyke, I've stored away cents from every year from circulation. A now crusty Whitman album that starts with 1959 holds them all (though I started compiling them in the 1980s). For 2009, I didn't consider the year "complete" until I had examples of all 4 designs, but I didn't have to get Ps and Ds of each, just one of each. I'm not sure why I keep it up, but the little single-digit-aged me would probably be extremely happy to see that a decades older me still had the same album with the same cents in the same holes. At the very least, it's a very cheap hobby.

 

1. I don't do sets in the first place anymore, just what I like of both modern and classic. Mixed grades
2. Business strikes mostly for me. If the right proof comes along I will probably get it, if I end up with none I am okay with that too.
3. This depends entirely on the series. I don't consider the gold mercs ect to be necessary, but I did add the RP ASEs
4. I am a big fan of varieties and certainly more than the average collector. VAMs don't do anything for me except for one, but I do love the various Seated Liberty varieties.

 

@baseball21 I don't do the Morgan varieties either but I do have a decent amount of Seated Liberty Halves that need some closer inspection for Overton types. Just never got to it.

 

And that's something you will retire to at leisure........after you buy the book.

 

I am a, Whatever catches my eye, collector. Most of my folders consist of Variety's first, then Finish's.
I really enjoy an Xf for Integrity purposes, But, I mostly appreciate an MS64 and above.

 

My type set is circulating coinage only, excluding gold. No proofs, no commeratives, no errors, no varieties. Mostly MS or AU with just a few lesser grade based on higher costs, but nothing below VF. Missing just 13 examples from the 1700;s

 

Not sure if it's back up yet but for a long time the David Lawrence site had the seated variety book available to view for free. If that's still down you can browse through coin facts a bit and pick up on some of them that way, but I'll have to try and find a new source for the 50c as that will be the only one I don't have a bookmark for

 

When I'm working on a set, I try to get as high a grade as financially feasible, and that they all have a similar look. I just completed a Franklin set, and in doing so, I think I ended up with 3 sets, as I would constantly upgrade the main set. Proofs were not necessary, but there are quite a few, but only to add some pizzazz to the set. It's mostly a high AU-MS set with some proofs thrown in.

I don't look for special finishes, unless you consider proofs in that bunch, and it depends on the set I'm doing. I don't do moderns really, so most of the classics didn't have 'special finishes'. Moderns to me are post-1964, but I will go with 'moderns' only to complete a set. Only other moderns are from birth-years for me and the kids ('65, '96, '00).

Errors are fun, and I'll grab what I can, when I can, even if it's a coin I don't specifically collect.

Varieties are type specific for me, unless I fall into one. As an example, I wasn't planning on getting any of the Washington DDO's, but ended up with a '34 and a '37 DDO for stupid low money (like seriously stupid low). However, with large cents, I'm now looking at adding varieties to my completed (well almost) set, while I'm working on my second set. Trouble with that is there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of varieties in that series, and I'm not rich. If I can add a variety, I do. My Flying Eagles set is pretty close to having all the varieties, but I have a hard time justifying the price being asked for the couple I don't have, so I may never get those, unless I get lucky and cherrypick 'em. I do love cherry-picking though!

I'm also one of the 'but what catches my eye' types. It can be ridiculous at times. The other night I bought 2 Great Britain coins; a 1 penny and a twopence (both 1797), because they are HUGE and HEAVY. Not because I collect BG coinage, not because I needed them for any reason, just because they have a coolness factor, and they were inexpensive. That's the fun part of the hobby for me, getting something not because a book tells me I need it, but because I like and want it. I'll buy anything, including AT coins, details coins, cleaned, etc., as long as it appeals to me, and the price is right. It's fun, and if you're not having fun doing it, you shouldn't be doing it.

 

1. I mix grades as I can find and afford them.
2. Business strikes only
3. See #2
4. I only chase varieties on early and middle date large cents because I am specifically collecting them by die variety. I collect Conder tokens by variety, but I am only concerned with obv/rev marriages, I don't interest myself in the different edge variety combinations.

 

1. For my sets, I buy the best grade I feel I can afford.
2. Since my sets are Morgan and Peace dollars, er, no, proofs aren't an integral part of them. (Small wonder, huh?). However, old proofs from as many issues as I can afford make up my type set.
3. No.
4. No.

 

I might make a course correction on one series which I have not yet pursued...Capped Bust Dimes. There are a few I could not afford (1809.1822 & 1829 Curl Base) but in the Fine range it seems this would be a great set to work on varieties with and most are affordable. Like the Seated Dimes, I think these are highly under rated.