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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;tdogchristy90, post: 1861045, member: 35778&quot;]I finally finished my Type set!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For those that do not know me, my name is Tanner and I am a 25 year old Senior at FSU majoring in history. I’ve been an avid coin collector since the age of 13 when my dad and I took a trip to Colorado and while there we visited the Denver Mint. At the mint I picked up a copy of Photograde 18th edition by James F. Ruddy. During the remainder of the trip I poured over its pages learning everything from basic grading, to the minting process, coin definitions such as device and field, and cleaning and handling. By the time the trip was over the pages started to separate from the spin lol. I still have that book stored with my collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I continued to collect on and off throughout high school and as life permitted. For the first two years of college I did not collect much as academics became my focus. After getting a college job I picked the hobby back up as something to not only spend my money on but to focus my energy on outside of the classroom. That is were coin talk came into play as I found the site while reintroducing myself to the hobby. The first set I completed during my beginning coin talk days was a BU set of war time mercury dimes, as mercury dimes are my favorite coin. I finished that set and started to look around for my next project, that’s when I came across type sets which are now my passion.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]312745[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Type sets offer two things to me that speak to my nature. First their ability to show the variety and history of u.s. coinage which being a historian speaks to me. Secondly, they offer a quality over quantity aspect that I’ve always lived by. I personally don’t need 50 of the same thing (in this case coins with the only thing distinguishing them being dates and mint marks). Instead I’d much rather have one nice example instead of fifty mediocre ones. So after determining type sets as my focus, I was off.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I started this project with the Half Dollar series as after looking over my options it offered me the variety I was looking for. In July of 2012 I bought my first half dollar, a 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar. I then worked my way back buying each consecutive coin until I ended with a 1834 Capped Bust Half Dollar. From their I looked over a list of all type coins and decided on this goal: I would buy one example of each major design type. To consolidate the collection I’d only buy one example of each type so instead of buying a seated dime, quarter, half, ect….I’d only buy the Seated Half and scratch the seated series off my list. This left me with a nice round number of 20 coins which conveniently fit into a single TPG box. Likewise I decided on PCGS as my TPG of choice as I’ve always preferred their clear slabs. I then decided on a grade range and chose mostly MS state with XF/AU for when things got difficult. This is what I ended up with.</p><p><br /></p><p>1857 Flying Eagle VF30</p><p>1903 Indian Head MS62BN</p><p>1954-S Wheat MS65RD</p><p>1883 Shield Nickel AU55</p><p>1883 NC Liberty MS64 OGH</p><p>1937 Buffalo MS65</p><p>1941 Mercury MS65</p><p>1930 Standing Liberty AU58</p><p>2007-S Kennedy PR69DCAM</p><p>1964 Kennedy MS64</p><p>1963 Franklin MS64</p><p>1942 Walking Liberty MS64</p><p>1914-S Barber Half F12</p><p>1859-O Seated Half XF45</p><p>1834 Bust Half XF40 CAC</p><p>2000-S Sacagawea PR69DCAM</p><p>1978-S Eisenhower PR69DCAM</p><p>1922 Peace MS64</p><p>1883-CC Morgan MS64</p><p>1878-S Trade Dollar AU50</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now a couple of things have come to light during this endeavor. While their were a few moments where I felt like I was just throwing money out there and buying coins just because and not learning much, there are coins in this set such as my Seated Half, Liberty Nickel, and Trade Dollar that are stand outs and show me my maturity within the hobby. While things like patients, dealers, and paying up for the coin you want were all present, the biggest lesson for me was eye appeal. I read once that you should not learn to grade, sure you can learn to a point but don’t really waste the time. They likened it to if one gets cancer, they don’t go about becoming a doctor they just go to the best they can. Instead it said to focus more on eye appeal and being able to pick out coins that are just good examples for their grade. If anything it’s this focus on quality and eye appeal that has been the biggest lesson for me. Eye appeal ultimately trumps the grade.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]312746[/ATTACH]</p><p>It&#039;d be nice to get a professional photo of this coin.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Just like a house cannot be built without a solid foundation, this box of 20 will become the foundation for my coin collecting over the next 60 years. While I may have other sets and goals my ultimate focus is to build this foundational set to all gem ms state coins or all proof quality coins. Which, is still undetermined. If this set ends up being the only thing I ever build/update and if I only ever have 20 coins I want them to be the best specimens possible. If nothing else I’m only 26 so I have plenty of time to do this.</p><p><br /></p><p>I need to update my Flying Eagle to XF as at the time I neither felt like spending that amount of money on a cent nor could I find an example I liked. So when the VF30 popped up and met my eye appeal criteria I pounced. Likewise, I’ve never been a fan of the Barber series so I settled for F12 instead of my XF goal.</p><p><br /></p><p>I do have a few more specimens I desire such as the last two halves, draped and flowing….and three gold pieces: Liberty, Indian, and St. Gaudens. But again, this box of 20 is my foundation and the one thing I’ll build on with Gem MS or Proof quality being the ultimately goal and desired end to this collecting endeavor.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; [ATTACH=full]312747[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Everyone has things that inspire them and as a result set them on a particular course in life. With my faith, that was Keith Chancey. With my academics and future job pursuits that was the United States Holocaust Museum. Finally with my coin collection that was Kirkuleez who, when he posted his proof type set unknowingly gave me my inspiration and chosen direction in the hobby. Someday I hope my box of 20 will be of such quality. So Kirkuleez, thank you and I hope I haven’t become a bother as you’ve inspired me.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally I want to give a shout out to a few people and organizations that helped me complete this set.</p><p><br /></p><p>Northeast Numismatics</p><p>Coin Talk</p><p>Glenn at Holsonbake Numismatics</p><p>And again, Kirkuleez.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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