Hey Guys, So, I have a type set with 4 slots for commemorative halves. I accidentally fell in love with them, so now I have 5. I photographed each of them and I am curious which ones you would keep in the set (or, simply which one to kick out). They're all nice coins and I'm not gonna sell/get rid of any, but one is getting kicked from the set. (The monroe Doctorine has been sitting in another empty slot). I am tempted to get rid of the Ellis island because its proof and all the others are regular strikes. But I'm also tempted to get rid of the columbian because it is in worse condition than the rest (so everything in the book would be semi bu). Please vote and comment your reasoning of you would like. Thanks, Jason
Ellis Island is a modern commemorative. It doesn't belong. The other are part of the Early Commemoratives group.
You should call this set "Early Commemoratives" or "First Commemoratives". Use the Ellis to start a second set called "Modern Commemoratives" or "Second Commemoratives". You don't really want a set called "Semi BU Commemoratives" , do ya?
Actually, either no commemoratives belong in a type set--or all of them do. If one thinks that the commemorative halves constitute a type coin then one should need an example of each type--not just 4 of the types. Personally, I don't think any of them belong in a type set of standard (made for circulation rather than for collectors) coins, but others obviously feel differently.
I completely agree with the my fellow poster above. The Ellis island is a modern commem while the other 4 are "Classic Commemoratives". regardless of grading, I would keep those 4 together. The Columbian might be the worst coin for grade, but it is also the oldest commem and our very first commemorative half dollar so it has that significance.
I have many of the early commems, in addition to modern commems. I have them in completely different storage containers and think of them differently. The early ones are "pieces of history" and command a premium; whereas the modern ones are more ... "spot silverish" type coins it seems.
Yes, but the ral quandary is "Why 4? Why not 0 since commems were never meant to be real coins in the first place...or 1 to represent the commem series....or 2 to represent the classic and modern series....or 50 for the entire classic commems...or however many slots it would take for examples of ALL the commems--classic and modern? 4 simply doesn't make any sense which is why I was never interested in the Dansco 7070 album.
Seems like that question would be best directed at Dansco. I have no idea why Dansco would do that. I,personally, thought your original statement was an open question about why the OP was only putting 4 in his album, which is all I was answering. I don't use albums as a rule. I have won some albums on eBay that were full and some that were not. I recently finished filling a Canadian Small Cent album. I won another that I may fill, or not. I've won some Lincoln albums that I've seriously considered finishing, but haven't yet. I also won a hanging wall plaque with spaces for every U.S. Type, that is still unfinished and actually unstarted, even though I have almost everything that it would need, except the older halves and the Trade Dollar. You can find almost everything on eBay except "extra time" to get things done.
Yes, I agree with your assessment of the Columbus Commemorative. It has great significance for me. That's why I own so many, in many different grades. That Columbus half was the first "collector" coin I ever saw. When I first saw it, it was in my Father's hand, then he put it in mine and I've been stuck on them ever since.
I included a 50 piece type set of the “old commemoratives” in my type set. I used to keep up with the modern commemoratives, but there are just too many of them. As for coins here, I think that the Ellis Island Half Dollar has one of the best designs in the modern series. It’s cheap, so you won’t get much for it. As for the other coins, the Columbian and Monroe have been cleaned. They both have interesting stories. Did you know that the Monroe was connected with the Hollywood film industry? I have not used structured albums for years. My collection is open to anything that interests me. Why not keep them all if they interest you? It’s not like you will have a lot of opportunity cost money tied up in them.
Is this a trick question? The 1986 stands out like the pictures on the Monty Python skit "Spot the Looney." Plus, isn't that one a clad?
This is the problem I have with albums. Why be a slave to slots? Collect what you like, not what an album says you have room for.