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I am inspired by all of these 7070 sets. How do you get started?
RYK
Posts: 35,799 ✭✭✭✭✭
Obviously, you buy the album. 
This is the type of project that would be fun for me to do primarily at coin shows. I know you can do it any way you want, but for those who have completed it or are working on it, I have a few questions:
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
This is the type of project that would be fun for me to do primarily at coin shows. I know you can do it any way you want, but for those who have completed it or are working on it, I have a few questions:
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
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<< <i>1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both? >>
I have targets for both grade and price range. I'm also trying to only add key/semi-key dates to my set -- this is what presents the challenge.
<< <i>2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging) >>
Being a relative newbie, I've taken the advise of buy the book before the coin, and bought and read extensively on the coins -- so I tend to collect a series at a time. I started in the large cents, then moved to half cents, then gold, etc.
<< <i>3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain? >>
IMHO, Twenty Cents, Seated Dollars (x2), Draped Bust Half Cents, Trade Dollars, then Half Dimes.
<< <i>4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?) >>
As I'm not nearly experienced enough to purchase my coins raw, I tend to buy only PCGS/NGC/ANACS coin. Although I have bought a few "hole fillers" raw while waiting for an appropriate coin to become available.
<< <i>5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set? >>
I really have had to hunt far and wide for my coins. I've found the following dealers to have a good collection of medium priced coins (say $100 to $500 each):
JJ Teaparty
Eagle Eye (for IHC, FE, and Lincolns)
DLRC
Heritage
TT
eBay (only if seller accepts returns)
In the past day or two, someone mentioned Northeast Numismatics. I've been to their site and they seem to also have a great selection, if only on the upper end of my price range, but I've not yet ordered from them.
Have fun...Mike
Self Indulgence | Holey Coins | Flickr Photostream
<< <i>Obviously, you buy the album.
This is the type of project that would be fun for me to do primarily at coin shows. I know you can do it any way you want, but for those who have completed it or are working on it, I have a few questions:
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set? >>
I just started one a bit ago as another thing to do with my son as he grows.
1. Both - more modern stuff, I want a great look (toned or high grade) Older stuff, I want to look nice but it won't be in the book if it is more than a couple hundred (trying to stay around $100 or so for items that actually make the book). More expensive stays slabbed. May mean dupes sometimes, but I am ok with that.
2. No. If something catches my eye, we will get it. CoinLt had one a bit ago and I wasn't looking for it. I got it because I wanted it then.
3. For us, going to be the trade$, Seated$, and early 1/2 cents, and cents. Look, cost, grade, originality all come into play to make these harder for us.
4. Trade$ is exactly what I was thinking too, these last few weeks on this.
5. Good question...I am only 1/4 or so of being done.
btw....I REALLY don't like that i just bought the 7070 a month ago and there are no openings for the westward journey nickels. It is NOT a monticello, so I would like to have one of each in there, just like they do for the bicentennial quarter/half/dollar, but they don't have that
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Thiggy, I think I am going to avoid the gold.
FYI, if you google Dansco 7070 Barry's set is at the top of the first page!
I targeted nice MS examples. If a 60-63 could be found, that's what I bought (assuming it wasn't a price killer). Most of my coins run from 63-65. Because of the grades I chose, most were slabbed. I have also had many graded by PCGS and recracked out mainly for documentation for my wife and kids should I ever die (I know I will some day). This would give them much more info than my hand written grades.
I did not go after any particular order, just went looking for coins with appeal in a price range I could afford. Moderns were not difficult and came out of mint sets. I wasn't targeting the highest grade for these.
I had difficulty finding a nice trade dollar that I could afford. The 1866 Shield nickel was tough too. I am still looking for a nice braided hair large cent in 63-65RB. I suppose the seated dollars would have been tough to find and afford, but I already had those for a dollar type set I had started and gave up on, both types are AU.
I wasn't specific to any one dealer, although a lot came from my local dealer. I did pick up a few at shows, but couldn't tell you off the top of my head who from.
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
<< <i>Obviously, you buy the album.
This is the type of project that would be fun for me to do primarily at coin shows. I know you can do it any way you want, but for those who have completed it or are working on it, I have a few questions:
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set? >>
My goal is about VF pre 1900 and AU to MS post 1900 and no proofs. I'm thinking those grades because of the price but the detail will still be there. I don't want proofs because I want the set to have somewhat the same look and proofs are just too bright.
For the Liberty Seated and Bust coins I'd recommend Dick Osburn.
Because of the Dansco 7070 I'm also thinking about getting the State Quarter and ASE Dansco albums.
Millertime
Complete Dime Set
Half the fun of type collecting is that when you walk into a shop, or onto a bourse floor, EVERY coin is a potential purchase. Your job is to find the one or two that really "do it" for you. Unlike some who will walk away complaining that "There weren't any good proof Lincolns in the whole place!", (or something similar), there will ALWAYS be a nice type coin somewhere.
<< <i>Obviously, you buy the album.
This is the type of project that would be fun for me to do primarily at coin shows. I know you can do it any way you want, but for those who have completed it or are working on it, I have a few questions:
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
FYI, if you google Dansco 7070 Barry's set is at the top of the first page! >>
Hey, that's pretty neat. Does that mean my set is linked to lots of other web sites? I believe that's how Google determines rank, but I could be wrong...
To answer your questions:
1. I establish a combination target grade/price. In my set my goal was "nice looking, but reasonably priced." To me, that meant AU58 for most of the classics, except for the some of the early coppers, which are just too expensive in 58 (or in the case of the Classic Head LC, impossible to find.) Most of my moderns (IHCs and later) are MS63 and better. I also threw in a few Proofs for variety.
2. No
3. Early coppers and Seated, IIRC.
4. I bough most of the early stuff slabbed, just because that's the easiest way to find problem-free coins. Also, you probably aren't a grading expert in all the series you'll be wanting, so it helps to keep oneself from getting ripped. If you say to a dealer, "I'm looking for a xxx for a type set I'm working on," in my cynical view that translates in dealerspeak to, "here's a guy who knows little or nothing about the series. This is my chance for a rip..."
5. I probably got half of the coins in my set from either DLRC or Heritage Internet-only auctions.
Good luck!
i would LOVE to see someone do such a type set w/ counterfeit coins.
K S
<< <i>Obviously, you buy the album.
Through Brent Krueger, the basic 7070, the add-on gold page and the slipcase, shipped for under $40. Not a bad startup cost for a new set.
<< <i>1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both? >>
I chose mostly high EF to lower MS, with quite a few lower level (62-64) proofs. Less spread across the grade spectrum makes the set "match" rather nicely. Also, it's a grade range which I am comfortable in my abilities to determine, and less sensitive to dispute than upper mint state grades. 2/3+ of the album can be filled with truly nice coins for under $300 each (and sometimes far, far less).
<< <i>2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging) >>
Easiest to hardest basically. Filled in the moderns very quickly, moved back into the nineteenth century piece by piece.
<< <i>3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain? >>
For me, early copper is hard to find appealing pieces. Bust coinage in general is hard, especially if you're looking for original. But the hardest were the 'modern classics' (Morgans, Peace, Buff, Walkers, etc). Try finding one with just the right look, whose value isn't going to vaporize the moment you remove it from the slab. It took a long time to find the 'pre price jump' 63s and 64s just right for cracking out.
<< <i>4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?) >>
I got quite good with the hammer and vise as I approached completion, so it's no different than buying any other coins. Most of the 'upgrades' I was recently buying were slabbed. But not for long...
<< <i>5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set? >>
Honestly, my set had coins from eveywhere. Local shows, eBay, Teletrade, Heritage, (lots of) David Lawrence, etc. Heritage is great for 'begging to be cracked out and placed in an album' lower grade nineteenth century proofs, but you have to be really selective because of their photo issues.
On a side note, be careful with the 7070 RYK! They're very addictive. I just finished selling mine (needed money for closing costs, otherwise I'd have kept right along upgrading). I haven't even received all the proceeds from the sale, and I'm already starting a new one.
1. Both- but I wanted eye appeal, so I have a few Net graded coins- One of my lib Nicles has a tiny scratch that brought it way down in price.
2. No, with so many people doing these sets, you don't want to pass on anything because it isn't "next"
3. Difficult &$$$- Seated Dollars, Problem free , early coppers, Trade$ and 0.20. ( I bought the gold page so most are $$$)
4). Trade $
5). I have bought from NHRC, not many other National Dealers
Happy Hunting!
A witty saying proves nothing- Voltaire (1694 - 1778)
An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor
does the truth become error because nobody will see it. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
<< <i>if i may suggest, start w/ the copper. the luster you choose for those coins will likely drive what level of luster you pick out for the others.
i would LOVE to see someone do such a type set w/ counterfeit coins.
K S >>
I've been slowly working on this since I completed my contemporarily hold coin type set... It's proving to be a rather challenging task.
Self Indulgence | Holey Coins | Flickr Photostream
Grade range (say AG3 to 69 DCAM), you can always put the duplicates into another set. Think about it - a G4 set would be very cool.
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
I haven't considered that and probably would not.
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
Nice copper, nice 20 cents, trade dollars, seated dollars (classic head large cents are impossible to find).
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed?
Trade dollars surely. I have purchased a number of coins slabbed and "liberated" them simply because I could not find acceptable examples unslabbed. Half cents and 20 cents come to mind.
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
Rare Coins of New Hampshire (Jon Rosenthal)
JJTeaparty (Gail Watson or Liz Coggin)
Stacks (some people hate them but I have had good luck with them and yes I have bought auction lots unseen)
BST Board here (RYK, Russ, coinlieutenant, Blackhawk, darin whittaker, lordmarcovan and a number of others)
Make your own rules and have fun.
Regards,
-Brian
There is a lot of great coin advice in this thread!
<< <i>For me, early copper is hard to find appealing pieces. >>
Russ, NCNE
At first I thought a type set would be sort of a boring task. Then I started to see some of the people here and the pictures of theirs. WOW!! There are some very awe inspiring type set owners here. So I thought why not I can do that. Before I bought the album, I looked through my hoard/collection to see what I had that would go in to the book. As I did that, I set my first goal. “All the coins would be MS and No Proofs” <empathetic pause> Go ahead, laugh…… Not to say that it can’t be done, just not by me and my budget in this lifetime, more then likely.
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
Yes, but not until I actually got started, and could see what it was that I liked in hand.
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
If I like them, and I have the budget for that type, I buy it. Otherwise no order. However, one of the things that I set as a goal was some personal important dates. Ie… Great Grandparents, Grandparents, and Parents, siblings, birth years, my birth year minus 100, graduation minus 100. You get the general idea.
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
For me, 20 cent, Early dollars, half cent, large cent, and half dimes. Which is also all I have left with holes. Excluding gold.
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
For me, any series that I was unsure about or unfamiliar with. Trade dollar was one, half cent was another.
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
Couldn’t tell you. Most of mine has come from local shows, local dealers, and a few from online auctions.
If nothing else it has encouraged me to learn a ton of information on series and denominations that had I keep my old collecting habits and not been exposed to places like this, I be totally oblivious to. Keeps it fun and interesting. Be willing to modify your goals.
And good luck!!
Most of the fun is planing it out.
I prefer choosing common dates in order to obtain the highest grade for that series (at the cheapest price).
Then the hunt is on
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since 8/1/6
For most of the 19th century, target grade is XF. The more expensive coins go down to F/VF, and the very expensive coins, i.e. seated dollars, are VG or F. For 20th century MS grade. But I try and save a little here and I don't go for the high price condition rarities, just nice AU-58 or MS-63. I'm trying to stay under $200 per coin. To help my budget, I buy very inexpensive coins for the modern holes.
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
No order. After I bought the album, I went to my local coin shop and filled as many holes on as many pages as I could for $200. It was a nice way to get off to a good start. Even though I filled a lot of holes initially, I didn't feel like I was rushing. In fact it caused me to be more patient as I filled the tougher holes, since every page had at least one or two coins already.
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
Early large cents are by far the most difficult. The early half cents are relatively easy, so don't be fooled into thinking early copper is easy. The large cents are much tougher than the half cents. Sometimes I think I'll never fill those holes. Second toughest is the seated dollars. Very hard to find nice examples in my price range.
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
My hard rule is anything over $200 purchased with an internet dealer must be slabbed. When I buy from my local dealer, I don't care whether it's slabbed since I can see the coin in person.
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
In my price range, Heritage gets most of my business.
Have fun!
1) Best grade you can afford that is not slab-worthy.
2) All key dates
3) Target grade range, all coins G and better... XF/AU.... VF-XF... so on and so forth
4) Subsets, have all the same dates for a particular time frame.... example: Have all 1907's for the Indian cent, V-Nickel, Barber Dime....
5) The worst honest wear coin you can find for each type.
David
That's my next goal. Gives the entire album nice eye appeal.
Once getting the album, I filled as many holes as I could with nice coins for my price range, which, like most on here, for raw or soon-to-be-raw coins, is under $200 or so...
once my best or most evenly matched or eye appealing examples of each type that I already had were in the album, I began (actually, continued) shopping for coins I didn't have yet, and selectively upgrading (since my eyes were open to all types).
Now that the Dansco has been full a while and most coins upgraded at least once, upgraded coins have gotten bumped down to my #2 set, housed in an old blue whitman 2-volume album set. One of my favorite kinds of coins for my Dansco's "challenging holes" is PCGS AU58, and another is ANACS Unc. details, cleaned, net AU55. All the details, not all the money
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
When I began I used coins I already had, in other words seeking new types before upgrading those already held;
I take a better date over a common date;
I take first or last year of type over random year, and I do overlapping years where it is convenient -- i.e. 38-D Buffalo & 38 Jefferson, that kind of thing;
I choose dark over light;
I look for mellow irridescence before brown, black, or grey;
I seek honest crusty originality over high grade;
Something extra within a type where possible, i.e. arrows & rays in the w/ arrows slot, or no-stars seated in the no-legend slot;
Where both are within my means I prefer choice AU to MS because I don't trust the environment of the album or my own handling;
Coins of unusual coolness, i.e. world's only textile-toned Ike, are encouraged;
Features suggestive of the manual nature of 19th century coining get bonus points, e.g. repunched & recut letter & digits, obvious die flaws,
I include coins of sentimental importance or long tenure in my family's collections where such exist;
No coin beyond three figures;
All words must be readable, i.e. full LIBERTY, e pluribus unum, etc.
I spend more on types I like in the first place than on those I don't.
Coins are acquired as suitable coins show up.
Anything I can get hurt on gets bought in a slab.
EDIT -- oh yeah, forgot to mention I got this bee in my bonnet about gold from every mint. There's a CC $5, Denver $10, N.O. $1 & $10, SF $20; not sure what I'll sub out for C & D when that happens, maybe a Dahlonega type 1 $1 & Charlotte Type 2? Something like that.
Maybe you'll find an idea worth throwing into your hopper in all this & maybe you won't, but it's how I go about it.
BST has been helpful, as have Alaska Coin Exchange, Bullet sales, TT, Alpine, Mark Feld, Darin Whittaker, and Mike Dixon.
Toughest one to find nice if price isn't the obstacle is hands down the Classic head cent. A likeable reeded edge 50c is not low-hanging fruit either.
My long-range intentions at this point have to do with reading as well as upgrading & continuing with non-gold pre-Dansco type (have the 25c coins, probably 50c next) ; on further consideration there's actually lots I can still do...
Good luck with yours; I'm sure you'll build a great one. Cheers --
Matt
PS -- agreed, Baley's set inspired me. Three cheers.
PPS -- I really like that matching row idea. I'm not so particular about matching grade as about matching look.
<< <i>...and Baley's type set is the reason why 99% of us here started Dansco type sets in the first place
Yup, his set was my inspiration.
<< <i>...and Baley's type set is the reason why 99% of us here started Dansco type sets in the first place
I probably started mine before Baley ... Put my first coins in the 7070 in 1976 or so. But, Baley's set (and a few others I've seen here) is why I sold my set a couple of weeks ago. I "ignored" the eye appeal issue
This time "eye appeal" and similarity of grades will be of crucial importance. But I'll still try to get common dates rather than keys or semi-keys - just too expensive, IMO.
Or maybe I'll do "first year of issue" ... Yeah, there's an idea
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
Like these
1. I will use "legacy" coins (coins from my boyhood collection, my father's collection, and my grandmother's collection) already in my possession as a starting point.
2. I will purchase coins for under $1000. Many will be under $100, especially the from the mid-20th century forward.
3. I will not do gold, but I have purchased an extra "halves" page to add to the commems.
4. When I buy slabbed coins, I will seek coins with excellent naked eye appeal, perhaps the kind of coins that were submitted with expectations of higher grades but those in conditions that one usually does not intend to slab.
5. I will make every effort to buy all of the coins that I need from fellow forum members. (With the specialty and general expertise here, this part should be a piece of cake.)
First off, the "legacy" coins part is something I was going to add, but you already decided. GREAT idea. The no rays shield nickel in mine is a worn down full of black crud coin next to four other MS nickels because it belonged to my now passed grandfather, and he always thought it was neat looking. (it was one of those that had a cameo effect from circulation)
Here is a neat tip. Make the modern cheap coins fun and special. For an example, all of the "to date" slots came out of a proof set of my birthyear. I was born in 1980 so the set was cheap, and cameos abound. The bright shiny random occurences make the set sparkle a bit, and add a story. For the Ike dollar, I bought a 1971 silver still in the mint package. I was SUPER careful not to touch it with my hands at all when I put it in the album, so I can chuckle to myself that no hand has touched it in 34 years.
Another tip: BE CAREFUL putting coins in and out. Take the slides out, put your coin on a piece of paper and slide it over the whole. Put the the piece of paper over the coin, and push the coin in. (no fingerprints) CAREFULLY put the slides back in making sure not to leave marks on the coin.
Now, on to your questions.
1. Do you establish a target grade range for the coins or price range or both?
Not really, I establish a look. Something I found myself doing almost obsessively, was making sure a coin I bought would look good next the coins that it was going to have to sit next to. IE, I tried hard not to put a DCAM next to a G4. It's interesting, because the coins make a gradual move upward on the grade scale as you move left to right, but in the end, it all looks good on the page. When you start doing it, you'll see what I mean. You have to start somewhere, but somewhere along the line you'll find yourself wondering if that 1883 "no cents" nickel is going to look good next to the "with cents" variety that you already have there. Coins six spaces apart may look drastically different, but the two next to each other just HAVE mesh well. (for me)
2. Have you tried to acquire the coins in any particular order? (That might make it a bit more challenging)
No. Some are no brainers in that they are easy and cheap. The ASE spot for example, or bicentenial moderns.
3. Which are the most difficult and expensive coins to obtain?
Again, the classic head half cent.
4. Are there any coins that are recommended to be purchased slabbed (Trade dollars jump out immediately, anything else?)
Trade dollars of course. Probably half the stuff in my album I cracked out - but it didnt necessarily HAVE to be that way. Gold scares me, so if mine had the gold page (it does not) i'd demand it be slabbed, but the way you are doing yours, it doesnt sound like a problem. I'd reccomend most of the earlier stuff slabbed. I generally focused on NGC and ANACS as they were sometimes MUCH cheaper, for a coin just as nice.
5. What national dealers carry the material that is most suited for the various types in such a set?
Heritage or David Lawrence could probably handle the whole thing, but I like your idea of mixing legacy coins and forum member coins.
Furthermore, I would like to buy coins from as many different forum members as possible. That should make it interesting.
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
<< <i> Think about it - a G4 set would be very cool. >>
Why?
This idea sounds really cool and I have lots of time to do it.
"Live long and prosper"
My "How I Started" columns
Me, too.