Best Of

My one coin per year cent collection is quite mismatched. My Lincoln cents are the pieces I collected as a kid, which can get down to Good. I have no motivation to go back and upgrade them. My Flying Eagle and Indian Cents are from EF to MS-64, R&B. The large cents range from MS-65, Brown to a scruffy VG for the 1799. Most are certified, but eight to ten are not. I’m just having fun without becoming a wildly disciplined perfectionist.

When I see prices in the $3 to $4 thousand range for common dates, I am motivated to buy something in lower grades. Yes, having a string of Mint State coins is cool, but paying for them isn’t.

The top grade, assigned an MS-66.

I like this one better. It's an MS-65

The bottom grade, a scutzy VG-10, but it is a 1799.

I read over a decade ago one thing that stuck with me when it comes to collecting a set.
(Paraphrasing) "In a set of coins, each coin should stand alone on its own merits." It looks like you have a set of coins that have a variety of looks and "personalities".
From the looks of it, it looks like you put a lot of thought into your set and had a fun time assembling it.
It tells a good story of minty fresh coins off of historical mint dies being put in time-capsule bags; to coins circulating through Nevada commerce with a doubtful recipient doing a test cut to check for fraud.

I appreciate your reflections. An interesting coin can manifest many feelings in ones head. Peace Roy

AU58+ or MS61.
Probably worth about the same either way.

I vaguely remember this but weren’t a lot of them put into cigarette packages in vending maching as a way of getting the change back?

Did you mean edge rather than rim?

@HalfDime said:
The Fugio cent is considered the first official circulation coin of the United States.

Authorized by the Congress of the Confederation on April 21, 1787, this copper coin is also known as the Franklin cent, as it was reportedly designed by Benjamin Franklin. The coin features a unique design with a sundial and the Latin word "Fugio" (meaning "I flee" or "I fly"), symbolizing the passage of time, along with the motto "Mind Your Business".

Some interesting details about the Fugio cent include:

Composition: Pure copper
Mass: 10.2 grams
Design: Included a sun, sundial, 13 state chain links, and the phrases "Mind Your Business" and "We Are One"

While the Fugio cent is widely recognized as the first U.S. coin, it's worth noting that the United States Mint wasn't officially established until the Coinage Act of 1792, which created the first official Mint in Philadelphia. The first circulating coins from the official U.S. Mint were 11,178 copper cents delivered on March 1, 1793.

.................................................

We will have a 240th anniversary of the 1787 Fugio cent in two years. Please make in gold, copper, and silver.

The Fugio Cent in your image is a New Haven Restrike made circa 1860.

The least stressful way might be to purchase a private insurance policy beforehand. Something like Hugh Wood, Inc that includes the ability to ship USPS Registered Mail. Then package the collection up in as many securely paper-taped and wrapped boxes as you need and ship them without declaring the true value to the USPS. Put down something like "$200 value in stamped metal parts". Some folks will cry "Foul!" at this, but your insurance policy might be invalidated if you declare the true amount. Additionally, you aren't asking the USPS to insure the package if you have ship according to your own private insurance policy guidelines.

Alternatively, simply pack the collection in your gassed-up and fully road-worthy vehicle and travel with it. There is no need for cloak-and-dagger or paranoia since no one on the road will have any clue you are moving anything valuable. Just drive like you're going to meet some relatives or to a business meeting. Of course, being fully insured is a good thing, too, as is having someone you trust with you so that if you need to get gas or relieve yourself there is always someone there with the collection. If you just plan your trip, keep your wits about you and don't get paranoid then you will be seen as anyone else on the road without any care in the world.