Which set(s) have you come close to finishing...

lkenefic

Which set have you come within a coin or two of finishing but for whatever reason, you just didn't. I' ve started Indian Head Cents several times and came within one coin of completing twice... I've never owned an 1877. I've come 3 coins shy of a complete Date Set of Large Cents... but those three are "unobtainium" for an average collector... how about you?

hfjacinto

My slabbed 7070 is missing 3 coins and I just don't want to pay what the missing coins cost.

https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/305404/

ricko

I completed my CC set of Morgans, my Franklin half dollar set... Had the Kennedy half set complete, but stopped adding to it around 2010 - except for the special issues. I do not do sets anymore... Just special coins I like.... Cheers, RickO

OAKSTAR

Any questions? 😂 🤣

TomB

I've been working for almost a decade on the Edward VII and George V Newfoundland half dollar series in mint state and am one coin short. These two sets are only four-coins apiece and I lump them together because they share a common reverse. The original mintages are only 100,000 to 200,000 for the Edward VII pieces and 200,000-375,000 for the George V pieces. Finding the coins well-circulated (VF or below) is fairly trivial and they do not cost much while finding truly mint state coins is common enough for a few issues, but a truly scarce occurrence for others.

lkenefic

@ricko said:
I completed my CC set of Morgans, my Franklin half dollar set... Had the Kennedy half set complete, but stopped adding to it around 2010 - except for the special issues. I do not do sets anymore... Just special coins I like.... Cheers, RickO

That's my general approach to collecting these days. I don't do "sets" any more either with one lone exception... my 7070 Type Set. I've stuck with this set because it's definitely a challenge, I like the depth of coins represented, it's doable as an album, and I like the overall layout. I still collect Large Cents too, but I'm looking more for quality than quantity and I have no particular "goal" other than collecting nice pieces...

dsessom

Sadly, I have never completed a set 100%. I am usually missing a key date or two, but I DO plan on completing my current set of PCGS MS64 V nickels.

willy

I am working on the Complete US Type Set Circulation Strikes. The set consist of 133 coins I am down to the last 15 coins and I should be able to get the final (4) in the Silver, Copper and Nickel coins except for the 1796-97 Draped Bust Half Dollar.

The Gold is another task all together. I need 10 Gold coins with (5) being early $2-1/2 Gold
I can probably get (3) of those but they will take some time and cost will be significant.

Need (2) $5 Gold I think they are attainable with time.

The $10 Gold I need (3) pieces I will try and get the Draped Bust Small Eagle but it will be my most expensive coin. The other (2) $10 are the 1907 Indian Wire Edge & Rolled Edge and I just think I am going to skip those.

So in the end if things go right I will be (5) Coins short of a complete set. I will be content if that happens.

O course I am trying to do the whole set PCGS/CAC which will be impossible for some of the early Gold.

Willy

FrankH

The main reason I don't do "sets" any more is that at sale time, only a few keys are really considered in the set.
The rest are for fun, not appreciation in value.

lermish

I finished the 50 piece Classic Silver commemorative but was so disenchanted with some of the grades I received on raw coins purchased (my fault) that I couldn't stand to look at them anymore and immediately sold them except for a few favorites. Luckily, it freed up some good capital to work on my other sets!

Walkerguy21D

Nm

alefzero

Prooflike Morgans. Had every date ultimately except 1993-S and 1900-O/CC (even had 1901 and 1904 in PCGS DMPL and an ANACS PL of 1887/6-O).

kiyote

US quarters PDSSS 1965-present

Eisenhower dollars
SBA dollars
Roosevelt dimes with all proofs PDSSW 1946 to present
Kennedy Half dollars 1964 to present
Sacajawea dollars 2000 to present
UNC Commem halves 1982 to present

Walkerfan

Three coins shy of completing my Standing Liberty Quarter Date set.

Other projects keep getting in the way......

lkenefic

@hfjacinto said:
My slabbed 7070 is missing 3 coins and I just don't want to pay what the missing coins cost.

https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/305404/

I had to compromise on my Classic Head LC to get an affordable VF details coin... and I probably overpaid for my AU $1 Seated Liberty... still 10 coins shy but I'll likely complete it within the next couple of years...

lkenefic

@OAKSTAR said:
Any questions? 😂 🤣

lol... I have the same album! It's the first Whitman folder i completed as a kid. I don't think it had a slot for the 55DDO. Fast forward to adulthood and that's the only Lincoln Cent album i kept... nostalgia... sans the doubled die... :-/

coinbuf

I can think of several, but a couple are really close, a Morgan date set is one that is only missing two coins. However, I hate mixing a low grade (F or lower) coin in with the MS coins, so I figure that set is as close as I will ever get. And I'm only two coins short of finishing my gold type set, but the recent runup in gold prices has forced me to shelve that project, perhaps one day if gold spot drops back to around the $1,300-$1,400 range I'll be able to afford the $10 Indian and the type 3 dollar.

I am very happy that I completed my $2 1/2 gold Indian set many years back when the coins only cost me an avg of $160 (taking out the 11-D) in AU.

coastaljerseyguy

I did have a finished set of business Morgans (slabs & album) but couldn't break out the 81CC and 85CC from their slabs or GSA holders to place in my Dansco. Also had the 93S in a PCGS G6 holder that I bot for the Dansco, but after purchasing on EBAY, discovered it had graffiti on obverse. Could not break out for fear of losing all marketability and major value.

Wound up selling these, with many other dupes in slabs, so now my Dansco is missing only 3 coins out of the 102. Rather than 97, I count all four 78P (8TF, 7/8, R78 & R79) and the 2 main VAMS 79S /78 and 82 O/S to be part of the complete set.

liefgold

I have been working on a gold dollar date and mint set for about 30 years. Right now I am 2 coins short of completion, the 1855-D and the 1861-D. Probably will never be able to complete with what has happened to those 2 dates over the last few years.
Some older pics:

OAKSTAR

@lkenefic said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Any questions? 😂 🤣

lol... I have the same album! It's the first Whitman folder i completed as a kid. I don't think it had a slot for the 55DDO. Fast forward to adulthood and that's the only Lincoln Cent album i kept... nostalgia... sans the doubled die... :-/

We could start our own club! 🤣 😂 👍🏻

124Spider

I have all the Standing Liberty quarters except for the 1916. I have all the Morgan dollars except for the 1893-S (in my case, the "full set" is 97 coins; I don't count the 1895, which was not issued for circulation, but I do count the three major varieties of the 1878 Philadelphia).

One can buy both those coins for a not-quite-astronomical sum, but in such a low grade that the coin is ugly; I don't want to spend a lot of money on an ugly coin, so I leave the slot empty.

lkenefic

@124Spider said:
I don't want to spend a lot of money on an ugly coin, so I leave the slot empty.

That was exactly my thought process in NOT getting a 55DDO to complete the Lincoln Cent series... at nearly$2k I can complete the 7070 I'm working on with much more eye appealing coins and still make my target grade of XF/AU... mostly...

alaura22

80 PCGS registry sets
24 complete, including, Indian Head Cents, 7070 Dansco Type set, (4) 20th Century Type sets, Bust Type Sets, and on and on.........
Keeps me busy
Edit to add: They are all CAC sticked! If they can be

Barberian

Several 20th century sets (Lincolns, Merc dimes, Washington quarters) are missing a coin or two and likely won't be completed because of failing eyesight and/or a lack of interest. I need to sell off a lot of my ignored 20th century sets, Barber and SLH duplicates.

I like Dansco collections for the look and the satisfying heft of a full set. My goal since resuming collecting in 2005 was to fill Danscos with raw coins that should straight grade, but I'm now emptying my Dansco albums by having the better coins graded and slabbed. I also don't buy rare coins raw now and won't crack them out to fill a Dansco either.

I've been climbing Seated Liberty half mountain for 15 years and am close to the summit (9 coins to go) but don't have the disposable cash or willpower to complete the set. Within the SLH, I don't care to collect a few expensive, popular varieties such as the 1847/6, 1845 no drapery (why is this even in the Redbook?), 1846 over horizontal 6, and 1844-O double date. It's ironic because I've become more of a die marriage collector these days. The series is tough enough without tossing in a bunch of 4-figure Redbook varieties, IMO. On the other hand, there are others that I feel are legit for the set (1842 rev of 39, 1853-O no arrows, 1873 open 3) that range from tough to way over my head in price. And then there's the 78-S, which I should have bought 15 years ago but didn't have the nerve to purchase a 4-figure coin back then, let alone a 5-figure coin.

I'm close to finishing a set of Barber halves, but I've abandoned the set for the time being. I got tired of receiving so many cleaned coins from eBay dealers. When nice raw coins would show up on eBay, the bidding would go ballistic, and I didn't want to waste money on these bidding wars.

Circulated Classic Commemoratives - a fun set to collect. I just need the Bridgeport, Spanish Trail (meh), and Cincinnati (yuck). I amazed myself by buying the clownish Hudson a few years ago, so I might as well finish the set.

7070 (without gold) - This set serves as a place to display type coins I'd buy on a whim and others found by my grandfather in his garden on Long Island. I have all but the cheapo clad moderns on the last page. I also have to break down and purchase a Type I Buffalo nickel. Double yuck.

shorecoll

I once got 5 coins away from a Morgan set in XF/AU before realizing that I didn't like them.
I had a mostly complete VF/XF seated half set that I had to sell and never started again because of today's prices.

TurtleCat

I’m very close with my mercury dime set and my Washington 1932-1974 set. Missing about 2 in each. Just haven’t been motivated to find them. In my 1909-1995 Lincoln raw set I’m missing about 20. Mostly the keys and modern proof cents.

lkenefic

I was also into Morgan Dollars for a while and was trying a Date/MM set. I had to sell at one point but kept a date run alive. I came 2 coins shy of a Date Set... '93 and '95. I was all over the map grade wise... VG to MS64... and didn't really mind so much liquidating the rest of the set. I tried tried picking them back up a couple of years ago... just a date set of all AU coins with good luster and peripheral toning, but I got drawn into other collections .

Picker1954

Working on a "Full Horn" set of Buffaloes, XF-MS66. I have 4 more to go.

coinkat

Apparently not enough

DelawareDoons

My merc dime set has been complete 2-3 times but I sell the 16-D every time.

Atcarroll

A date set of capped bust halves, I'm missing the 1815/2, on the fence about coughing up for one.

Floridafacelifter

Proof capped bust halves- not even close to finishing, and probably never will be, but it’s fun nonetheless…..

privatecoin

Mercury dimes and barber halves raw. Washington quarters, Roosevelt dimes graded.

hfjacinto

If we are talking about finished (well finished to me, which doesn’t include errors or varieties), I finished:

Small cents 1857-2019
Mercury dimes
Bison nickels
Type 1 ASE (well the 1996 is proof)
20th century type set (x2)
Walking liberty
Liberty (Morgan) nickels
Canadian cents (large and small)
Peace dollars

Black.Diamond

@Picker1954 said:
Working on a "Full Horn" set of Buffaloes, XF-MS66. I have 4 more to go.

I have been working on a set of Buffaloes like this since 2008. Only 6 more to go.
My exceptions are:
1. 18/17-D is VG10
2. 16 DDO is pretty much out of my budget at any grade where all 4 digits of the date are visible.

Picker1954

@TriPodBuffalo said:

@Picker1954 said:
Working on a "Full Horn" set of Buffaloes, XF-MS66. I have 4 more to go.

I have been working on a set of Buffaloes like this since 2008. Only 6 more to go.
My exceptions are:
1. 18/17-D is VG10
2. 16 DDO is pretty much out of my budget at any grade where all 4 digits of the date are visible.

I'm just working on the 64 coin set, no varieties. If I come across any that fit my budget, they will be added. I may have knocked one off of the list. I will know better when I get the 1920-D this week.

ElmerFusterpuck

My 1934 thru 1958 wheat cent registry has been stuck at 99% for years. I have all the coins in MS-66 RD or better (steel cents are MS-67) but cannot find a decent looking 1935-S to add to it. Most of the MS-66 ones I've seen are dogs, and I just missed on a couple of really good ones. Patience is the key!

Stingray63

Regardless of the set I just want to say congrats to all that have completed any.

FranklinHalfAddict

@TomB said:
I've been working for almost a decade on the Edward VII and George V Newfoundland half dollar series in mint state and am one coin short. These two sets are only four-coins apiece and I lump them together because they share a common reverse. The original mintages are only 100,000 to 200,000 for the Edward VII pieces and 200,000-375,000 for the George V pieces. Finding the coins well-circulated (VF or below) is fairly trivial and they do not cost much while finding truly mint state coins is common enough for a few issues, but a truly scarce occurrence for others.

That must be a fun set to hunt for and I bet it looks really nice all layer out together. Pretty much every coin you post is very nice so I imagine it’s quite a site.

FranklinHalfAddict

Franklins, barber halves and a Dansco 7070.
Trying to finish all three someday. If I do great, if I don’t oh well.

I can feel my collecting interests gradually shifting so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Franklin set never gets to 100%.

Inspired70

Seated dollars….an endless quest.

1946Hamm

Complete sets or as complete as I want them. Been collecting a long time. Safety deposit box fees are getting to me in several banks . I have scans of about all of them in my pic files. Some sets were completed before 3rd party grading existed.

Floridafacelifter

@1946Hamm said:
Complete sets or as complete as I want them. Been collecting a long time. Safety deposit box fees are getting to me in several banks . I have scans of about all of them in my pic files. Some sets were completed before 3rd party grading existed.

Wow- I would love to look through all those sets!

Tibor

Merc. Dimes Vf-AU no 16-D 3X
Std Lib. Quar. No 16 2X
Walkers 2X
Morgans 2X, 3rd set no 93-S
Peace 4X
Most before TPGs

anablep

I have an uncirculated set of 1938 to 1960 Jefferson nickels.

I need 1909-S VDB and 1914 Lincoln cents to complete that set.

I need 1893-S Morgan dollar to complete that set.

I'm working on Peace dollars but I'm about 50% complete.

vulcanize

@124Spider said:
I have all the Standing Liberty quarters except for the 1916. I have all the Morgan dollars except for the 1893-S (in my case, the "full set" is 97 coins; I don't count the 1895, which was not issued for circulation, but I do count the three major varieties of the 1878 Philadelphia).

One can buy both those coins for a not-quite-astronomical sum, but in such a low grade that the coin is ugly; I don't want to spend a lot of money on an ugly coin, so I leave the slot empty.

I did just that - settle for slick lowball coins because my wallet did not exactly permit me and moreover the OCD did not like looking at the empty slot.

dbldie55

My Barber Quarter set was missing the 01-S and my Standing Liberty Quarter set was missing the 16.

rec78

Bust half date set from 1801-1839 missing the1801 I guess I could get this one - have not found the right one yet.
Seated half set - missing 1878-S
Bust quarter date set - missing 1796
Seated quarter set - missing 1873-CC
Liberty Standing quarter set missing 1916 and 1918/17-S
3-cent silver set in circulation strikes - 1863 (Try finding one of these in circulated grades!)
Half cent date set - missing 1802, 1800, 1796
New Brunswick 1862 10C regular date
Newfoundland 5c 1870, 1946-C
Newfoundland 10c 1870
Trade dollars 1882, 1878-CC
Large cents 1793 Liberty cap

I do not count the super rare coins like an 1894-S dime or 1876-CC 20 cent piece as these were always unobtainable to me and most likely always will be..
A lot of these I could have gotten years ago but are now out of my purchasing price range.

lkenefic

@124Spider said:
I have all the Standing Liberty quarters except for the 1916. I have all the Morgan dollars except for the 1893-S (in my case, the "full set" is 97 coins; I don't count the 1895, which was not issued for circulation, but I do count the three major varieties of the 1878 Philadelphia).

One can buy both those coins for a not-quite-astronomical sum, but in such a low grade that the coin is ugly; I don't want to spend a lot of money on an ugly coin, so I leave the slot empty.

I felt the same way about the Large Cents I was looking at. I could have bought a 1793 Chain Cent some years ago... damaged, graffiti, someone tried to drill a hole in the middle of the reverse, only identifiable by 3-4 links of the chain on the reverse and it was still $1k. The 1804 in my price range wasn't much better. I passed on both and just revamped my approach to collecting early copper.

124Spider

@lkenefic said:

@124Spider said:
I have all the Standing Liberty quarters except for the 1916. I have all the Morgan dollars except for the 1893-S (in my case, the "full set" is 97 coins; I don't count the 1895, which was not issued for circulation, but I do count the three major varieties of the 1878 Philadelphia).

One can buy both those coins for a not-quite-astronomical sum, but in such a low grade that the coin is ugly; I don't want to spend a lot of money on an ugly coin, so I leave the slot empty.

I felt the same way about the Large Cents I was looking at. I could have bought a 1793 Chain Cent some years ago... damaged, graffiti, someone tried to drill a hole in the middle of the reverse, only identifiable by 3-4 links of the chain on the reverse and it was still $1k. The 1804 in my price range wasn't much better. I passed on both and just revamped my approach to collecting early copper.

It is a matter of personal preference, obviously. But, for me, I have learned that I care more about having coins that are nice to look at than about having a few more coins. While my budget isn't up to many here, it is significantly larger than that of the average bear. And experience taught me, in two ways, that I don't like ugly coins: (i) I settled for a G04 version (PCGS) of the 1916-D Mercury dime, and never felt any pleasure from having it; (ii) I eventually completed my other sets (not including Standing Liberty quarters and Morgan dollars), but found that I had too many ugly coins; so I've slowly been upgrading so that I actually like looking at my coins (which I do often). I really did not realize it when I recommenced collecting a few years ago (I had started as a kid, just collecting out of pocket change), but it became quite evident when I had albums with lots of unattractive coins.

BillJones

At least one coin for each British king and queen from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II. I am down to three with one soon to be on the way.