I'll make no apologies for this L&C Coins purchase: 1909-S VDB

anablep

This purchase was the final Lincoln cent needed for my blue Whitman folder Lincoln series I started in junior high school in the late 80's. Prior to this purchase, I filled the 1914-D about a month ago. Along the way, I've upgraded heavily worn, circulated cents from my childhood/early days of collecting with an AU or MS version of the date but the most glaring hole for 40 years has been the 1909-S VDB. Maybe I should have started the collection with that cent, but there was no way I could afford this coin back then.

Today I purchased this coin raw, as I have no desire to crack out an already graded, problem-free key date in order to fill the album. While my main collection of Morgan & Peace dollars are all business (graded, registry), the Lincolns have, and always will be, my fun set that takes me back to my childhood beginnings in collecting. The only remaining holes to fill are the most recent new cents minted yearly to date.

This coin seems to be AU50-53, and I paid money consistent with that grade range. Thanks for looking and for any constructive critiques you have to offer.

Vasanti

I found all my old Whitmans from when I was a kid about a month ago. I had completely forgotten about them for 30+ years. All of the post-82 cents were destroyed.

anablep

@Vasanti said:
I found all my old Whitmans from when I was a kid about a month ago. I had completely forgotten about them for 30+ years. All of the post-82 cents were destroyed.

Where did you store them? I guess the Zincolns aren't very environmentally stable, which leads me to believe that as they corrode out of circulation, some of them will become condition rarities in the (distant?) future.

david3142

Looks like a very nice set! I also started with Whitman folders but I eventually moved to an album when I started putting better coins in both to show them better and to preserve their condition. I would be worried that album is going to substantially impair those beautiful red (or steel) cents in a few years.

Vasanti

@anablep said:

@Vasanti said:
I found all my old Whitmans from when I was a kid about a month ago. I had completely forgotten about them for 30+ years. All of the post-82 cents were destroyed.

Where did you store them? I guess the Zincolns aren't very environmentally stable, which leads me to believe that as they corrode out of circulation, some of them will become condition rarities in the (distant?) future.

Not in ideal conditions. They were in closet inside of a Rubbermaid type tub for three decades.

golden

Nice set. Congratulations!

JWP

No apology needed. that is a very nice coin you have. Congrats for completing your Whitman folder/ I have a round 10 to go myself and the Lincoln cent is where I started collecting too.

acloco

Congratulations!!!

Smudge

Get those zinc cents out of the Whitman.

Mr_Spud

That’s a great set and a great 09S vdb. I transferred my childhood Lincoln’s to an album about 15 years ago and finished the set with slabbed 09s vdb and 14-D and upgraded a few that were in really bad condition. I cheated on 5he 55 double die though and just used one with machine doubling. Sooner or later I’ll end up getting a real one, but I’m not in a hurry for that one for some reason.

anablep

@Mr_Spud said:
That’s a great set and a great 09S vdb. I transferred my childhood Lincoln’s to an album about 15 years ago and finished the set with slabbed 09s vdb and 14-D and upgraded a few that were in really bad condition. I cheated on 5he 55 double die though and just used one with machine doubling. Sooner or later I’ll end up getting a real one, but I’m not in a hurry for that one for some reason.

@Mr_Spud what album did you transfer your cents to? Sounds like I should do the same thing.

silviosi

Whitman albums are very practical but in long term will affect the coins. I never analyze the materials involve in the production, but really are not good for coins at any stage. Ruin the beauty of the coins and the worst I find are the penny and the cents.

BLUEJAYWAY

Congratulations. A real flashback to the old way of collecting.

jesbroken

Great job. I lack only the09SVDB to finalize my last Lincoln set in an old Meghrig album. Thanks for sharing.
Jim

Dave99B

Cool set, with a ton of history. Love the 09-S VDB. I’ve never owned one.

Dave

Mr_Spud

@anablep said:

@Mr_Spud said:
That’s a great set and a great 09S vdb. I transferred my childhood Lincoln’s to an album about 15 years ago and finished the set with slabbed 09s vdb and 14-D and upgraded a few that were in really bad condition. I cheated on 5he 55 double die though and just used one with machine doubling. Sooner or later I’ll end up getting a real one, but I’m not in a hurry for that one for some reason.

@Mr_Spud what album did you transfer your cents to? Sounds like I should do the same thing.

You probably should put them in an album. I put mine in one of these albums

And the album is in one of these Dansco corrosion inhibiting slipcovers

Probably a Dansco album might look a bit better, and maybe an Intercept Shield album and slipcover would be a good choice too.

Jimnight

Nice set!

124Spider

No apology necessary; this is supposed to be fun, and it looks like you're having fun!

2windy2fish

By far the nicest Whitman set i have eve ever seen! Congrats!
Persistence does pay off!

Dug13

Congratulations!!! No apology needed! Old School collecting is the best!

silviosi

Dug13
Congratulations!!! No apology needed! Old School collecting is the best!

I agree, just to go with new technology to preserve.

For this I patented and produce my own slab (could be seal and vacuum) and cartable pages for slab coins. Like this every coins cost me 1.5 $ more but will be preserve and believe I enjoy to look at them.

johnny9434

Nice coin and set. It's always nice to finish off a set like that

lordmarcovan

Bravo!

kaz

Way to go! Must be a satisfying feeling to press an 09-S VDB into that last hole!

Batman23

Well done. I did a similar thing with my different versions of my Lincoln set. I ended up with my final version in a Dansco album.

dsessom

Your Lincoln album set is among the finest I have seen! Your 09-S VDB is outstanding.
Now that the set is complete, what will you work on next?

stevefromne

@anablep said:
This purchase was the final Lincoln cent needed for my blue Whitman folder Lincoln series I started in junior high school in the late 80's. Prior to this purchase, I filled the 1914-D about a month ago. Along the way, I've upgraded heavily worn, circulated cents from my childhood/early days of collecting with an AU or MS version of the date but the most glaring hole for 40 years has been the 1909-S VDB. Maybe I should have started the collection with that cent, but there was no way I could afford this coin back then.

Today I purchased this coin raw, as I have no desire to crack out an already graded, problem-free key date in order to fill the album. While my main collection of Morgan & Peace dollars are all business (graded, registry), the Lincolns have, and always will be, my fun set that takes me back to my childhood beginnings in collecting. The only remaining holes to fill are the most recent new cents minted yearly to date.

This coin seems to be AU50-53, and I paid money consistent with that grade range. Thanks for looking and for any constructive critiques you have to offer.

I would suggest going on eBay and looking for a pair of Whitman Bookshelf albums (from the '60's) or Library of Coins albums ('50's, '60's). You'll be able to to view both sides of the coins.

cheezhed

We humans find great satisfaction in the challenge of the hunt, the thrill of the find and the feeling of accomplishment when completing a years in the making endeavor. Well done.

may

I wish there was a clap emoji!

ricko

@anablep ... No apology necessary. Nice set for sure. Bet it feels really good to complete the set. Cheers, RickO

oldabeintx

Very nice set. I would have done the same with my childhood set, but I was very young and cleaned many of them. When I graduated I got rid of them out of embarrassment.

Joe_360

Congratulations! Nice set!

My Father started my Brothers and I on Lincoln Wheaties. I have a full set from 1909 thru 2009. I did buy a graded 09S VDB because I wanted to ensure that safe in a slab, it has doubled in price since I bought a few years back.

I'm not a big fan of the Shields Lincolns and was not collecting them, but I broke down last year and bought an album with P,D,S mints.

Thanks for sharing! Joe

CoinHoarder

@anablep

That is a very nice, problem free coin.

Although personally, I would not store that coin long term in the folder that you have displayed.

I would probably put it in a Capital holder, or something like that.

Congratulations!

leothelyon

The dates after 2003 look like they came from mint sets, a time when the US mint took steps to dramatically change the way they made coins for the mint sets. Such coins were made in ways to make them appear like perfect strikes to grade MS68 and MS69 consistently. And the coin grading companies followed accordingly, labeling the mint set coins as SMS or SP discontinuing after 2010. From sandblasting the dies to give the coins a satin finish look, higher coining pressure and careful handling. They also used the earliest minted coins from the dies. The circulating coins did not receive the same special attention/treatment. So there is a difference in quality and strike between the coins made for the mint sets and those made for circulation. The definitions of the two totally separate types of manufactured coins; uncirculated and circulated are defined in the US Mint glossary.
I believe it's important for collectors to be aware of the difference in coins that are coming out of the US Mint if they want the coins they collect to match the quality of coins they have diligently searched for prior to 2004 to secure the consistency of appearance in their collections.
I have spoken out about the differences in the coins after 2003 many times here without too much support/fanfare, But I think collectors will eventually regret their not paying close attention to what they collect. Locating collector coins from coin rolls is the way to keep consistency in the quality and strike of the coins for their collections. And understanding a few coins earmarked for the mint sets that didn't make it into a mint set were released into circulation along with the coins made for circulation/commerce, another thing to watch out for. And, taking/using coins from the mint sets after 2003 is so easy and cheap, there's no fun in building collections that way.
The real twister to all this, why did the coin grading companies drop the ball in labeling the mint set coins SMS or SP? And not much grading these coins MS68, 69? The US Mint still uses the above-aforementioned practices to make the coins look so perfect for the mint sets and the difference is so obvious whether they're sandblasted or not. Collectors must come to terms/learn the differences in strike quality between the two types of manufactured coins and avoid coins with satin finishes to keep a consistent appearance to their collections. And from getting ripped off! Coins from mint sets after 2003 are an entirely different kind/set of coins/collection to assemble. They are not rare! There are 100's of thousands mint sets to get these coins from and they're cheap. a dollar or two each.
Personally, how I have collected the coins after 2003, I buy rolls and have them stored away. Someday to be searched.

To the OP, congratulations on your collection. Completing any set is quite an accomplishment.

Leo

anablep

Thanks everyone! It's been a fun journey with Lincolns. I'll be upgrading a few of the worn early dates in the future.

@dsessom said:
Now that the set is complete, what will you work on next?

@dsessom I'm one coin away from finishing a complete Morgan dollar circulation set (1893-S) and about 9 away from a complete Peace dollar set. So I'm always working on those. I've already completed Walking Liberty Halves and Franklin Halves and Jefferson Nickels, 1938-1960, so maybe Indian Cents would be on my radar in the future.

@Mr_Spud Thanks for the suggestion on album type. Much appreciated!

coinbuf

Congratulations, I am somewhat biased being a longtime Lincoln collector but that is a wonderful coin. As to storage I really recommend the Intercept Shield albums over that folder, that is how I store my second non slabbed set of Lincolns.

joeykoins

Congratulations!
The foundation of any kids coin collection.

cladking

Nice collection.

I'd upgrade the 1915 next.

@anablep said:

@Vasanti said:
I found all my old Whitmans from when I was a kid about a month ago. I had completely forgotten about them for 30+ years. All of the post-82 cents were destroyed.

Where did you store them? I guess the Zincolns aren't very environmentally stable, which leads me to believe that as they corrode out of circulation, some of them will become condition rarities in the (distant?) future.

Most people would be surprised how tough some of these coins are right now. Despite the lackluster demand some rolls sell for steep premiums in chBU. Many many of these rolls are skunked. Mint sets constitute a ready supply of most dates but some are typically ugly and/ or spotted in the mint sets. I believe nice '84-P's with pleasing surfaces are by far the toughest of these. They were scarce in 1984 and the years have been very hard on them.

cladking

@leothelyon said:
The dates after 2003 look like they came from mint sets, a time when the US mint took steps to dramatically change the way they made coins for the mint sets. Such coins were made in ways to make them appear like perfect strikes to grade MS68 and MS69 consistently. And the coin grading companies followed accordingly, labeling the mint set coins as SMS or SP discontinuing after 2010. From sandblasting the dies to give the coins a satin finish look, higher coining pressure and careful handling. They also used the earliest minted coins from the dies. The circulating coins did not receive the same special attention/treatment. So there is a difference in quality and strike between the coins made for the mint sets and those made for circulation. The definitions of the two totally separate types of manufactured coins; uncirculated and circulated are defined in the US Mint glossary.
I believe it's important for collectors to be aware of the difference in coins that are coming out of the US Mint if they want the coins they collect to match the quality of coins they have diligently searched for prior to 2004 to secure the consistency of appearance in their collections.
I have spoken out about the differences in the coins after 2003 many times here without too much support/fanfare, But I think collectors will eventually regret their not paying close attention to what they collect. Locating collector coins from coin rolls is the way to keep consistency in the quality and strike of the coins for their collections. And understanding a few coins earmarked for the mint sets that didn't make it into a mint set were released into circulation along with the coins made for circulation/commerce, another thing to watch out for. And, taking/using coins from the mint sets after 2003 is so easy and cheap, there's no fun in building collections that way.
The real twister to all this, why did the coin grading companies drop the ball in labeling the mint set coins SMS or SP? And not much grading these coins MS68, 69? The US Mint still uses the above-aforementioned practices to make the coins look so perfect for the mint sets and the difference is so obvious whether they're sandblasted or not. Collectors must come to terms/learn the differences in strike quality between the two types of manufactured coins and avoid coins with satin finishes to keep a consistent appearance to their collections. And from getting ripped off! Coins from mint sets after 2003 are an entirely different kind/set of coins/collection to assemble. They are not rare! There are 100's of thousands mint sets to get these coins from and they're cheap. a dollar or two each.
Personally, how I have collected the coins after 2003, I buy rolls and have them stored away. Someday to be searched.

To the OP, congratulations on your collection. Completing any set is quite an accomplishment.

I've been making some nice choice rolls and dumping the garbage into circulation. I just did 1966 cents which were a favorite of mine back in the day because they were harder to find than most dates. One roll I cracked was almost all good coins (50%+ of all the coins were corroded). This roll also was one of the choicest rolls of the bunch with almost nice choice strikes from good dies. One of the coins is a startling PL that is hammered and very clean. It's not as clean as some coins you can find in the SMS but is very clean.

It could be the rarest coin I've ever encountered but if I send it is will be be graded as a SMS 67.

I suppose it could be a San Francisco roll and the die just got mixed in but then, why is it hammered?

There are a lot of moderns just being ignored. Try finding a nice Gem WY Denver cent that wasn't from a mint set. Few collectors are aware that even cents like the '83 can be found PL. But then few collectors even have a 1983 in their collections.

coinkat

Apologies? Looks more like turning the clock back and having fun... well played

edited to add... I liked your 1921 Morgan thread and thought that would tough to top... this is one terrific follow up

rays

“I purchased this coin raw, as I have no desire to crack out an already graded, problem-free key date in order to fill the album.”

The advantage of cracking out an already graded, problem-free (key date) would be if you ever decided to submit the coin for grading, you would be assured it would be very unlikely to come back “AU details, cleaned and re-colored”.

anablep

@cladking said:
Nice collection.

I'd upgrade the 1915 next.

Most people would be surprised how tough some of these coins are right now. Despite the lackluster demand some rolls sell for steep premiums in chBU. Many many of these rolls are skunked. Mint sets constitute a ready supply of most dates but some are typically ugly and/ or spotted in the mint sets. I believe nice '84-P's with pleasing surfaces are by far the toughest of these. They were scarce in 1984 and the years have been very hard on them.

@cladking Thank you! I always enjoy your perspective on moderns and I appreciate your experience with post-copper Lincolns.

BuffaloIronTail

I longed for the 1909-S V.D.B. (and the 1914-D) Cents as a teenager and new coin collector. I just HAD to have them.

It wasn't until the 1980's that my dream was answered.

2 1909-S V.D.B.s and 7 1914-Ds later, here I am.

I still can't believe that I own them, even today.

Pete

Rampage

@anablep said:
This purchase was the final Lincoln cent needed for my blue Whitman folder Lincoln series I started in junior high school in the late 80's. Prior to this purchase, I filled the 1914-D about a month ago. Along the way, I've upgraded heavily worn, circulated cents from my childhood/early days of collecting with an AU or MS version of the date but the most glaring hole for 40 years has been the 1909-S VDB. Maybe I should have started the collection with that cent, but there was no way I could afford this coin back then.

Today I purchased this coin raw, as I have no desire to crack out an already graded, problem-free key date in order to fill the album. While my main collection of Morgan & Peace dollars are all business (graded, registry), the Lincolns have, and always will be, my fun set that takes me back to my childhood beginnings in collecting. The only remaining holes to fill are the most recent new cents minted yearly to date.

This coin seems to be AU50-53, and I paid money consistent with that grade range. Thanks for looking and for any constructive critiques you have to offer.

Congratulations! That is a good looking coin. Congrats on completing your set, too!

Tom147

Like many of us here I'm sure, I to started with a Whitman folder my late father gave me back in 1964. I still have it and consider it priceless. Looked a long time for the elusive 55 S.