Would it be crazy to start a collection of...

The_Dinosaur_Man

Gold Quarter Eagles? This would be a set of common dates and mintmarks going back to the Capped Bust era. I'm hoping to get back to finish up my sets of Half Dimes and Seated Dimes and then take on something a little more challenging after.

What do you guys think? What sets have you pursued that you or others thought were crazy to go after?

Picture for fun.

may

No, as long as you have the funds it’s a great coin to collect. I personally love the design, my favorite out of the Liberty Head gold coins.

Nice example, too.

HillbillyCollector

Haha! I misread your post and thought you wanted to do a “complete” set, and I thought wow, you’re a better man than me!😂
Sure, common dates, and GOLD QEs sound interesting! Good look and have fun!👍

NeophyteNumismatist

I think it sounds like a fun, challenging project. Hopefully it's more fun than crazy, and you can enjoy yourself.

TomB

As specified with common dates and mintmarks then, no, it doesn't sound crazy. They are plentiful enough that you can find many of the more common coins fairly easily, though since they are one-eighth ounce gold (almost) they do tend to have a high baseline value. Also, building it as you stated allows you to determine what dates/mintmarks to add and when to consider an upgrade or to call it finished. It just takes a bit of funds more than many folks will pour into the hobby.

For me, I have been attempting to complete the Edward VII and George V Newfoundland half dollar series in mint state for around a decade or more. There are only four coins for each type, so eight coins total, and they range from a few hundred to no more than a few thousand dollars in MS63 or MS64 (if you can find them and/or they exist). The things are near-impossible to find with good eye appeal and in MS. At this time I have all of them in at least MS63, but a couple have to be upgraded in the eye appeal department. Folks might think this run of NFLD half dollars is crazy because in low grade they are readily purchased and are essentially bullion coins, but with mintages hovering around 100,000-200,000 (Edward VII) and 200,000-375,000 (George V) and PCGS populations in the single digits for MS63 or above grades they are a bear in MS.

Here is a 1909 in PCGS MS64+...after 38-years the PCGS population is 1 with only a single finer (MS65)-

jmlanzaf

@TomB said:
As specified with common dates and mintmarks then, no, it doesn't sound crazy. They are plentiful enough that you can find many of the more common coins fairly easily, though since they are one-eighth ounce gold (almost) they do tend to have a high baseline value. Also, building it as you stated allows you to determine what dates/mintmarks to add and when to consider an upgrade or to call it finished. It just takes a bit of funds more than many folks will pour into the hobby.

For me, I have been attempting to complete the Edward VII and George V Newfoundland half dollar series in mint state for around a decade or more. There are only four coins for each type, so eight coins total, and they range from a few hundred to no more than a few thousand dollars in MS63 or MS64 (if you can find them and/or they exist). The things are near-impossible to find with good eye appeal and in MS. At this time I have all of them in at least MS63, but a couple have to be upgraded in the eye appeal department. Folks might think this run of NFLD half dollars is crazy because in low grade they are readily purchased and are essentially bullion coins, but with mintages hovering around 100,000-200,000 (Edward VII) and 200,000-375,000 (George V) and PCGS populations in the single digits for MS63 or above grades they are a bear in MS.

Here is a 1909 in PCGS MS64+...after 38-years the PCGS population is 1 with only a single finer (MS65)-

That is a tough series. I've been interested in NFLD coins and stamps myself due to my Newfoundland dogs. As you say, they can be surprisingly difficult to find despite their modest price. I always like to hear stories from the dark side. Lol

PerryHall

That's going to be quite a challenge since it's the longest running US coin series without a design change.

johnny9434

@TomB said:
As specified with common dates and mintmarks then, no, it doesn't sound crazy. They are plentiful enough that you can find many of the more common coins fairly easily, though since they are one-eighth ounce gold (almost) they do tend to have a high baseline value. Also, building it as you stated allows you to determine what dates/mintmarks to add and when to consider an upgrade or to call it finished. It just takes a bit of funds more than many folks will pour into the hobby.

For me, I have been attempting to complete the Edward VII and George V Newfoundland half dollar series in mint state for around a decade or more. There are only four coins for each type, so eight coins total, and they range from a few hundred to no more than a few thousand dollars in MS63 or MS64 (if you can find them and/or they exist). The things are near-impossible to find with good eye appeal and in MS. At this time I have all of them in at least MS63, but a couple have to be upgraded in the eye appeal department. Folks might think this run of NFLD half dollars is crazy because in low grade they are readily purchased and are essentially bullion coins, but with mintages hovering around 100,000-200,000 (Edward VII) and 200,000-375,000 (George V) and PCGS populations in the single digits for MS63 or above grades they are a bear in MS.

Here is a 1909 in PCGS MS64+...after 38-years the PCGS population is 1 with only a single finer (MS65)-

Love the newfoundland coinage here as well, just saying

dcarr

The current 9th Edition (2024) "Mega Red Book" has a special feature section on $2.50 gold coins.

Project Numismatics

I think quality over quantity is the way to go. Some interesting ideas:

• 1 coin from each of the 7 mints - P, D(dahlonega) C, CC, S, O and D(denver)

• Pick a meaningful calendar year and obtain each issue from that year

• One coin from each decade of mintage

Doug Winter has written some excellent articles on ideas for how to collect various gold series. If you haven’t checked out his articles, you definitely should.

Some questions to ask yourself - What’s your total budget?
What’s your budget per coin?
What grade level appeals to you?
Do you need a complete set to feel satisfied?
If so how do can you define a complete set within your budget?

Please let us know what direction you go in!

PerryHall

@Project Numismatics said:
I think quality over quantity is the way to go. Some interesting ideas:

• 1 coin from each of the 7 mints - P, D(dahlonega) C, CC, S, O and D(denver)

The CC quarter eagle will be a tough one to find.

Project Numismatics

@PerryHall said:

@Project Numismatics said:
I think quality over quantity is the way to go. Some interesting ideas:

• 1 coin from each of the 7 mints - P, D(dahlonega) C, CC, S, O and D(denver)

The CC quarter eagle will be a tough one to find.

Sorry! This is half eagle advice. Series merge!

Crypto

Too many stoppers for my taste. I would do a branch mint O or D set and concentrate the funds on quality of those. A classic head set would also be a completable and impressive set

BillJones

I really like the quarter eagles. I think that they are much more attractive than the half eagles and eagles which have the same design.

I have thought about doing a "short set" or something, but that's been it. One look at the series, which runs from 1840 to 1907 with many rare dates and mint marks in between, is just too much for me. I did the Classic Head Quarter Eagle set, but that is fairly short.

Here's my favorite.

Overdate

@PerryHall said:
That's going to be quite a challenge since it's the longest running US coin series without a design change.

I believe the Roosevelt dime is longer (but includes a composition change).

PerryHall

@Overdate said:

@PerryHall said:
That's going to be quite a challenge since it's the longest running US coin series without a design change.

I believe the Roosevelt dime is longer (but includes a composition change).

Going from .900 fine silver to copper-nickel clad is a major change which is why I would consider them to be two different coin types.

Smudge

I like the one from each mint angle.

OnlyGoldIsMoney

@The_Dinosaur_Man said:
Gold Quarter Eagles? This would be a set of common dates and mintmarks going back to the Capped Bust era. I'm hoping to get back to finish up my sets of Half Dimes and Seated Dimes and then take on something a little more challenging after.

What do you guys think? What sets have you pursued that you or others thought were crazy to go after?

Picture for fun.

Liberty $2.50's are long tough series if you aim for completion. Circulation strike stoppers for the typical set collector include 1841, 1848 CAL, 1854-S, 1856-D, 1864, 1865 and 1875.

Depending on your budget some variation of a short set could be a good way to start:

• Classic Head $2.50's 1834-1839, one per year or add in the C and D mint issues for the complete set;

• One Liberty $2.50 per mint;

• Short Philadelphia only set from 1880 through 1907 - lots of underappreciated low mintage coins, only 1881 and 1885 might strain your collecting budget;

• Indian Head $2.50's 1908-1929 complete set - these coins are always available with only your expectations on grade and CAC approval as complications.

I like the Liberty $2.50 series both because the coins are attractive but also because many low surviving population coins are within my reach.

The_Dinosaur_Man

I appreciate all the responses! Thanks everyone.

I haven't picked out the exact dates yet, however I would go in the direction of obtaining the common dates and mintmarks from the Capped Bust, Liberty Head, and Indian Head series. I'll even add in the Sesquicentennial commemorative.

The idea of doing a by-mint set is a fascinating one. I'd love to include a piece each from Charlotte and Dahlonega and maybe make the album's front page dedicated to just that. The rest of the book would include the date and mintmark run.

Eldorado9

A daunting set of coins to collect. I love them, and the latter dates are really affordable, and attractive when in nice shape. Here's my slightly PL 1861 in 65 CAC.

BillJones

@Smudge said:
I like the one from each mint angle.

I put together that set about 30 years and had it in a Capital Plastics holder. The only one of the seven mints you can't get is Carson City. I would need a San Francisco Mint coin to put that set together today.