Which Set Would You Finish?
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lkenefic
Posts: 8,160 ✭✭✭✭✭
Hello Everyone... I've made mention that I'll be in a new (tenure-track) faculty position this Fall. I haven't even started yet but I'm already being pulled in a few directions... which is a good thing! I'll be putting coins on the back burner for the foreseeable future but I may be in the position to make one more significant purchase before Fall. I'm on the verge of completing 3 "sets" where I'm down to the last coin...
- 1955 DDO Lincoln Cent to complete the album I started as a kid.
- $3 Gold piece to complete my Denominations gold in my Box of 20.
- 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar... which would "complete" my 50-cent piece Type series (I'll include it in my Box of 20) without the Draped Bust Small Eagle... well beyond my means...
- 1787 Fugio to represent the first federal contract coinage... not really "completing" anything, I just want one...
So, what says the group?
Collecting: Dansco 7070; Middle Date Large Cents (VF-AU); Box of 20;
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
Which Set Would You Finish?
This is a public poll: others will see what you voted for.
2
Comments
Every collector needs a Fugio.
Finishing the set you started as a kid sounds like the most fun.
Completing the album you started so long ago would seem to me to be the most rewarding (& satisfying).
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Retired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
i went with a fugio and have wanted one for a spell. that would be a good start
I like firsts. Fugio Cent.
I chose the 1955 DDO, b/c it's actually part of a set that will actually be complete.
It is also one that you started as a child, so it is your longest endeavor.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I like gold
Fugio because that's what you said you wanted.
No question, #1. I can vouch for the tremendous feeling of pride when finishing a collection started as a child. No better feeling on this earth separate from family. DO IT! lol
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
I would complete the denomination set with the $3 gold. Make sure you buy a certified one by one of the better certification companies. There are many counterfeits, and there are pieces that have been used for jewelry.
My second choice would be the Flowing Hair Half Dollar. That was the first design for the half dollar which makes it important.
My third choice would be the Fugio Cent. It has a very interesting history. (see below)
My last choice would be the 1955 doubled die cent. I don't view that as a "must have" for a set of Lincoln cents.
A history of the Fugio Cent - Part of the program I will give at Summer FUN in July.
These are my bullet points from a couple of slides.
James Jarvis owned the controlling interest in the Company for Coining Coppers.
He obtained the contract to make the Fugio Cents by paying a $10,000 bribe to the Secretary of the Board of the Treasury, William Duer. The Board handed the monetary policy for Congress of the Confederation
Jarvis committed to striking 345 tons of copper coins (estimated contract a bit over 30 million coins, a major mintage commitment for the period.)
Jarvis failed to attract European investors
He failed to convince Matthew Boulton to produce 300 tons of copper coins. Boulton wanted the money up front.
Boulton offered to make 150 tons of copper coins and sell Jarvis the mint equipment to make coins in America.
Jarvis’ employees delivered only 8,968 pounds
(1+ % of the Contract) which works out to about 400,000 coins.
Jarvis defaulted on his contract.
The coins were sold to a copper speculator, who could not pay his bill. He went to debtors’ prison.
I’ve completed two sets of Lincoln’s over the years. Never desired the 55 DDO. No varieties or errors for me. The Fugio is a meaningful piece of US history.
All of those choices are great additions.
I kinda like the 55DDO, but doggone, I’d be happy with any or all of those!
While all are challenging, the 55DD has always been the coin that has eluded me. That would be my pick.
1795
I would finish all of them.
Even if it's a PO-1 in a soap box?
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Based on the polling, it looks like the forum feels the same!
Being a Lincoln cent guy, and as I have a 55/55, it would stand to reason that I would vote for the overdate. But in your shoes I would buy the gold coin and finish that set now.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
$3 Gold. I’ve always been a sucker for the $3.
I recently upgraded mine! 🥰
Like Bill said above, definitely get one certified! Lots of fakes and altered pieces out there!
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Seriously... I don't think I've ever seen such an equal split among 4 options.
Ultimately, it'll come down to which coin presents the best when I'm ready to pull the trigger. Each coin would be a significant addition/completion in my overall collection.
I'm at the point where I'm pretty satisfied with what I have and enjoy looking at what I've accomplished so far. I completed a 7070 album last year and returned my attention back to Copper. I had put a Middle Date date-run put together in VF to AU and at some point over the last year and a half it morphed into two Waite Raymond albums encompassing 100 coins that I know I'll never complete. I also started accumulating more coins for my Box of 20... this "Set" seems to be more fluid for me in that I started off just storing certified coins in a PCGS storage box but has become more of the historical pieces that aren't in a 7070 and gold by denomination... thus the Fugio, $3, and the 1795 50C...
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If it were me I'd buy the half dollar, because I have a thing for half dollars.
Absolutely!
It's pretty much a black dot. ⚫️ 🤣 😂
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I would finish the set you started as a kid, but all are neat coins to add to the collection.
Collector
75 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 45 members and counting!
instagram.com/klnumismatics
Two birds one stone
1795 for the win
little copper widgets vs chunks of gold? Easy answer.
I have always been a Lincoln cent fan and even now that I am about to consign two completed Wheat Reverse registry sets to Great Collections, the one coin I am keeping is the 1955 Doubled Die. One of the most spectacular errors in all of U.S. coinage. (But Fugios are nice too.)
Kind regards,
George
My opinion too, with the additional reason that it can be bought in multiple any day of the week. There is no shortage of quality examples.
No bad options in the bunch.
I picked the big coin that has a 17 to start the date, but tomorrow so might think any of the others is the best option.
No Brainer for me!
"Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!
--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.I was torn between the 55DDO and the $3 but voted for the 55 from a sentimentality standpoint. Finish the set you started as a kid.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
I love the 1795 half dollars. The reason they are so "common" is directly related to the rarity of the 1794 dollar. Lots of interesting die varieties, too.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
It depends on just how selective you were and how matched your pieces are in your gold set. If very selective, I would hold on that, obviously, until just the right piece opportunistically appears on the market for you. Same with your 50c type set.
The 55/55 would be fun. From my own experience, when I finally got a 1909-S VDB, for the same reason, it was pretty bittersweet. That might differ based on personality though.
The Fugio is fun. Some like to get an UNC from that NY banks barrel hoard. When I did them, it was by variety and finding the really rare ones (though the barrel ones are conditional rarities I guess). Anyway, they are approachable for many budgets and a nice one to have. Not everyone can outlay cash for a chain cent or continental dollar, and the Fugio is in the same period and has similar character. Some even have bonuses, like striking abnormalities and overstrikes on colonial tokens.
Fugio is at the top of my list. Good luck
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Took me 60 years before I bought my '55 DDO. Should have done it decades ago as it took that long to find one that I liked and fit my budget. My advice is if you see a '55 you really like, snag it.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
I voted for the Fugio, but then again many years ago I liked a lot of music that I could buy in the "cut out" section. Maybe it's good to have different tastes than the masses?
I got the same feeling when I finished my Lincoln Vol 1 set with a 1909-S VDB... anticlimactic. I sold them off years ago. I bought another 1909-S VDB afterwards just to have the key date, but there wasn't much of the collection left to justify it's existence so I sold that too. I kept the Lincoln Vol 2 set (1941-1966) and just have that one hole to fill... but it won't even be filled, technically speaking, since I'm not about to crack a $2k coin to put in an album! I'll probably opt for a filler coin or a plastic proxy coin if I do end up getting one.
I've always liked the Fugio and since it's recognized as the first Federal contract coinage, I'd like to have one for the Type and keep it in my Box of 20.
My gold is now fairly inconsistent... I started off wanting to extend my Everyman Type Set to include gold, so the first few pieces I purchased were AU55/58 coins. I put that down a while to concentrate on early copper and when I came back, gold had almost doubled. But this meant that common date MS65 Saints were trading not too much more than spot... $10 Indians also looked more attractively priced relative to $10 Libs... so, I've ended up with an AU $1, $2.5, $5... and an MS62 $10 Indian rounding out with an MS65 Saint...
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All great choices, but I went with the 55DDO because I just found out yesterday that my 62BN NGC crossed over to CACG. I chose my four personal favorites in my set, that and the 09-s, 09-svdb, and 14-d that I thought were all solidly graded and all 4 crossed over so it was a great day for my Lincolns.