Major updates to Daniel Carr Collection

HalfDime

Hi everyone, here is my final version of the updated Danial Carr collection by date, metals, condition and changing reverses. I also added a question and answer at the end that is meant only for beginners who might wonder about these coins. This collection goes from 1776 to 2025.

Here is a list of questions I thought a beginner to these coins might ask. I hope I answer them well enough to help anyone interesting in collecting these.

When was this collection started? I would say between late 2012 and early 2013.
Is the collection finished? No, as more coins get released, they will get added in. Also a few more will be purchased on the secondary markets.
Where were the coins purchased? Mainly from the Moonlight Mint website, and some from Ebay. A few were also purchased from distributors.
Who are the distributors? These are companies or individual dealers who commission Moonlight Mint to strike coins that they market and sell themselves. These coins often have unique and interesting designs (and can be hard to locate).
Which released coins have appreciated the most? That is a difficult question, as if the answer is in total dollars or percentages. I would say by percentage it would probably be a few of the Lincoln cents. Some that were purchased for less than $50 have sold for $700. This excludes any error coins, which can sell for high multiples if available.
Is this the largest Daniel Carr collection? I would say no, definitely not. Also I assume Moonlight Mint itself has a lot of regular and test pieces that are held and would be impossible to duplicate by any outside collector at this time.
Have you ever sold any of your coins? Yes, early on I did to reap back the cost for other purchases. I even sold away one of the most prized coins before more came to market.
Have you ever had to pay up for some coins? Yes, just like with that saying if we snooze, we lose, it also applies to coin collecting. So if someone sees a coin for sale on the official website and passes, then later changes their mind, chances are they will have pay a premium to buy it months later, like I have done on occasion.
What are your favorite coins? As a general subset, it is the St. Gaudens coins. This beautiful subset can still be assembled for probably less than $2000.
What is the least known coin? Another difficult one, but I am guessing it would be the 2010 and 2012 Britannia Stonehenge coins. The beautiful 2012 version is pictured in the main set above.
Are there any coins not released you wish had been? Yes, it seems the official Sacagawea design can't be released since it is copyrighted apparently (although I may be wrong on this).
Why are most designs struck in such low numbers? Only Moonlight Mint can say for sure, but I can guess that demand for some coins was low (like a Susan B. Anthony coin), or the dies eventually crack and that is all that was available for striking (in the production notes there are many instances that mention cracked dies ending production).
Are all of the coin ever made still available to buy? Once the coins sell out on the official site, they almost never come back up for sale again except on secondary markets. But in general it seems as time passes the amount of coins for older pieces even in the secondary market decreases overall, and some of the oldest listed on the Moonlight Mint website have none available anywhere that I can find.
Is that circulated 1914 Liberty Nickel a fake? Haha, No, it came from the Moonlight Mint as a circulated piece, I can assure everyone.
How much is this collection worth? Although I don't know and haven't added it up, I am not worried about the value so much today. When I see a single major classic coin that sells for six figures alone, it makes my collection still seem very low in value perhaps by comparison.
What is the most surprising coin in the collection? I would guess most collectors would say the 1964 D Peace dollar, since that has its own controversy and mystery surrounding it (especially when it first came out, and also with the restrikes). Other likely coins would be the 1907 Lincoln cent with the original sculpt, the recent 1979 P Eisenhower concept dollars, the 1958 Lincoln cent Double Die, the Trade Dollar, or even the 1862 territorial piece that was made from actual die engravings. Many other coins could be included in a possible list.
What would you envision as the most impressive Daniel Carr collection? Outside of all the test pieces and originals I assume Moonlight Mint has, that is an easier answer, as it would likely be all of the fantasy coins ever struck in gold. Many gold pieces were struck in very low mintages, and are almost never seen on secondary sites to purchase (I actually only see one available in total on Ebay, that is how scarce they are to buy). It would be extremely difficult (nearly impossible?) to assemble such a collection today (besides requiring deep pockets). However, many of those same coins were struck in other metals, and most of those are shown in the main set above as well.
If you had to go back, would you collect any different? Yes, I would have focused more on dates, and other metals. As it is, I didn't go too wrong.
Have you ever spent one of the fantasy coins at a store? Haha, no, and please don't do it. I imagine it would be accepted as some look like normal change, but the coins are worth far more than face value and technically it is illegal.
Are there any major coin designs not covered so far? I would say that the seated Liberty design in smaller denominations.
Can this collection be assembled by someone else today? Of coarse it can, but it would take time, money and patience. I would guess that about half are generally easy to buy on sites like Ebay, and the other half would have to be waited on for when someone decides to sell, and at what price. I have seen some pieces listed on Ebay for well under what they might be worth. Those are usually purchased within an hour or two by collectors (or other dealers/flippers). As a general rule, I would say any fantasy piece that is listed within $50 of issue price is a good buy if it is on the fantasy list of coins on the Moonlight Mint website. Also keep in mind how many were actually struck as a guide (the fewer, the more valuable depending on design/condition).
What areas does this collection cover? Nearly all of the coins above are from the fantasy section of the Moonlight Mint coins, with some "moderns" being from other sections like Hard Time tokens, and UNA Amero. There are also territorial pieces scattered in as well, and a few outliers.
Why are "modern" piece prices selling lower than fantasy? I imagine that the fantasy coins bring higher premiums because they draw in regular and classic collectors who want a missing date filled by the fantasy coins, or maybe they just like them as an "oddity" piece. I was fortunate in that most of the coins outside of the fantasy section were available for me to add to round out the modern portion of this collection at good prices.
Are these coins a good investment? So far almost everyone who has purchased fantasy coins directly from the Moonlight Mint website has seen the values go up. Prices do fluctuate though, as with everything. Many of the initial prices paid are listed on the Moonlight Mint website, so it is easy enough to check and compare to completed recent sales. And I rarely see any major fantasy coins sell for less than $100 generally a year after release (if that means anything).
How many possible coins could be in a fantasy collection alone? If you go only by fantasy date (excluding the silver eagle variations), I count 130 total coins as of today (excluding late 2024 new releases). There are a few more outside of what is listed that might also be included (Continental Dollars, for example).
Are there other differences among the fantasy pieces? Outside of date, there are conditional differences (High Grade, Circulated, Bulk Handled as released) and planchet differences (Brass, Copper, Silver, Gold, or Pewter). There is also Proof-like, Semi-proof, Matte, Satin, Antiqued, and Color-toned plus High Relief and regular relief coins.
Are any coins graded by third-party grading? Yes, ANACs and occasionally PCGS have graded many coins (including ICG). Some collectors (I assume) only buy graded coins for investment reasons, or to ensure condition.
Can you think of anything else? Only this, many of the coins in this collection have less than 100 examples, and it won't take a lot of collectors to dry up the supply (as has already happened for some pieces). For example, the Matte finish coins are rarely seen, and sell quickly if priced right (yes, I should have bought more of those, haha). Well, that is all I have to add, thank you for looking!

HalfDime

Here is the St. Gaudens collection, and some Morgan dollars.