Would a 100% BROWN Lincoln set be a cool idea?

MastaHanky

My current Lincoln set has me feeling unfulfilled. Sure, I'm over half done, but nothing in it really sets it apart from the other sets out there. It's "just another" Lincoln set. I was laying in bed this morning thinking about it, when I had the idea to start a 100% brown set. What do you guys think? Lincolns with a smooth chocolate brown tone on them are very attractive, it'll be much easier to complete (not to mention cheaper!), and it'd stick out among all the other sets out there.

clackamas

If you like BN coins its not a bad deal. You can get the really tough dates in high grade MS for cheap. I actually don't think you could do the entire set in MS BN. There are some years that have no MS coins graded in BN.

DAM

Personally, I appreciate the color brown you describe. Gives the coin a "lived" look. Also, you don't have to worry if it's going to change color on you. In some cases, with large cents for example, I prefer light brown to red brown. Sometimes red brown can be butt ugly. Not to mention the price difference. There are many in BN holders that have a hint of red to them, too.

The question then becomes, as clackamas pointed out, can you find the ones you want in brown? If money is a factor, buy RB for dates you can't find in BN.

braddick

I thought the same thing about a year or so ago and then quickly realized there are very few, if any, true BROWN Lincolns that are GEM from the 50's; 60's; 70's; 80's, and 90's. R/B, sure (scarce, but they're out there), but Browns? No.

Steve27

I prefer brown Lincolns, red ones just don't look natural to me. But I have to agree with Braddick, for the later years you will be lucky to find red/brown examples. However, it would be nice to see a set which gradually changes from brown to red/brown to red as the years progress.

mdwoods

I had a set of Unc. Lincolns in ANACS slabs from 1909 thru 1935, all in BN or RB. If if couldn't find a BN coin I bought an RB. After 1935 it becomes tougher to find them slabbed in BN or RB simply because they are not worth the money to slab them. You could find a lot of the later years raw and slab them yourself. The set still wasn't really cheap to put together. The 09SVDB and the 14D are still expensive in BN. Some other key dates can run over 200 bucks a coin. Still it is a lot cheaper than a set in RD. mdwoods

TimListon

I too have a set of ANACS Lincolns, in my case 1909-1929, all in 64RB or 65RB. What I like about RB is that they still have a lot of luster, and cost way less than RD. From 1930 to about 1993, when I stopped, they’re all 65RD or 66RD. It's impractical to get RB or BN examples of the later date stuff. I bought most of the set raw and made them myself. Some of the rare dates I bought already slabbed. It’s an enjoyable and affordable set.

mrpaseo

Yes.

TomB

I don't own much certified copper, however, absolutely zero pieces that I own are certified as RD. They are all RB or BN. Of course, I really like toning so the coins I own are all sorts of colors, not really red or brown.

Higashiyama

It is an extremely interesting idea!

As a type collector, I actually like red Lincolns and find the variety in color interesting -- from naturally very pale orange, to truly red -- but have recently started putting together some interesting RB shades, and do plan to add the spectrum of browns.

python1

I think its a great idea, just like fairlaneman putting a set of really toned mercury dimes together, it does stand out in the crowd for sure.