What's the longest you have ever taken building a set of coins?

MrEureka

What's the longest you have ever taken building a set of coins? Did you complete it? If so, what was the last coin you bought to complete the set?

The rules:

1. Only one series! I don't care if you spent 60 years trying to build a complete set of US coins.

2. The set CAN be a work in progress.

3. If you gave up on the set, the time spent AFTER you gave up doesn't count. (For example, if you spent three years building a set of Liberty Nickels missing only the 1913, the next 30 years doesn't count. Unless, of course, you've been trying to buy one all along!)

jom

Don't know yet.

I started my Indian Eagle set in 1995. That's the longest running so far. I had a $5 Indian set going some years ago but had to sell due to buying new house but I kept the Eagles. Now I'm back doing the $5's again! ARGH! Doing $2.5's too (yes, that's right, I am an idiot).

jom

Fairlaneman

Late 1997 to present on my Merc Set. Spent about the same amount of time in the 80's building another Merc Set that was sold. No others have been started except a half hearted start with Type coins that was abandoned.

Ken

Lakesammman

IHC's and FE cents, 1995 to present.

Never in a million years thought it would take this long. Could have completed it many times over had I bought the plastic and not the coin.

StillLurking

Circulated Lincoln Cents 1909 to date - 40 years of checking change and saving toward the purchase of the key dates. All but 10 coins came in change received from the early 60's to now. The final coin needed to complete the set was the 1931S, purchased last year.

tjkillian

Indian Cents: 1971 to Present. I have been doing some upgrading, but still do not have a 1877.

Tom

MrEureka

I tried collecting silver 1877 pattern half dollars from 1981-89, but only got to 50%.

Currently collecting (for the past 10 years) Central American Republic gold, all denominations, but I'm only at 5% so far!

relayer

I'll let you know after I'm dead

roadrunner

Never done a set unless you count book 2 of whitman on circ lincoln cents 35 years ago. Not any type of conventional set since.....just too many dead wood coins in most sets.

Actually I tried once to make some gem SILVER YEAR sets of 1858-0 and 1867-s, the 2 most underrated dates I knew and somewhat affordable. Kam Ahwash came up with this idea in the
late 1970's. I got the 1858-0 "complete" but I didn't like the half dime nor the half, neither were gem. And until slabs came along I never ran across a gem of either, and they were the easiest on paper. I still own the 1858-0 dime but the quarter went in 1990. I never did complete the set in gem condition. I tried though from
1982-1990 on the 58-0 and finally packed it in.

With the 1867-s set I couldn't find the half dollar until Eliasberg came along in 1997 and by that time I lost interest as a number of 67-s half dimes and dimes had shown up in the previous 10 years. Ok....at least a few of each. My real goal was to find the finest known of each but that seemed impossible to be able to time it just right as you had to get THE right coin at the right price. I never saw an 1867-s dime that I truly liked as gem.

roadrunner

rainbowroosie

1987 to present on my Roosevelt set. Last coin was a 1954-D PCGS 67 with PL surfaces. Looks just like a 54 proof coin. Will continue to improve it forever.............Hopefully, I'll live longer than Nick Cascio!!!!

Mrpawn

Got my first Morgan when I was 10 (32 years ago). Been some ups and downs since then but still have yet to complete that business strike set (did not even try in proofs).

longtimecollector

I started Lib Nicks in XF or better my sophomore year in high school........... Its now 28 years later, and Ive managed to get em all but the 12-s....... Not a matter of money, but finding coins that "match" is the hard part for me....... There's lotsa uncs out there....... and lotsa almost fines....... but still havent found "the one".........

KlectorKid

Type sets so far 7 months and not even 1/10th done. Oo and a Indian $10 set of which I have one coin for. I like to throw that one in. It will be many years before I get 1/4 done.

Conder101

Started my draped bust large cent variety set in 1985. The last time I added a piece to it was back in 2000 but I hope to maybe be ableto add another at EAC next month. (I have 182 of the 187 Sheldon numbered varieties. The cheapest of the five I still need is four figures in Fr-2 and then they start getting really expensive.)

dorkkarl

been working on my stella set since 1972. just have 4 coins to go.

i doubt it'll be done any time soon . . . .

K S

BillJones

I started my early half dime (1792 to 1805) set by Red Book variety in 1973. The only piece that is left is the 1802, which it probably beyond my budget. Even truly gross 1802 half dimes now sell for five figures.

My last acquistion was an upgrade of my 1795 to PCGS AU-58, which was in August of 2000. I really love the set and some of the coins in it are my favorite pieces in my collection.

I'd love to upgrade my 1796 half dimes, but given the current market, that's going to be very hard.

Here's another of my favorites. This 1803 half dime is the plate coin #2980 in Walter Breen's Encyclopedia.

Chaparral

I began a 20th Century Type Set in '65+/-, moved to a Whitman Type book in '67, and moved to the Dansco book in '74. I finished the Dansco book in'01. I then expanded the set to add another 30+/- types/varieties. I continue to work on this, as well as upgrade the others. Should I find the end of this set, I'll probably rationalize some more varities. I'm just a type guy at heart.