Have you ever seen a collection of only KEY date coins?

SethChandler

1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent
1885 V nickel
1916 Standing Liberty Quarter....etc...........etc.


Cool collection....

ARCO

Have never seen one in person, but a member here collects mostly Key date coins. The ones I have seen are spectacular.

jdimmick

Seth,

It's funny that you ask that, In fact, thats all that I collect. I only collect the key-dates from various series. I usually try to get the toughest date, or so in the highest grade that I can afford/and or find. (all PCGS )

Mainly because It would be fiancially impossible for me to build a set of all the series that I would like to assemble, especially in the grade that I would want. And I have never been able to pick a set or two and just collect them, as I like too many different types. Also, when I was a younger, I could never afford to get those darn key-dates to finish that Indian, Lincoln, buffalo collection, etc.

I enjoy this method of collecting, and have for quite some time.

I limit my key-date collecting to cents thru dollars, (No gold, No errors) to cut down on cost. Most of my keys currently are from late 1880's except 1877 1c, and 56 FE, 72 2center. I still have quite a few that I would like to get in the 1900's, and also several upgrades I want as they come available. As time goes on and hopefully with improved finances, I would like to drop back and pick up some of the seated keys like the 74 cc dime and 71 cc quarter, etc, but that will a long while ahead?? there are still two many upgrades that will take a few bucks, if and when they come available(ex:1901-s Barber Quarter VF-)

jim dimmick

topstuf

I've been............... t o l d ...........that the late Oakland, Calif dealer Leo Young had a type set like that.

looooooooooooooong ago.

Never saw it.

topstuf

Jim, that makes so much sense that it hurts. When I had the shop, people were AMAZED that I could tell them over the phone which coins were NOT in their sets.

A set of coins missing the keys is a yawner. The keys ALONE will get red carpet treatment anytime anywhere.

BillJones

A collector named Leland Rogers did that sort of thing in the 1960s. He was type collector and instead of getting the most common coin for a type, he looked for the toughest coins in high grade.

I owned one of his pieces at one time. It was an 1806 half cent, small 6 with stems. It had been Mint State at one time or very close to it. For whatever reason some idiot had cleaned it (probably to make it red) and someone else had skillfully retoned it.

It was still an important coin because it was the discovery specimen of the variety and there were auction records on it that dated back to the 1880s. I sold it to an advanced half cent collector who knew its history and problems for a few thousand dollars (An untampered piece would have been worth $10,000 or so). He has since passed it on to someone else.

tradedollarnut

Spectrum displayed a put together type set at Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas that was composed primarily of high grade key date coins.

Unfortunately, it's no longer there [tho I do own a few of the coins that were on display!]

SethChandler

TDN,

How many, and which coins were in the display?

tradedollarnut

I'd guess around 50 coins or so. The King of Siam proof set was there, and many others [including a few cool coins I now own: the Hawaii 5-O 1913 Liberty nickel, the Eliasberg 1884 trade dollar, the Norweb 1838-O half and the Eliasberg 1836 name under base Gobrecht].

SethChandler

Its hard to top that set!

goose3

exactly the way I collect too!!!!!

for an example on my cents here are some highlights

1793 chain
1793 wreath
1856 FE
1877 indian
1909svdb
1909s
1914d
1917/1917
1922 P
1931s
1955/1955
1972/1972
1983/1983
1984/1984

It's a great way to collect and less worry on losing lots of money.

Catch22

I collect key dates as well. Just never found much enjoyment in owning common date coins.

Over the years, I've moved from collecting series to collecting rare issues. I now have far fewer coins, but enjoy and appreciate them more. Eventually, I would like to own about 15 or 20 coins only.

MacCoin

some of these type guys collect just keys.