Is a type set supposed to be all the same grade?

GottaGetCoins

What are the "rules"?

merz2

I think most people try to get a matched set.IMHO I would.

GottaGetCoins

WOW! Thats gonna make by US Gold Type set real tough to acquire. I didnt realize that...OUCH!

prooflike

If you do a complete type set, those bust half dollars in MS69 are going to be tough -or- those Sac dollars in AU50 will cost a lot just for the plastic.

No there is no set rule they have to be, or even close to being, the same grade.

bearcave

Lotsa $$$$$$$$$$'s!

foodude

In general, from an appearance stand point it is nice to get the coins to look similar. So an XF and MS65 may not look as nice togehter as an MS64 and MS65 or an XF40 and AU50.

Since it is your set to enjoy, in the end you make your own rules so that you are happy with what you put together.

Baley

there are no absolute "rules"

most people are guided by "buy the best you can reasonably afford"

which, as others have pointed out, varies by the date, usually the oldest coins are lower to mid-circulated grades, and modern coins are gem proof, with the remaining coins somewhere in the middle:

relayer

Don't worry about matching grade.

Type collecting can really be done any way you want. The best part is you don't have to get the keys of a series (but some type collectors just do keys).

Buy the highest grade you can afford for that type, which usually is the most common date.

flaminio

<< <i>What are the "rules"? >>



Of course, there are no real "rules" per se -- just whatever seems appropriate to you. The best you can do is see what others are doing and synthesize your own guidelines from there.

So, here's how I'm doing my "type set":

1) Modern coinage (Dead presidents) -- MS66
2) The rest of the 20th century (Barber forward) -- MS64
3) Most of the 19th century -- AU58
4) 18th century into early 19th century -- VF30

This should provide a pleasing set without being too budget busting (exceptions abound, of course).

Here's another way to do it: pick a dollar value per coin (within reason). Say, $200 per coin. This becomes your average buy price per coin. Invariably it will mean that you get very high end specimens for moderns and very low end specimens for old stuff -- but it will make for a "consistent" collection.

Ultimately, do what pleases you most, and what makes most sense to you.

lordmarcovan

What the last two said, and what prooflike said.

Baley is showing off again. Not that I blame him. There is solid proof that eye candy does not have to be in a slab to be appealing.
A nicely matched set. But I'll warrant they ain't all the same grade. What would you say the numerical point spread is between your highest and your lowest, Baley?

Why not start small, with the little 8-piece 20th century Major Design gold type set? I completed that set in all MS63. If I had branched out to the bigger sets, I am sure I would have had to set a lower minimum grade goal on the older coins.

What I did when I completed a combined 19th and 20th century (nongold) slabbed type set on my own, before the Registry, was set goals like this:

Pre-1820 coins: Fine or Better.
I would have gone for VF or EF but I was on a much smaller budget, then ($500 per coin or less) and that Draped Bust silver was the toughest stuff in the whole set. In fact, I ended up settling for a G6 on the Draped half dime and a VG on the Bust dollar.

Pre-1900 coins: VF or Better.
Preferably EF-MS. Mostly ended up with AU- the average numerical grade of the entire set, when finished, was 53-something. In other words, AU. This included the lower graded early stuff and the supergraded modern stuff.

Post-1900 coins:
MS/PR62 and up. I think I kept it all above MS/PR63, and mostly MS/PR65 or over.

So you see, if you are covering two centuries of coinage, as I did, you will have an obstacle in exactly matching all the grades, because not only are the coins from different eras, but they were manufactured differently as well. Best to break it down into subcategories of some sort.

Make up your own categories and set your own goals and parameters, as long as they make sense of some sort.

That's just one of the many joys of type collecting. Freedom, and variety.

PS- that "buy the best you can afford" advice is sound. Once you know your budget, you can go from there with the goals and parameters you set for your collection.

airplanenut

I go for originality--as long as I like every coin I have, I don't care about the grade

Baley

What would you say the numerical point spread is between your highest and your lowest, Baley?

around 30.

GottaGetCoins

Im getting a lot of great advice...things I would've never thought of...its really appreciated!!!!

1234567890

Rules? Damn... then I wasted 8 years...

For me it was grab what you can afford now, finsh the Type Set, then upgrade as you find better examples of each coin...

I'm almost done with the Type Set and I'm working on upgrading...

hookedoncoins

With my set, I try to buy what I can afford. So far, everything ranges from AU55 - MS69, but I will probably have to accept more circulated coins as I delve further back.

P.S. - Baley... nice w/ rays shield nickel

Robgetty

The rules are to collect whatever makes you happy.
I go from Poor-01 (Chain Cent) to moderns in MS69. I try to
buy as nice as I can afford, but don't worry if a draped bust
quarter slides down to good since I would rather have a low
grade example than no example.

XpipedreamR

Cool set, Baley.



Showoff!

1234567890

I can't wait until I'm able to take pics of my type set and show off... it's not as nice as baley's but I've got a few that could have a goo at Baley's.

Baley

Baley... nice w/ rays shield nickel ~ hookedoncoins

heh, the old one was out for upgrade when the pics were taken, here's what went in that hole:





1234567890 is right about the upgrades... it never ends!

1234567890

What do you want for that? A Kidney? An Arm?

PutTogether

I vehemently disagree that they should all be the same grade. I even disagree that a "matched' set looks best. Look at Baley's. The drastic differences between gray toned silver and bright shiny new nickel please the eye. It makes the whole page sparkly and faceted. Its far more interesting than the same grade, same luster. In my type set, I've made efforts to sometimes have two coins next to each other be different looking (though sometimes same grade) ie. toned vs white, and efforts to have two look the same. It makes a pattern of organized chaos, and its pretty as hell. It's kind of like a macroism of toning on a coin, all over the place, but as a whole, very attractive.

PS Baley, I hear you are looking for a Lib Cap cent in AG or G and might consider trading a 20center. If this is true, PM me.

Coppernicus

Whenever I build a set, I'm looking for coins that "match" in terms of eye appeal, rather than grade. If a nice AU looks as good to the eye as an MS64, it's in! An MS63 with less eye appeal isn't as well suited, IMHO.

MIke

SDCollector

Here's my type set so far (I'll look for any excuse to post it ) I just go for the highest grade I can afford. And I try and place grades that look attractive next to each other. I like the variety of different grades, unlike my Morgan date set that has similar grades.