What drew you to your specialty?

OKbustchaser

I was thinking yesterday while reading about a new bust half collector. Why do you collect the particular series or denomination you do. In other words, if you specialize, why?

Bust halves present collecting challenges on several levels. First, there is the search for that one coin that matches up with the rest of your type collection. Even this can take a while if you really want just the right coin.

Next, collectors seem to get the "Gotta have a year set" bug. Just talking about the capped series there are still a couple of tough dates to find nice such as 1807 and 1808...of course, 1815 and 1820 are simply hard to find at an affordable price at all.

By this time, the bust collector is pretty well hooked...Now he needs the rest of the "Red Book" varieties, such as the overdates, 1813 50 C/UNI, the different varieties of 3 from 1823, etc.

After a while working on his "Red Book" collection he will decide to try die marriages. Forget about him, now he is a real goner.

Jim

braddick

Bottom line, for me: Can't afford a bust dollar in MS70 so I thought of the opposite end of the scale.

100proof1957

My Birth year set got me started again !

Little did i know how spendy high grade 1957 Cam Proofs are !

coincollector1989

I specialize in the Kennedy half dollar. Why you ask? Because all of the varieties out there for this series will provide me with countless years of enjoyment while I search for the best ones. My current goal is to obtain one example of every variety that is listed in James Wiles The Kennedy Half Dollar Book

AuldFartte

My US Type Set got me to look harder at early coppers - US Half Cents and Large Cents. I started date sets of each because they fascinated me. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the Half Cents, and am still enjoying them, but I have started to lose interest in the Large Cents and may end up selling them later. The high prices for good early copper, especially Large Cents is the major reason for my lack of interest now. I'll probably keep the Half Cents, though.

mgoodm3

i bought a proof indian cent for my type set and decided that proof copper is pretty dang cool.

ziggy29

Well, for 30 years my "specialty" was XF/AU Flyers, Indians and early Lincolns, more specifically from 1857-1933. As that series nears completion (other than a couple of very cheap Lincolns and the 1909-S Indian, all I have left are a handful of desired upgrades), I wanted to shift focus somewhere else. The problem is, there is so much I want to collect, and so (relatively) little time and money, so I decided to place emphasis on collecting type. I wanted very nice stuff but I'm not in the financial position to buy many coins in very high grades. So I decided I'd go after the so-called "AU-62" pieces for the most part, since I think a lot of the MS-60/61 coins look like low eye-appeal crud (with a few exceptions, but not many). And given what I've had to pay for a lot of it, "62" is about right.

Russ

A very powerful childhood memory.

Russ, NCNE

Murphy

Cent collector here - strictly economics. I can't afford to collect gold and silver, although I do have examples of each, but do not actually "collect" them like I do cents. Not a dealer, I prefer collecting BU cents. They are perdy and offer a SCALE of quality, rarity, variety, value, versatility and satisfaction that is hard to get with some of the other denominations. I can teach my grandchildren about cents, show them how to get coins and what to look for. So, when they grow to adulthood and if they can afford the better coins, then I'll have started them off with a hobby that grows in variety as they grow in knowledge about each denomination.

My uncle got my dad interested in collecting and they would gets approx $2,000 worth of coins at the bank and we'd look through them on Saturdays sometimes. I looked through the pennies. Don't remember what I was looking for but I remember that it was fun. I must have found something! Anyway, I'm still doing it only for myself now and it's still fun.

FrattLaw

Wanted to do something no one else was doing and to be challenged by it.

Michael

aem4162

the morgan i got from grandma knocked my socks off and they're affordable

MrEureka

Great question!

32 years ago, at age 12, I read an article on patterns in CoinAge magazine. The coins pictured seemed like unbelievable museum pieces: great historical things that should be out of reach of normal people. They made all the other coins I had collected seem mundane and worthless by comparison. Yet patterns were reportedly available and affordable. I got a Judd book for my birthday and within a year bought my first pattern, one of three known 1885 nickels in aluminum. Cost me $450 or so, as I recall. I've probably bought and sold another 2000 patterns since then.

FatMan

Dahlonega Gold - 1. History - a great story of the rise and fall of Southern Appalachia, the discovery of gold in 1828, the wild-wild east (frontier living), the Trail of Tears, Jacksonian Era politics, the War of Northern Aggression. 2. Geography - Dahlonega sits in my backyard in Northern Georgia. Much of the surounding area remains the wilderness it was 160 years ago and will not ever be developed as it is now the part of the Chattahoochee National Forest. I have hiked the nearby mountains where the gold was mines, canoed the nearby rivers where the gold was panned, and have spent countless nights sleeping in the nearby woods hoping to turn over a rock and find a nugget just as Benjamin Parks did in 1828.

Early Commems - 1. History - each is a story of its own. A great primer to American and State History. 2- Variety, 50 types within the series. 3. Affordability - unlike D Mint Gold above, these are very affordable even in gem grades.

jdimmick

My main focus is Key date collecting in various series. When I was younger, I could not afford to fill those slots in my album, they were just too expensive. In fact I would work all summer long just to save enough money too buy a few semi-keys at the local fall show.

jim

Cratylus

Reading about the challenge of collecting midgrade Barber Halves from Randy Holder is what got me hooked.

shylock

Mixed in with some early Lincoln cents that were passed on to me as a child, two Indian cents had a magical look to them. When I purchased a 67RD jewel-like example 5 years ago that magical feeling came back in waves. Seeing one of these in the same condition as it looked to people who lived over 100 years ago, combined with my childhood memories, swept me away...

airplanenut

I got started with collecting because of the history--type coins really fit that love (I can collect anything as a type collector ). I also love toned coins just because the colors are beautiful to me

Jeremy

kieferscoins

Everyone made fun of it aand there was so much to research and new types to find. Thats still true today and there are many bargains to cherrypick out there.

Cameron Kiefer

ARCO

This site and in particular this photo. I am serious here, five years of coin addiction can be traced to this very picture. (in my Charleton Heston voice) DAMMMMNNNNN Dirty coins!

1897-O From Randy Holder's web site

Tyler

OKbustchaser

Sounds like Randy is responsible for a lot of collections...I'll have to remember that next time I buy a bustie from one of his e-Bay auctions.

Jim

billboat

I've always been a history buff--collecting coins fits right in. Bust halves (War of 1812, the Alamo, Andrew Jackson, 1822 when US Grant was born) , older types like my 1798 cent (John Adams as President, the Alien and Sedition Act). seated liberty halves (Mexican American War, Civil War), Morgan Dollars. etc. I like to hold and examine a coin and think about what happened the year it was minted. And that's without my mentioning the dark side of my collection.

RGL

After I completed my high-grade set of circulated Buffs, I wanted to stay with five-cent pieces. Jefferson proofs struck me as an area that was underrated, unappreciated and reasonable in terms of price. It also is a challenge because higher-grade DCAMs from the 1960s and CAMs from the 1950s are very difficult to locate problem free. The 1938-42 proofs also are scarce in PR-67, but a careful eye can bring you PR-66s for relative bargains. Cherrying raw coins is still very possible in this series and some great scores have provided a lot of bang for the buck and a built-in profit should I ever sell. I also have developed a sub specialty, an extension of Jeffs, in SMS coins. True DCAM coins are very difficult to find as the pops will attest. In searching through countless raw coins and eBay acquisitions, I have pieced together a MS-68 CAM 1966 Roosie and the 1967 JFK and Jeff, both in MS-66 DCAM. I now also have in a 1967 SMS Washington for which I have high DCAM hopes. Both series of coins poise great challenges and beautiful collections ...

ChuckC

I'm a MERCURY DIME person...I'm attracted to the sheer beauty of mercs; all that detail in a small package. It's also a relatively affordable and obtainable series.

ldhair

Over 30 years back I found a clashed die FE. I could pick them up for the price of a common coin.
Thought it strange the clash didn't match the other side of the coin. This got me hooked.

They were fairly easy to find till the news hit they were clashed with a different coin.
At some point the story of the Midnight Minter came out and it all changed.
Prices went thru the roof and few could be found.

Some of you guys here seem to beat me to the few on ebay that the seller don't have a clue what he has.
The 1857 S-7 is big bucks today. There is one on ebay right now from one of our members.
I'll post a link when I find it. So few of these sell it's fun to see what they go for.
Watch this coin. You won't believe what it brings.

merz2

I specialize in Lincolns because of where I live.I live in, and have lived most of my life near Gettysburg PA.The history here is what drew me to the Lincoln Cent.The words of the Gettysburg Address were an inspiring thing for me.

cladking

I collect clad quarters because I wanted to collect at least one US coin series in
the highest possible grade and there wasn't anything else that was both affordable
and lacked any real competition at the time.

lathmach

I started collecting the Seated Quarters because they were rare and cheap.
Yes cheap.
For the low mintages and small numbers still left, this one series is still too cheap.

Ray

pontiacinf

I gravitated from statehood proofs (although I still maintain a full pr69dcam set) to jeffersons....

the person who unknowingly caused this change was Frank Corso. I picked up one of his variety upgrade disguards (71 no s in 68cam) and I just rode it from there. I will never reach the platau Frank, Mark, Just having and others have, but believe me, Im no sloucher, I have plenty of pop top variety and high grade books along with a killer capitol plastic display from marty (38-89) with extreme high grade examples, and I keep adding to the pile. heck I don't even know all I have here...I just keep adding.

I am currently adding & looking at a 42 d/hor d which is an anacs ms62 holder, if deemed worthy of a cross Ill have 2, which I already have one in PCGS AU55.

I love them Jeffs, and really enjoy watching Mark, Frank and JHF reaching and striving for new heights...heck thats what its all about!

edited to add:

I really enjoy watching what bruce (tradedollarnut) puts together also...way outta my arena but soooo sooo wild, I was very pleased to see his seated collection at ANA..THANKS BRUCE!

Betta285

Well, I knew for along time that I wanted to focus on Morgans, so i began buying a lot of books and such on the series. I read a lot and began buying some nice examples. I was really getting into it. Then, I saw Baley's Type Set Post, and my Morgans just flew out the window. I loved the diversity of a type set and how it gives you an example of just about everything. For about 6 months now i've been working on my type set (Dansco 7070) and have 14 holes left to fill out of 76. I've been buying Morgans here and there if one happens to catch my eye but my type set is gettin more of my attention/money. Once my type set is done, I want to move into Seated coinage, as i upgrade my type set.

jim

DesertRat

I specialize in Lincolns because of where I live.I live in, and have lived most of my life near Gettysburg PA.The history here is what drew me to the Lincoln Cent.The words of the Gettysburg Address were an inspiring thing for me

Being a Civil War buff (strategy wise, not coins) Gettysburg was a must see. The impact of that battlefield is very difficult to explain in words and left me with so many more questions regarding the terms "Duty, Honor, Country." I have always been fascinated by the actions of soldiers on the battlefield and what makes a young man (men) stand up and charge into certain death such as at Pickets charge. A very sobering place and definitely a place of "hallowed ground."

In keeping with the thread, I have not decided yet which direction I want to go in coins. I will admit thought that I am leaning more towards Lincoln Cents simply due to the sheer number of different varieties out there (thanks Coppercoins). Aside from that I would also like to put together a complete grading set of Morgans.

keoj

Not to be too misty eyed, but my Grandfather gave me a couple of coins...one was a Trade Dollar. I had never heard of such a coin and the more that I looked, I was frustrated by the lack of good info. Since then I have tried to collect this arcane series (replete with Types and DD's and nuances) because it was and still is quite a value for the money (with regards to rarity). I have also tried to increase the numismatic knowledge base of this series by writing when and what I could in the Gobrecht Journal.

keoj

SDCollector

I drift in and out of VAM's. Like many here, Baley's type set got me hooked on type collecting, so I spend most of my funds on filling in the Dansco holes with nice examples. When I need to slow down on my type spending (like right now!), I attribute my Morgans, buy a few inexpensive examples, and study the Van Allen book.

If your looking for a way to specialize on a tight budget, VAM's are a great way to go.

Catch22

I was walking out of Sears a few years back and found an 1878-S Seated Half on the sidewalk...been hooked ever since.

seanq

I had just sold a complete and carefully matched set of circ Barber Dimes, and wanted to start another date set but combine it with my love of error and variety coins. My first instinct was off-center Lincolns by date, but I knew the early coins would be prohibitively expensive. Then I decided to do clips instead, which can be just as rare but not nearly as expensive as off-centers. Seven years and 220 coins later, I'm still working on the set, along with a clipped type set.


Sean Reynolds

ccex

I had done nothing with my coin collection in over 11 years when I rediscovered it abot five years ago. T that time I saw a full album of eaw uncirculated Franklin halves and a bunch of raw Morgan dollars that I bought in the '80s when everything I read said they would be good investments. (Hah!)

I looked through a bunch of Whitman folders I had never completed and thought that the Barber Dime series was one that got little respect, yet was full of challenges in the better circulated grades. I figured that this is a series that would never be the subject of widespread poromotion by speculators. More importantly, it was a set that I completed in another two years without straining my budget. I now have two complete sets, with #1 in VF or better (except for 1895-O and 1896-S in Fine).

Also, Randy Holder is largely responsible for my #2 specialty, midgrade Barber Halves. I will visit him at the end of this month.

Oldnewbie

I don't have a specialty yet. I been bouncing around like a pinball ever since I got back into this thing. So far I've narrowed it down to Connecticut coppers with painted die varieties and early proof stuff, but I'll still buy anything pertaining to my home town of Carson City.

Kinda goofy, huh?

Jody526

I began collecting Jefferson nickels, from circulation, in the mid-60's, mostly because it was all I could afford to collect, since I didn't like the Lincoln cent design.

I can afford to collect a little differently now, but so far I haven't found anything I like better.

oldcameoproofsguy

My real specialty is proof Barber quarters. I wanted to collect something and become knowledgeable in a series that few people collected. I had a Registry set going for a while and had it about 70% complete before I sold it. I have since looked at and studied hundreds of examples of Barber quarters. It has been a real passion.

It is so funny that OKbustchaser should mention the guy that wants to collect a year set of Bust halfs. I fall into that category! I will not collect Overton varieties... I will not collect Overton varieties... I will not collect Overton varieties.

What great coins! Most dates are very affordable. The design on the cap Bust coins I feel is one of the most elegant in US coinage, and finding nice original coins with that certain look is a challenge.

I just started the Bust halfs and boy do I have a lot to learn. Someday, I hope that I can call myself a specialist... Right now, I don't think so.

sliderider

100proof1957,



Think it'll cross??

coppercoins

Lincoln cent die varieties because they are inexpensive and very challenging. It can easily take an entire lifetime to assemble a full collection, now known to be over two thousand pieces, even though the individual pieces are for the better part considered extremely cheap. Over 75% of the collection can be had for under $5 a coin if a person knows where and how to look for them.

Hoot

As a kid, I collected circulated type and loved it. I could afford it, and (since I was a kid) I didn't care too much about grade, rather I considered cost and the overarching consideration of acquiring as many types as I could.

But as an adult I collected primarily Mint products for a long time. This form of collecting was affordable and sustained my collection bug through college and graduate school.

But once I go t a real job (after 13 years of college education! ), I begain to focus on series - first Lincoln cents, red and RB uncirculated and raw. Some day I wish to finish this 2/3 complete album collection. They need not be anything but choice, problem-free. What was (is) the motivation? Spending hours and hours searching bags with my dad as a kid. I had a blast.

Next came a rising passion for buffalo nickels. That remains my basis in coin collecting. They are full of history, intricate, beautiful, replete with varieties, and a series of rather rigorous demand when it comes to understanding the intricacies of production on a year-by-year and Mint-by-Mint basis. The series has three proof types and three design types. Just a blast. This series gave me focus in numismatics.

Jefferson nickels followed buffalo nickels. I stick with the series because the longer I collect them, the more I realize their great diversity. I also love the history of the series, from the depiction of TJ and Monticello, to the designer (Felix Schlag) to the history of the 5 cent nickel series that it's the longest member of. A fascinating and still undervalued series. Eminently collectable.

Numismatic literature is another area of great interest, although not the collection of books, etc. I just can't get enough. I also like to write and have a dozen or so articles that have been published in the last couple of years in Coin World and Coin Values. This has helped me learn more about collecting and greatly increases my appreciation for my specialty areas and numismatics in general.

Must resist: Large Cents.

Next on the horizon: back to Type.

Hoot

Gemini

I like collecting Civil War Tokens they were struck in just about every common metal and their many designs and themes and crude manufacture are fascinating.

GOLDSAINT

Having starting collecting coins some 50 years ago, at the age of 8, I think I have finally settled into my passion, Bust Halves. Like many of you I became an addict at an early age, and in that 50 years, have collected nearly every denomination from all over the planet. Also like many of you I finished many sets and became bored looking at books where all the coins looked the same. I took long breaks from collecting, the last was over 20 years, and have just been back in the market for 12 months. The only real smart thing I did in all those years was not to sell. When I got bored I just packed everything away until my addiction re-surfaced. For me personally collecting Bust halves are a constant treasure hunt, and the challenge of working on a set that can never be finished. I have already lived long enough to figure out that all coins as well as everything else on the planet belongs to God, and if he wants you to be the caretaker for a few years he will send the money for the purchases. Collecting Bust halve dollars takes a very certain personality type. You must first start with the assumption that you will never own a complete Overton set, as many coins are as rare as any varieties. You cannot like high-grade sets, since many of the coins in this set are known to have only XF-AU coins as top pops. This collection area is one that no matter how much money you have you are never going to build a gem set. It is also one the persistent treasure hunter can win against the Mega millionaire, as there are potentials of discovery coins that are currently unlisted.