Pick one cheap lifelong numismatic project...

MrEureka

Let's say you can only build one collection for the rest of your life. Let's say you'll never have more than $1000 a year to spend. What would you collect and why?

I'll go first and, to be fair, I'll pick a Lightside project. I'd go for Fugio Cents by die variety.

While we're on the subject, if you're not already collecting your selected series, why not?

coinbuf

Bust halves, I love these coins for the look and history. Not currently looking for these as I've started too many other sets.

Chris

D

MS early commem set, toned.

-Daniel

RYK

Circulated Barber dimes.

While we're on the subject, if you're not already collecting your selected series, why not?

Because I am focusing my attention and resources to the more expensive lifelong numismatic projects.

airplanenut

US type... and I am collecting it

Longacre

Circulated seated dimes

nwcs

I'm not collecting by series. Just not interesting to me.

If I had to pick one kind of collection, it would be all major types of US coinage.

notlogical

Every coin minted (US & World) for your birthyear.

jdp2

Jefferson nickels. You can complete the series very cheaply.

carl

I've been collecting for over 50 years and just can't decide what I would do if only allowed to save one variety. I get interested in LIncolns for a while, then Merc dimes, then Jefferson nickels pending on the weather I guess. If I go to a coin show and there is an abundance of Washington quarters there, I suddenly get interested in them. Possibly, if really allowed to only go for one and limited to money it would be the Lincoln Cents because you can still get a bag of them from a bank in little towns somewhere and have fun going through them for rare or error ones.

coppercoins

Well, you know what mine is. Been doing it for 20 years now, and suspect I'm about 60% complete. It will take probably another 20-30 years to complete all 2,500-3,000 different die variety specimens in the Lincoln cent series.

coinvet

Pick one cheap lifelong numismatic project...

Surprised no one mentioned.... "finding an honest coin dealer"!

But seriously folks....how about collecting numismatic books? Can you get any cheaper than that?

boiler78

Complete set of French 1848 essai pieces.

mrearlygold

Bust _____


Tom

tradedollarnut

Chopmarked trade dollars.

JrGMan2004

Capped Bust Coins by Die Marriage... I've got a lot of years to go

Already doing the Half-Dimes

mrearlygold

Oh, inexpensive, sorry,


LOW grade bust _____ ( Hey I advertised them on Eureka trading the other day! )


Tom

kieferscoins

Sample slabs. They are cheap and some are very scarce.

Cameron Kiefer

RYK

Answer #2:

Auction catalogs--and I am collecting them.

mgoodm3

<< <i>Surprised no one mentioned.... "finding an honest coin dealer"! >>




That's not a cheap project.

MrEureka

That's not a cheap project.

Amen, brother!

MrEureka

Sample slabs. They are cheap and some are very scarce.

Cameron - I said "numismatic project".

kieferscoins

Sample slabs are numismatics at it's finest!

Cameron Kiefer

TheRock

Modern SBA's. Look hard enough and U can do this under a $1000.00. Almost there.

midwestcoin13

A Lincoln wheat collection from circulation!

F117ASR

Seated Dollars (or halves) or Trade dollars but I cannot afford them. So for now I will stick with Kennedys until I sell enough of them to but those other coins

TonedPeaceNut

Love tokens with mine and my wife's initials.


TPN

mrearlygold

<< <i>Love tokens with mine and my wife's initials.


TPN >>








That's cool!!!!


Tom

mirabela

Complete date/mint set of seated halves in damage-free AG3

Coinosaurus

Literature - runs of 19th century dealers. The reason I'm "not" doing it now is because you said I could only spend $1000 a year

ms70

Half dimes & silver three cents. I find it amazing to see the art on such small pieces.

Shamika

Honestly, I'd go with Civil War tokens. There are thousands of them and they're priced right. I could make $1,000 go a long way each year.

oreville

Finally spend the time to catalogue and separate the close to 40,000 OPA tokens I have accumulated for less than $300 over the last 20 years. Less than 1c each. An average cost of $15 per year.

ccex

I second RYK's first suggestion to collect circulated Barber Dimes. THe $1000/yr. budget could even buy a complete set in the first year, if you don;t demand full LIBERTY details. This has been my M.O. for 5 years.

My coin budget is now about $3,000 per year, and I have been doing the same with Barber Halves, eschewing the many cleaned or problem coins. I continue to upgrade my dime sets, but can't get serious about quarters because of that @&amp;$% 1901-S.

farthing

I think collecting encased coins could be fun. TTs or Good Fors would also make for a lifelong pursuit.

I'm too busy having fun with my One From Every Country/Monetary Reform collection and Conders to collect much of the above.

OnlyBuffalos

Make at least one new collecting friend every year.

ccr

Peace Dollars. Reason being is that I like the design and general sentiment of Peace and cautious optimism that things can and will improve for the better. Being a music junky I like Jazz of that time period ( ie 1920 - 1939 ). I like other types of major American music and that`s my favorite era of Jazz. Also brings back some memories of the stories of the 20`s that my grandmother talked about when she was a very young woman. So, it`s a deeply personal though not entirely numismatic reasons.

Darkhorse

I'm tiling my bathroom with chain cents.

Melmcbee

I'm not structured enough to have a certain series. I guess the closest would be that I am collecting U.S. coins. I can't make my mind up on a certain type. I like them all especially 19th century. I am just starting though.

LeeG

Early Silver Commemoratives in MS65. I am collecting them now.

ccr

<< <i>I'm tiling my bathroom with chain cents. >>



If you have some you don`t need, I`ll take them off your hands free of charge.

Darkhorse

Sorry but they're all locked in with grout. Some of them are getting some nice green toning too.

itsnotjustme

Not my cup of tea, but an idea would be one of every non-gold coin struck in you lifetime, proof, SMS, and mint state.

jcping

Mid-grade Grand-daddy type set without gold. For $1000 a year, it is achieve-able as long as coppers are in low grade.

clackamas

Circ Jeffersons, you can get most dates in change and the harder dates are not expensive even in MS. Plus the series is still going and changing.

FullStepJeffs

wait... I'm already there... Jefferson Nickels... even though these days, I can no longer afford the upgrades cause they mostly cost more than your $1000.

Steve

ychange

a complete grading set for any series collected.

Baley

you'll never have more than $1000 a year to spend...I'd go for Fugio Cents by die variety

and buy, what, one coin or maybe 2 per year? I need a lot more action than that.

I'd go capped bust halves by die variety in stone original VG to VF

MrEureka

<you'll never have more than $1000 a year to spend...I'd go for Fugio Cents by die variety>


and buy, what, one coin or maybe 2 per year? I need a lot more action than that.

I'd go capped bust halves by die variety in stone original VG to VF



Cherrypicking Fugios would allow me to buy more than a couple of coins a year. It would also be challenging and exciting.

I agree that Bust halves are a lot of fun and not that expensive, but 30-50K over a lifetime won't get you anywhere close to completion. Besides, there will always be more coins available than you can afford on the 1K budget. I'd find that frustrating.

Geoman

Large Cents with varieties. I started this around Christmas, and just bought a folder for them.