Collecting Options - need help

Rollerman

I'm working on a display for our local coin club show and have decided on "Collecting Options" as the subject. I will demonstrate several of the options with coins, but I also want to list as many other collecting options as I can to go with the display. Can you post an options I may have overlooked? I'm sure there are many.
Here's what I have so far (those followed by and * will probably be mentioned only):

Dansco 7070 Type set
Short sets (Mercury Dimes and War Nickles)
My Favorites (Capital Plastic holder with my personal favorites)
Full set (Buffalo Nickles)
Date sets (Birthyear)
Year set (one coin from each year of a set like in Morgans)
Toned Coins
Medals
Proof sets (with emphasis on the State Quarters)
Ancients*
Error coins*
Colonians*
Collecting by Mint* (Ex: All Morgan Dollars from New Orleans Mint)

Thanks in advance!
Pete

Bochiman

Take pictures and share...should be cool

One way of collecting is also first year/design change years.

So, Jeff nickels could have 1938 and then 2004, 2005, 2006.
Could do the whole thing for each denomination...kind of a subset for a typeset.
It's actually one of the ways I am doing our dansco 7070 but it can work with any denom

Rollerman

Bad form to answer your own post, I know, but it seems like everything goes through this forum awfully fast. I asked this question at 3PM (thereabouts) and by 10:30PM it's on page four which few get to before calling it quits. Guess the only way to really stay current is to read the forum every other hour or so....and that's not going to happen. Oh well....so it goes.
Pete

commoncents05

I think little subsets are neat, like 1936-42 Proofs, Matte Proof Lincolns and Buffs.

-Paul

RedTiger

Some folks like themed collections. Examples: Civil War themes, World War II coins, Olympic coins. Some folks collect topicals. This is very popular in stamps. Examples: coins with ships, or bears, or other animals.

Civil War tokens, Hard Times tokens, transit tokens, California gold, so-called dollars are other popular collecting areas. For these it is near impossible to aim for complete sets, so many collectors focus on a geographic theme or a subject theme, such as token from a certain city or state.

In the old days, some folks hoarded rolls and bought proof sets in quantity, so there are two more ways some folks collect.

Arizonadesertrat

Some other options are the following for US coins:
1. coinage illustrating the transition around 1857-1858, when foreign coins were demonetized in the US, the half cent ceased production, and the large cent ceased production in favor of the Flying Eagle cent (some interesting pattern cents too)
2. coins that the mint had problems striking fully (Standing Liberty quarters, Flying Eagle cents, Peace dollars, Walking Liberty half dollars, etc.)
3. coinage illustrating the transition to the use of steam-powered presses
4. coins having overmintmarks (there are about 12 of these as I recall, including the 1938 D/S Buffalo nickel and the 1900 O/CC Morgan dollar)
5. coins made in southern mints (Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans)
6. chopmarked coins (not just Trade dollars, also Seated Liberty coinage)
7. famous design, engraving, and polishing screw-ups on coins (e.g., 1802 large cent with 1/000 on reverse, 1817 15 stars large cent, 1883 no cents Liberty nickel, 1937D 3-legged Buffalo nickel, 1983 no-S proof Roosevelt dime, etc.)

Zoins

1) Patterns
2) "Private Patterns"
3) Confederate States of America
4) CCHDs
5) Coins made by US Manila Mint
6) Coins made by US Mint for other countries, e.g. France
7) American Eagles
8) Reverse Proofs
9) BiMetallic (LOC)
10) Modern Gold Commems

lonelyp

How about, building Circ, + Uncirc sets, Merc FSB. of Frankie FBL for example.

Steve27

You completely missed world coins.

Coxe

One notable and interesting one is also collecting a single die pairing by die state. The example I like to give (which is extremely challenging) is the 1811 wide date half cent, but there are many, many others that are actually collectible within normal means and within a lifetime.

In general, there are many ways to collect die varieties. Could be something as basic as die type pairings over a series, or overdates, or ....

Clashes and rotated dies are fun and challenging.

Errors, of course, are avidly collected by some people.

Collecting by the mints: one example from each mint....perhaps to extend a type set.

A complete set of dates/mints for a singleclassic commemorative. Booker T. Washington would be an example.

Type sets: 19th century minors, gold, seated, 20th century, large cents, ... many possibilities beyond the 7070.

dorkkarl

exonumia
holed coins

K S

AskRaq

Date sets (ie. birth year, etc.)

perfectstrike

Varieties!

David

RareBronzeCollector

Denominations that had more than one design in the same year..... ie: 1916 Barber and Mercury/Standing Liberty/Walking Liberty; 1909 Indian Head/Lincoln (w & w/o VDB); 1883 V nickel w & w/o cents; 1864 IHC CN, Bronze, with L on ribbon; etc, etc, etc....

ALSO:

Greyside and/or Darkside..... No pun intended, but there IS a WORLD to choose from......

Rollerman

<< <i>You completely missed world coins. >>



I thought I caught those when I said foreign? Thanks either way!
Pete

Rollerman

<< <i>You completely missed world coins. >>



Oops! I did completely miss them, I had it in my head, but forgot to type it (but thought I did). Thanks for the reminder!! Pete

Rampage

<< <i>

<< <i>You completely missed world coins. >>



Oops! I did completely miss them, I had it in my head, but forgot to type it (but thought I did). Thanks for the reminder!! Pete >>




Why only mention errors? If you choose to only mention those, then you should only choose to only mention toned coins.

Rollerman

Did anybody say "love Tokens"? That's an interesting area of collecting that I missed.

Thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated!!
Best wishes to all,
Pete

Rollerman

Why only mention errors? If you choose to only mention those, then you should only choose to only mention toned coins. >>




I'm limited as to the number of cases I can use for the display AND more importantly, I don't have enough error coins to make a decent display, where I do have enough tones ones.



I love them all, but I can't collect (display) everything. We have an avid error collector in the club and I understand he might do a display this year, so error coins might be well represented.

All the best,
Pete

Artist

Neat topic for a talk. It is interesting how our collections tend be informed by structures imposed from outside sources, be they Whitman Folders, Capitol Plastic Holders, or Registry Set Definitions.

If I were you, I would emphasize that part of the fun of collecting can be in determining what constitutes a set for yourself. Some creative sets I thought of that I am presently pursuing are:

Obscure Denominations of the Civil War Era:
$.02, $.03S, $.03N, H$.10, $1.00G

Type 1 / Type 2: (Issues where there is a significant change made to the design immediately after intorduction...)
IHC T1 & T2, 1909 Lincoln Cent VDB & no VDB, Shield $.05 Rays & No Rays, V-Nickel No Cents & Cents, Buffalo T1 & T2, SLQ T1 & T2, Indian $10.00 No Motto & Motto, Saint $20.00 No Motto & Motto

Lady Libery In Native Costume: (Artistically these are some of my favorite US coins...)
IHC, $1.00G T2 & T3, Princess $3.00, Indian $10.00

TheRegulator

I woud be sure to emphasize how coins can be collected, not just what can be collected. Instead of providing a laundry list of what is out there and can be collected, take one series and show how there are many different ways to collect within one series.

Take Large Cents, for example.

Date Set
-Within Dates....Early Dates/Middle Dates/Late Dates
-Within Early Dates....Chains/Wreaths/Liberty Caps/Draped Busts/Classic Heads
-Within Draped Busts...Varieties
-Within Varieties.... Collectibles/Non-Collectibles
-Within Collectible Varieties... One Variety with Die States
-Grade and Condition... High Grade/Low Grade Choice Examples
-Color.... Matching color/Color Variety
-Errors.... and so on...


The same approach could also be used on almost any series of coins. Take Lincoln Cents, an old standby...

-Date/Mintmark Set
-Wheats/Early Wheats/Old Hubs/Memorials
-Major Die Varieties/Minor Die Varieties/RPMs/DDOs/DDRs
-Errors
-Die States
-Color/Toning...


I also think an important aspect to collecting is sources for material. Whether it's bank rolls, coin shows, auction firms, or ebay- each offers different possibilites and affects and is affected by what you choose to collect.

Aegis3

There was an exhibit at the 2003 ANA (Baltimore) entitled "101 ways to collect coins" or some similar title.