Thinking about starting a new set, need some help

BigAl

Considering starting a set of 1909 cents, was hoping for some help w/ a complete listing of what I will need to accomplish this, ie) indians, lincolns, proofs, mintmarks, major varities, etc... Also, what grades i should shoot for, would very much like to keep it between $500 - $1k per coin.

I've been thinking about doing this for some time but since i currently have 4 other sets under construction and don't know squat about copper, i've never made a move. Is it preferable to collect a higher grade RB or a lower grade R?

Thanks in advance for you input.

CarlWohlforth

You can look at the weights, auction results and start adding things up. Maybe do a "what if" set, that would give you a rough idea of your ranking and cost.

I know I'm not much help but wanted to run with the opening and state that I personally would go for higher grades in RB rather than pure red coins. I just like 'em better! Of course a #1 set would have both higher grades and red but probably would spend more than your budget. There are a couple of pricey Cents from 1909!

illini420

I've also been working on a set of the 1909 cents as a sub-set of my 1909 Mint Set (can see them in my link in my sig line).

Here are the 1909 cents that PCGS will holder:

1909 Indian Head Cent
1909 Indian Head Cent DDO Snow-1
1909-S Indian Head Cent
1909 VDB Lincoln
1909 VDB Lincoln DDO FS-1101
1909 VDB Lincoln DDO FS-1102
1909-S VDB Lincoln
1909 Lincoln
1909-S Lincoln
1909-S/S Lincoln FS-1501
1909-S/S Lincoln FS-1502 S/Horizontal S

If you want to include the 1909 proof cents then you'll need these too:

1909 Proof Indian Head Cent
1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln
1909 Matte Proof Lincoln

You could also include a 1909-S US-Philippines Centavo if you want to get crazy about it (like I have, haha) since it was made in San Francisco, it's copper and says United States of America on it

There are also some minor varieties of the 1909 cents which are too minor to be recoginzed and holdered by PCGS, including several DDR varieties of the 1909 Lincolns. ANACS will designate many of the minor varieties if you want to go down that route.

With a budget of $500-$1000 per coin I would steer clear of the full RD cents since you won't be able to get one that looks decent for many some of the dates and you won't be able to get one at all in RD for the big key dates (the 1909-S IHC and the 1909-S VDB).

Without really doing the math, I think you could have a great looking set within your budget if you go for a set in grades of 64RB and/or 65RB. The 1909-S IHC and the 1909-S VDB will cost you a bit more than $1000 each in those grades, but you'll be able to get a few of the dates like the 1909 VDB and the 1909 Lincoln for $100 or less in those grades so you could allocate that cash saved to those key dates. That's what I'd do.

The big show stopper for most folks trying to build a 1909 set of the cents is the 1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln. That is pretty much a five figure coin in any grade these days so you may want to pretty much forget about that one for awhile... that's been my strategy

Anyways, if you decide to pursue a set be sure to avoid any copper with spots or other unattractive blemishes, no matter what it says on the holder and no matter how good of a deal the coin seems to be. There are plenty of examples of most of the 1909 varieties out there so you can afford to be extra selective on most of them. Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.