What drew you to collect your main series?

TopographicOceans

I collect Type because all I need is one of each. Also I can select the more common dates in high grade.

So what do you collect, and why did you chose to concentrate on that?

Unknown

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AlanLastufka

I am also working on a type set, but to keep it a little challenging, I'm working on only first years of issue for each type. Still only need one of each (or more for the designs I like, I'll add varieties and errors and interesting years), but with an additional restriction, it keeps me hunting. I like this approach because I get to own all of the designs, but don't feel the need to own dozens of each design to fill an album.

Barberian

Presbyopia.

TopographicOceans

<< <i>I'm working on only first years of issue for each type >>

That's what's great about the hobby - there are so many possibilities and you can define what you want to collect.



<< <i>Presbyopia. >>

So I take it you don't collect trimes

Treashunt

Currently:

Bust $1/2's.

Just historical, wonderful varieties, and fun searching.

ricko

I have done some series (i.e. CC Morgans) ....and some moderns (ASE/AGE).. but mostly just collect what I like at the time...no restrictions that way. Cheers, RickO

shorecoll

My best guess is psychosis.

roadrunner

Research. Though the idea of getting something for nothing appealed to me as well.

The exact lightning rod was probably a combination of something I read in a NERCG price guide and the rarity chart of seated quarters Leroy Lenart sent to me in 1974. I liked the idea that you could possibly get much rarer seated quarters for not much more than the price of common dates. So I started doing my own seated denominational surveys and by 1975 had an excellent idea of the 50 or so of most underrated/under-priced seated coins across the grade spectrum. The James Stack sale in March 1975 added fuel to the fire and was my first test case on what these coins went for in circ as well as superb gem.

My survey results were not that much different than Leroy's seated quarter study. But I also did it for all seated series plus Barbers, Bust coinage, 20th century gold, and post 1878 Liberty gold. It also gave me a way to compare better date bust vs. seated. The only thing my surveying didn't prepare me for was finding the actual coins. Even though the price guides were out to lunch on this stuff, there were enough dealers and collectors who knew different and were stockpiling this stuff away whenever they ran across it. And the start up of the LSCC in 1973-1974 also began to spread the word.

TPRC

Friends.

BillJones

I have collected type coins for all most all of my time as a collector. I also collect presidential campaign tokens and buttons and medals that mark important people and historic events. For me a collectable really "comes alive" when it has a great story surrounding it. Isolated rare dates don't do much for me if that is all they have ... rarity.

The great thing about a type set is that every coin is different, and you have a collection that covers the entire sweep of U.S. history from 1792 to the present. I have done some of the same sort of collecting with the colonial and confederation era (1782 to 1789), but there are a lot more gaps in that collection, especially in the 1700s which limits my interest. Still I have Mass. silver, a Lord Baltimore six pence, a Rosa Americana piece and examples of the state and private coinages.

mingot

Good question!

Jefferson nickels. I started collecting them when I was 19. And broke. I wanted a series that I could finish in uncirculated on a modest budget.

gypsylea

My dad and I focused on Walkers when we first ventured out from buying the annual Proof Sets and Mint Sets and putting away current BU rolls back in the early 60's. When I started collecting on my own in the mid 80's I focused on classic commeratives. In both cases I think the main spark was supplied by collectors in local clubs who were knowledgeable about the series and whose enthusiasm was contagious.

lasvegasteddy

toners,types,cameos and sms
i dunno why
i just do

i'd rather be collecting "YOU SUCK" awards sitting on a beach in florida

TheRock

The "Physical" size (IKES) and the Presidential History/US History of the government (KENNEDY's & SBA's)

SPalladino

1) Ikes: My grandfather gave my an Ike in 1971. He collected stamps when he was young, and got my into collecting them as well. However, the Ike gift shifted my collecting focus to coins. That gift, and the Ike's association with commemorating the Apollo moon missions (IMO, one of the top three great world achievements that have occurred in my lifetime) is what got me on the path of Ike collecting. Of course, varieties are what keep me active in the series now.
2) Errors (offcenter / broadstruck 25 quarters): In my naïve early collecting, I was fascinated with the fact that errors could ever be released by the mint.

Baley

I've been working on a US type set for almost 40 years now, the goal being a complete set of circulating designs 1793-1999 and like many, am stuck at about 90% complete, with the remaining coins being rare and costing upwards of $5000 even in the low circulated grades (1793 half cent and cents, 1796 quarter and half, small eagle and 1820's gold, etc)

While waiting and working for my ship to come in so I'm able to afford such pieces, found an interest in the early quarters 1805- 1828 and half dollars of 1801-1814, these were not coins generally carried by local coin shops when I was younger, and in the past 15 years the internet has allowed me to collect them by die variety in the relatively affordable grades of good to very fine, which I like because of the history of circulation when our country was young, and I like these coins raw so that I can carefully hold them and look at them. I really like that the dies were hand made and the spacing varies among the date, stars, legend, etc, together with the heavy circulation makes each coin unique.

OnWithTheHunt

When I got back into the hobby in the early 90s, I continued filling out the old blue books I hadn't completed as a kid, buying coins that matched those I had pulled from circulation in the late 50s to mid 60s, Lincolns, Buffalos, Mercs and Indian heads. Eventually realized my tastes had matured and looked over my accumulation, decided that overall, the Buffalos I had were in better shape that anything else and decided to concentrate on that series. 20 years and many upgrades later, I have a full horn set that includes mostly XF to BU coins along with almost all the major and many of the minor varieties, errors, RPMs, OPMs, doubled dies, etc, many MS and slabbed which I continue to ugrade and add to. Have also added other coins which interest me, including early silver proof Washingtons, now completed. Started a 7070, but cost and condition has me thinking of switching to a 20th Century type set instead.

OldEastside

<< <i>Good question!

Jefferson nickels. I started collecting them when I was 19. And broke. I wanted a series that I could finish in uncirculated on a modest budget. >>




This although I was about 17

Steve

winky

It's a DIME DAY today and everyday. I love Roosevelt dimes, don't know why yet but I do and 3 of my set's are #3 in the registry right behind Almighty dime and Dimeman. I will not ever be able to catch either one tof them but I am having fun trying.

OKbustchaser

Back in the early 70's bust halves were old, big, and readily available on what a high school kid could scrape up in cash. Never looked back.

OnlyGoldIsMoney

Liberty $2.50's by date, mint mark and variety.

They're gold, numerous sub 10,000 mintage coins sell like generic bullion and coins with total surviving populations under 50 would be beyond my reach in most other sets

okiedude

I'm supposed to have a Main Series?
Darn, I knew I was doing something wrong!

keyman64

I focused on Mercury Dimes because my father handed down to me his Mercury Dime collection.
I took it a little further and focused on varieties so that I could cherrypick a lot of them and potentially own
many Top Pops. It was a fun adventure. Even though I am selling everything now, I look forward to my
next numismatic adventure even though I don't know when or what that will be.

Browe

Started collecting in the early 90s with a nudge from my grandfather as well as my neighbor. My father use to own a furniture store, and I remember going into his work with some "common coins" and exchanging them for the "fun stuff". At the time you could still find some nicely circulated wheats in the cash register, and it was thrilling to find them.

Fast forward to the early 2000s. I completely my first book in 2002 at the age of 17. It was a glorious moment indeed. College came and so did the finances. It wasn't until I landed my first job that I entered the registry wars. I settled on wheats, because that's what I was comfortable collecting. It's what I had the most experience with, and what I had always enjoyed as a kid.

SmEagle1795

An appreciation for history and artistry, and a somewhat abrupt realization that world-class examples are still quite affordable.

dogwood

Around 1990 I chose Barber Halves, as Fines could be had for $17 and there were no expensive keys, maybe a handful of $150-200 dollar dates.
Series has totally jumped the shark.
Barber Quarters were a focus as a number of issues had mintages of 700,000 or less and nobody really liked them.

Walkerguy21D

Got bored with Merc dimes in the mid-70's and tried buffalo nickels. Couldn't find many of the better dates in any kind of decent
condition and gave up. Realized walking lib halves were beautiful, many had low mintages, and were made of silver. At the time
you could readily get the later and some middle dates in XF-AU, and many of the earlier dates in low grades, for around melt, so it was basically hoarding silver and building a collection at the same time. The set was pretty much completed in high school, then put away until after college.

After resuming work on it, focused on the tough early dates in higher grades, as there was challenge and value there. As these were tough to find, and I hated leaving shows empty handed, I started a type set. I never liked large cents, until I bought a mint state middle date coin for the set, and found it mesmerizing......a copper addict was soon born!

BryceM

Peace dollars. Easily doable to finish the set of 24. Ugly duckling series - these are horrible below MS64 but stunningly gorgeous at MS65 & above. Die breaks, feed-finger polish, poor strike, only rarely attractively toned, clashes, variable surfaces, allure of the 64-D, the LAST silver dollar, the LAST allegorical Liberty on business-strike US federal issues, and, it's just such a gorgeous design!

SkyMan

Franklin half dollars.

I started collecting in the late 1980's. I was born in 1958 and the largest coin minted during that year was the Franklin. Also, it was silver. I loved how the deep cameo proofs looked. I completed the cameo/deep cameo proof set, and then realized how attractively toned some of the business strikes were. They were inexpensive, big and attractive. I've pretty much stopped collecting proofs, but the toned business strikes are an ongoing addiction.

acloco

My start in collecting, actually began from two different directions, at the same time. Two older brothers were collecting coins to complete their Boy Scout merit badge and mom was the only employee at our small town credit union. As I was only 5 years old, my "job", every day, was counting the loose change. Looking back, this was my "job" to keep me busy. BUT, this "job" also taught me about math by counting change.

Started a Lincoln set from circulation which was put away several times thru the years. As time/funds/opportunity finally allowed, would visit the closest B & M (100 miles away) occasionally. Rarely bought anything, but definitely enjoyed looking. Picked up several IHC's out of this coin dealer's junk box for 15 cents each on one visit. Imagine my amazement when I think I find an 1877!!! Return said suspect to the coin shop, they look at it, hand it back, declaring they don't think it is a 77.

Fast forward 2 years, end up trading the 77 to another dealer for $25 face value silver quarters, hold quarters for about 6 months, cash out (thank you Hunt Brothers!!), and purchase the 1911 S (MS63) and 14 D (XF40) for my Lincoln set. The HOOK WAS SET!!!

cladking

I started with clad in 1972 when the FED and mint announced they
were going to start rotating their stock. I figured all the coins would
be worn out before long and there wouldn't be any pristine examples
left. In 1976 I expanded into world coins because I wanted something
new and more extensive than just US coins to learn about. In 1980 I
sold off my classic US to focus on modern US just to get away from all
the competition in US classic coins.

In the '80's I started collecting tokens and medals since I had US and
world coins mostly sorted out.

No one can ever become very familiar with all the tokens and medals
so that might be about the last new area for me.

leothelyon

It's like, this is it!

AUandAG

Growing up in Carson City I can remember I never had enough of those big silver dollars to spend on the
ladies.....'er girls. That made me want more and it just was an itch that never went away.

bob

Walkerfan

I collect Walkers b/c they are challenging to find really nice, scarce, beautiful and historic. My Dad likely played a big part by giving me a bunch of Walkers (along w/some Franklins, Kennedys, Washies & Roosies) to plug into the blue Whitman folders that he gave me. I had hours of fun doing that as a child. I was most taken and smitten by the Walkers, though.

mirabela

<< <i><< Good question!

Jefferson nickels. I started collecting them when I was 19. And broke. I wanted a series that I could finish in uncirculated on a modest budget. >>




This although I was about 17 >>



Me too, but I was nearing 40. Basically it's a series in which an ordinary working guy can still build an extraordinary set, because the cream has not all risen to the top yet -- in other words, while you can get awesome coins by paying awesome-coin money for them, you can also find them on the cheap by diligent searching.

Dave99B

I was always interested in early circulated quarters, primarily Seated, Barber, and Standing Liberty material. I just loved the circulated 'look' of these coins.

I was messing around with VF-XF SLQs, when I read an article in Coinage about 25 years ago, which talked about how easy it was to put together a nice original set of VF Barber Quarters. So off I went!

25+ years later I'm very close.

Easy? Really?

Dave

Kove

Classic commems. I need a lot of variety or I get bored easily. I've got some decent type, as well, and for the same reason.

seanq

Once I got serious about collecting it was all about value for my dollar. It's what drew me to collect full step nickels inthe 1990s, and what also drew me to cherrypicking varieties. The latter I completely attribute to New England dealer Bill Affanato, who used to set up at the Milford, CT show in those years and who would always patiently school me on all sorts of Cherrypicker varieties. I started right around the time the Second Edition of the CPG was published and I've never looked back.

My interest in clipped planchets started when I was in college nd was also largely driven by price. I wanted to combine my love of errors with set building, and while off center cents were collectible by date, the early years were prohibitively expensive. Clips, though, could be had on early coins for fractions of the cost, even though the rarity was for many dates comparable to off centers. It was challenging without being impossible, featured lots of rare yet affordable coins, rewarded knowledge, and there was very little competition for the best material. In other words, it was perfect for an advanced error collector on a budget.


Sean Reynolds