Best country to put a type set together of?
TheRaven
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What country is the best to put a type set of coins together of?
The USA is obviously a large challenging set.
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TheRaven
Posts: 4,143 ✭✭✭✭
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Switzerland and Australia came to mind first. Maybe Canada too, if you draw the line somewhere with their modern quarter dollars, etc. Edit - Can't forget Ireland (starting 1928).
Jeff
Swiss coins are sharp.
Have a seperate thread on Canadian type set.
British could be a pain i am thinking.
I've got an album for Philippines type set that I haven't touched for nearly 20 years. Their coins from just before WW1 are impressive!
That is an interesting country.
Japan is a good type set. A few pricey ones, but very doable with lower grades (excepting the Trade Dollar--but one can adapt and use a chopped yen) and it can be a challenge to find some of the 'inexpensive' ones in decent condition. Makes it fun! The Dansco is hard to find and pricey, but you can do it without the actual folder.
https://coins.collectors-society.com/wcm/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=15668
A coin set of France may be pretty interesting.
Best is a completely arbitrarty term. Are you going for ease of completion? Artistry of the coins? Historical relevance? A specific time frame? The answer will vary based on what your collecting parameters are.
Many countries have been issuing coins for hundreds of years, or even thousands. Building a type collection would look fantastic but be impossible or near impossible to complete. Good luck trying to build a complete type set of China!
For more modern countries, the length of time may not be as long, but harder to complete due to them just being harder to find in the market. I'm specifically referencing post colonial Africa here, which has a lot of countries to choose from and they all offer interesting designs.
You'd also need to determine if NCLT would count. Most countries issue them, some of them issue a lot of them. Personally, I only count them in my One From Every Country collection if that's all they have, no circulating coins of their own. But it's entirely up to you.
Oriental likely not in the conversation, due to the massive language difference. Ditto for middle eastern.
I would not include NCLT coins.
I understand best is a open term at best. Want to see what people think is best and go from there.
Easiest would be Price Edward Island.
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Ireland used to have very few commemoratives, but now there are a bunch. New Zealand might make a good type set.
For this century - a popular set is the circulating euro types.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
Was thinking about a Euro Type set.
Would be neat and probably pretty easy. Thinking about San Marino or some of those tiny countries.
Thinking about it, a complete German New Guinea type set would be amazing. IMO, some of the prettiest coins ever made.
Never heard of that country.
9 coin set I see 1894-1895
@TheRaven Yeah, It was a short-lived series with a bird of paradise on one side. Some really nice coins
They are sharp looking coins. Never seen them, till googled it. Not to expensive, but not a cheap little set either.
Have to keep my eye open for these at a show.
Here's a suggested list of coins for a 20th Century Irish Set that could be fun typesets.wikidot.com/local--files/ireland/20th_Century_Irish.xls
NZ, some duplication of type in the dollars
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
Pretty set.
I think that a lot of the former British Empire/Commonwealth countries would make for interesting type sets (Australia, NZ, Fiji, Canada, Bahamas, etc.) Also the Ireland and Panama 20th century sets. I have a circulated English type set from Victoria onward. The PNNA coin show here in Seattle was giving out Icelandic type coins as part of the kid's scavenger hunt last weekend... seemed to be all different marine life on each one. Lots of possibilities out there!
I know so many options. Makes the head spin.
English is an interesting option, that probably can be a never ending quest if you keep going back in time.
A type set of Swiss coins. Any thoughts on that? Trying to find info on that.
why don't you do a set of one from each Country? Then you don't have to decide on the country if that part is too hard.
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I am kinda working on a set of a coin from each country. Or multiple from each country.
Never have to many projects to work on at the same time
If you do not differentiate by denomination, then doing a USA type set is actually easy.
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USA type set is a massive undertaking.
I have a good portion of the 20th century actually. Have the basic 8 piece gold type set.
19th century and older American coins are so pricey it is crazy.
I like type sets of coinage of the Latin Monetary Unit countries from pre-WWI. Think France, Belgium, Switzerland, Romania, Luxembourg - Poland when it became independent followed the LMU standard so it is sometimes included.
Never heard of the LMU before... had to google that
If you're looking for inexpensive, Mexico has some very beautifully designed coins , readily available, affordable.
Bob Sr CEO Fieldtechs
Thanks
Was looking into Mexican a bit as well.
I have enjoyed putting together a Pillar type set as well as an Spanish Colonial 8 Reales set:
https://pcgs.com/SetRegistry/colonial-coins/spanish-milled-coinage-1732-1772/spanish-milled-coinage-basic-set-1732-1772/1
https://pcgs.com/SetRegistry/multi-country/multi-country-type-sets/spanish-colonial-8-reales-type-set-circulation-strikes-1732-1824/6320
Latin American Collection
nice
For picking a "best" country, you preferably want a series that has some meaning and significance to you, to help maintain your interest.
Is there a country that you are aware your spouse or one or more of your ancestors came from? You could try to pick that. Though you should be aware, most European countries go back quite a long way, so a "complete type set" becomes both difficult and expensive.
Is there a country you or a relative has visited in the past, that you've heard stories of, or remember visiting, or perhaps already have some coins from?
Assuming you're from America, what about countries that have had a strong American influence? Canada, the Philippines and Panama come to mind. Then there's the "back of the Redbook" countries that once issued their own coins but are now part of America: Hawaii and Puerto Rico, both fairly small series yet challenging, and have the advantage of not needing to buy a separate catalogue if you already own a Redbook.
If "completeness" is a goal, then perhaps picking a country that no longer exists, to avoid the "problem" of new coins continually being issued. German New Guinea is one such that has already been suggested, but there are many others, even just from the 20th century: Biafra, Danzig, Yugoslavia, Tannu Tuva, just to name a few.
I can also suggest some countries that are very, very bad to try to assemble a type set of, and would recommend avoiding the attempt:
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
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Sapxy, Thanks.
I am I am from USA. My roots are all over Europe. My wife is from Ukraine. That coinage doesnt seem to interesting to me. Would be interesting to look more deeply into that.
Some of those jack in the box coin countries hold no interest and I completely stay away from those.
I have two sets that I work on 'seriously'...one is Japan because I lived there for a bit and a type set is doable and interesting (and despite my complete lack of ability to read Japanese, it can be approached).
The other set is pre-communist Albania. As a nation it became independent in 1912 and in 1939 was invaded by Italy, and subsequently taken over by the communist faction. The history is interesting and the coins very nice. The years are limited and has proved to be a nice set to pursue.
It started from the 'One From Every Country' concept. My version of OFEC was to generate the country list from whatever version of Krause I had--basically covered 1900-early 2000s. Albania was early in the alphabet and it proved early on I couldn't choose just ONE coin when there were so many interesting designs.
If you are unsure of exactly what/how to proceed, starting some type of OFEC is pretty educational in helping you find something that speaks to you. It's not as though you can't shift gears and change your focus at some point.
Slowly working on OFEC, it is fun.
Just curious as to what type of answers I would get. Thought it was generate a good discussion.
And, sometimes, you find a spectacular coin and then decide to build a set around it
That I could see happening
The Swiss type set is the best idea I've read so far (for my tastes). I believe that the quality/price ratio of their coins is unbeatable. And if the set is going to be high end and slabbed, again Switzerland is a great choice.
Someone said Great Britain is going to be tough. Sure enough. But if you approach the set with Dansco type albums, it's much more feasable. There are still brand new Whitman albums for 20th century type (2 albums), from farthing to sixpence and from shilling to crown, no gold and curiously NO openings for 1901 that would have accommodated yet another monarch (Victoria veiled portrait) and there's an album for a Victorian type set too, again from Whitman.
It's a set that I've done and I have this weird obsession of filling up albums with BU coins only. Once completed it's a delight to look at. I'm now doing it at a much slower pace with Japan and its Dansco album, always as a side set. Here are the images of the first (British) Whitman , the first page of the second (shillings) and a Victorian 1901 set that I did for myself, despite the lack of openings in the Whitmans.
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Beautiful sets.
Like the books as well.
Iceland would be fun. I don't think Frovin Sieg makes a type album, but you can get three albums to fit most of Iceland http://www.ebuy.dk/astort.asp?language=44&emneid=22330
They also do Denmark and Norway, I think. Search for Siegs møntalbum
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If you want a small-number one, with not much competition, try Newfoundland before it became a Province of Canada. There are a couple scarcities, but fairly high-grades can be had for reasonable prices.
A pretty small list for a type-set: https://www.coinsandcanada.com/coins-prices-newfoundland.php
For English, pick a denomination and get one of each monarch or monarch variety. I did this for Sovereigns, For example, QE2 has five different obverses alone, Victoria three. You can go back a long ways depending on the denomination picked.
I think Iceland would be a perfect type set to build because it will not require a lot of coins since the first coins was produced in 1922 as a nation even though the country was founded over a thousand years ago with a very rich history dating back those more then a thousand years starting with the Viking era as well with the first written down stories of the Saga's from Iceland. All coins can be had for less then $300 in Unc for the 1925 & 1929 1 and 2 Kronur and the rest at $ 100 dollars or less in Unc as well.
While not a type set, an Irish denomination set is good fun
Latin American Collection
This was a fun read. Thanks for resurrecting it @Rushmore98
Good to "see" you all again (and by that, I mean your coins!)
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For me, it would be pre-Republic South Africa where Union (1923-1960) used to be my primary series. I didn't collect much ZAR (1874-1902).
A ZAR type set consists of 11 coins but two are quite expensive, the 1874 Burgers pond and 1902 veld pond. If including the nine coin 1892 proof set, it's one of the most expensive world proof sets. The penny, half pond and pond are also harder to buy and expensive.
A Union type set can be as few as 34, one of each denomination for each of the three monarchs plus the 1952 crown. Or somewhat over 70 if including business strikes and proofs plus the minor design types.
None of the Union types are rare but finding nice coins for many isn't easy and finding equivalent quality to what most US collectors desire from US coinage is definitely difficult. Also, since this coinage usually sells for more there versus elsewhere, most of the better quality and scarcer coins aren't available in the US.
If you want a huge collection you would probably never complete I would say Germany!