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If you collect 1950-1970 Proof Sets, do you have a hit list??
keets
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I have been collecting these for almost 20 years now and have found some really great coins. Part of the enjoyment for me is the mere act of looking at the sets and the fact that I can take "chances" with little downside. Recently I have been thinking about coins that I would like to find --- because --- my life has taught me that when I have clarity and focus I am able to accomplish what I had thought to be the impossible. Which brings me to my "Hit List" of coins I am determining I will find.
1956 Type 1 Franklin Half-Dollar, Deep Cameo.
1961 DDR Franklin Half-Dollar.
1968 No Roosevelt Dime.
It is a short and challenging list, I know, but that is the fun of it!! 
Do you have such a list??
Al H.
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Those, plus:
1956 DDR Cent
1960 Lg/Small Date Cent
1960 DDO Dimes FS-101 and FS-102
1960 DDR Nickel
1962 Phantom D Half
1963 DDR Dime (several good ones)
1964 Accented Hair Half
1968 RPM Nickel
1968 Inverted S Half
1968 Inverted S Half (2 different MM styles)
1969 DDO Quarter
1970 Small Date Cent
1970 No S Cent
They are out there to be picked! I found a 1961 DDR Frankie on Ebay last year in a group of 3 1961 proof sets in OGP. Paid $50 for the lot; the Franklin graded PR67, up there as a top pop with about 18 others (excluding one CAM)...
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
I have collected in this area for almost 19 years as an adult collector, with most of the coins acquired being raw.
At this time I am mostly upgrading the coins in my best sets for these years [last Friday I snagged a 1952 proof nickel that has deeply mirrored fields and two sided frost that is amazing].
One coin on my hit list that has eluded me so far is a 1956 Type 1 Cameo half dollar. Still waiting to find that one.
I previously found a 1961 DDR half that has two sided frost. That was a treat.
Nope.
I am a one set a year collector, except for the 1852 sets when I have five of them in the original wrapper from the mint, in the original boxes.
I admire the Cameo Proof coins, but I'm not willing to pay the price for them.
The thing about collecting these coins, raw, in the wild, is that many times you can purchase the sets containing a Cameo, Toner and/or Variety for bid. You can then remove the nice coin, replace it with a run of the mill example and resell the entire set to minimize your purchase cost of the nice coin.
--- I had to edit my list to reflect the Type 1 Franklin.
Bill, what Kevin said. we don't by the coins already encapsulated with the requisite premium attached, but instead search sets and buy them at bid.
I'm a recent convert to this grouping, having purchased a 1951-1964 complete custom set. I know, that is kind of cheating. I'll now have to see if I want to purchase a 1950 set and maybe even go back to 1936. However, finding cameos in the wild, from what I can tell, is quite difficult, so I can see how one can spend a couple of decades on this set, particularly if you are trying to pick them up raw.
One coin you haven't mentioned is the 1950 DDO 50c, probably because it is a minor variety. It is the one coin in the set I had before I purchased my raw set. It is in an old NGC PR 68 cameo holder.
We'll see how it goes, but I may not have the energy to follow this set through.
Tom
If you are dealer in Proof sets, or have a very good relationship with a dealer who specializes in them, you can do that. I don't have those kinds of connections, and there are only a couple of dealers on the circuit who spend much time with that material. Therefore my only choice is to pay through the nose for these coins, so I'm out.
TPRC.
When I got back into the hobby as an adult and decided to collect in this area I also picked up a custom set of proof coins from 1950-1961 from a local shop. The sets were complete through 1961 and were contained in blue Capital holders with gold embossed lettering. The shop owner also had identical empty holders for 1962-1964.
I do not know if I would have pursued collecting in this area without picking up the custom set and upgrading from there.
The coins in the holders were nice and a couple may have even been Cameos. The coins in the holders when I picked them up have all been upgraded through the years with better examples, mostly Cameos and DCAMs. I filled the holes in the 1962-1964 holders. As upgrades took place the 1950-1964 set began to look better and better. I expanded to the 1965-1967 SMS sets and to the 1968-1970 sets. I also have sets for 1940-1942. I have picked up a few varieties over the years. I have also picked up some eye appealing toned Cameos.
The hunt for these coins has been enjoyable. However, at some point the more valuable coins will have to be graded and slabbed in order to position them for sale when it is time to let them go.
When I first started many years ago, I stuck to proofs from 1936 to 1964. Collected exclusively brilliant proofs until I saw some nice cameos, so I dove in. I quickly learned that 1936-42 cameos were too tough so it became 1950 to 1964 cameos only. I filled all the holes over the years - many raw coins - many in holders - many crossed to PCGS. Used the old phone based Teletrade to purchase many coins - you got used to what the verbal descriptions meant as there were no photographs. In those days cameos weren't always designated on holders. After a while, I was having trouble filling holes so I needed to expand my horizons. My base collection is linked in my signature line.
I added the 1965-67 SMS sets in cameo/dcam and also the proofs from 1968 to 1980. The last coin of this segment was the 1967 SMS cent in PCGS cameo - couldn't find one - then I found several all at once. Its not that hard of a coin to find but the well was dry for a long time.
Along the way I also used the Cherry Pickers guide for my hit list and enjoyed cherry picking proof varieties. I had them all memorized. Found many - bought many. About the only ones I never found were the tougher no-S proofs and a couple of the DDO/DDR's. I no longer have the desire to buy those tougher coins, but I do look for them in the wild.
My biggest score was finding several 1961 Franklin DDR's in sealed mint envelopes. Was great fun. In fact, I have made way more money by cherry picking varieties than I ever did finding raw cameos in the wild. Pretty much everyone can recognize a cameo when they see it, but most pass over the varieties because they don't know what they are looking at.
I've been working on a couple of other projects now - I posted a thread on the neutron irradiated dimes and exonumia. https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/996634/irradiated-dimes-what-are-they-and-are-they-collectible-photos-updated#latest . But that has mostly played out for me.
I've now been toying with Bust Half dollars in the XF - AU range. There are ALWAYS a number of nice coins to look at at every show.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
I've been looking for that '61 proof Franklin for 30 years-no luck yet. That would be my most sought after in that group. Tho not technically to be found in this range, my #1 desired coin for modern proofs would be the Die #5 for the Ike dollar, even more so than the half dollar.
My hit list includes
1970-S 1c lg/SM date
1970-S TDO (die 7) a really cool variety !
1970-S DDO die 13
1961 half (of course)
1957 5c DCAM
1959 5c DCAM
1965 1c DCAM
1971-S 5c "true" double-sided DCAM.....not the CAMs with no rev. contrast that they are slabbing as DCAMs these days...
1982-S 25c DDO
1969-S 25c DDO die 1
1990-S 25c DDO die 1
These would all be needed to be cherrypicked to count.
At least for me.
OK, I know several were after the "magical/arbitrary" 1970.
There is still lots of good stuff after that date.
You are spot on regarding the cameos vs. varieties.
Very very few dealers know what to look for or even bother to look if they do know.
Those tasks are reserved for the numismatic catfish (of which I am a subspecies.)
When I lived in the Seattle area, there were many coin shows, and I used to look through old sets.... mainly '64 sets for AH Kennedy's. Now, no coin shows, but I see the occasional coin table at gun shows and I do check for old sets. Now I look for AH's and cameo's on half dollars. Not much luck, but fun searching. I have found some AH sets and the prices were ridiculously cheap. Cheers, RickO