Morgan Dollar Sets
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lkenefic
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I've tried, more times that I'd care to recount, to put together some form of Morgan Dollar set. I think the closest I ever came was one of the (four) Whitman folders with mostly common dates as a kid, and then more recently, a date set (only lacking an 1895). I actually kept my Dansco date set album and will likely start my new project there. I don't have the time (or money) to do a date/mm set, but I do like the overall design and that big chunk of silver is very satisfying. My first iteration of this set was mostly low to mid MS coins (62-65). I liked the luster, but then got slapped by the reality of buying a '95-O or '95-S that would look out of place in that set. So, I'm thinking an XF-AU complete set... I'll have most of the detail with at least a hint of luster and the whole thing could be put together relatively inexpensively. Also, a VF-XF 1895-O or S wouldn't stick out so bad. Thoughts and comments welcomed.
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Comments
One idea is to not try to be a complete set but just a year set. It’s a lot easier to accomplish and can avoid many of the costlier items.
A nicely selected circulated set all in XF, for example, with the dates only could be it’s own challenge and look great if matched well.
Good luck!
You can also do sub sets, one for each mint, or all the CC mint coins, etc... Would be cool if you know someone that has a 3D printer to do a custom holder for each of the subsets.
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I guess decide on the size (number of coins) and cost of the set you want to put together. You say you're thinking of an XF-AU complete set, which will get expensive when you start shopping for stuff like an 89-CC and a 93-S. If you don't want 100+ coins in a Dansco, there are plenty of options, including date only, mint mark only, 1878 8TF only (just 41 die pairs), major varieties only, ...
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Why would anyone want a Morgan set?
I've definitely decided on a date set. And I've definitely decided XF-AU for a grade range. At this point I'm weighing where I'm going to buy coins and my approach to building this collection. At that grade range, outside of three dates ('93-'95) and one mint mark (CC), it really doesn't make a lot of sense to buy these slabbed... these are circulated coins but not culls, so getting them in a bulk 90% Silver transaction would probably not happen. Normally, I'd just pick up a few at a time at one of the Baltimore Shows, there a bunch of dealers carrying raw Morgans in this grade range, but that doesn't seem like it's going to materialize any time soon... maybe Fall? Anyway, that leaves online sources. I'm researching these now...
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lol! because those big shiny dollars remind me of my grandfather who first sparked and fostered my interest in numismatics when I was a kid 50 years ago.
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Yes, when I fell in love with Morgan's I knew I would never be able to build a complete set at the level I wanted. After visiting Virginia City and Carson City, I settled on starting a CC set. I now have a full set (78 - 93), ranked 45th on the NGC registry. I am actually having more fun upgrading than I did building the original set. In fact, I am very close to having two full sets now.
Whichever direction you choose, have fun with it!
If you are doing a date set I wouldn’t recommend keeping it entirely in the XF-AU range as at least half of the coins can be purchased in MS grades for under $100. In fact, you could do the entire set in MS with only the 1893, 1894, and 1895 dates in AU and it wouldn’t cost that much more. Plus, you’d have a really great looking set and be proud of each coin.
How 'bout a set of 20th cent. Morgans? Should be attainable financially over a few (7-10) years.
Try for a P, O, CC, S, D set with some 66-67 PL or DMPL. Pick out a few historically significant
dates and buy a pleasing coin for those years. Collect some toners, that should make for a visually
appealing set.
I once put together a date set in AU. It was (relatively) affordable and looked nice in a Capital Plastics holder. You may wish to consider that.
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I put together a CC set years ago....late nineties....I included the CC/O...Never wanted to get into a major Morgan set... too many pieces, too much time..... I have other hobbies
That being said, I agree with you, Morgans are a great American coin... big, silver, attractive design. Cheers, RickO
Theres a lot of good suggestions on here. I just finished a dmpl set minus the D mint and it took me a year
Some years ago I put together a PCGS grading set. The set had one coin of each grade from P01-MS67. Took me about three years to finish it. My favorite coin was the P01. I think it was a 88O. Why not try something like this. Very challenging.
I once was 5 coins away from a complete set, mostly XF/AU but some maybe as high as 63, this was pre-slab days. I got to this point, then realized I couldn't stand the suckers. This is the one set I have sold that I never regretted for a second. LOL. I guess I'm just strange, don't like Morgans and don't like gold. I now like looking at pretty examples of both of these, but have no desire to own either. I'd rather have a ratty, pitted chain cent or bust half than the equivalent value in Morgans or gold.
In the past 10 to 15 years, I put together two complete sets of Morgans (97 coin set per the registry). My best set ranked in the mid 20's on the PCGS registry. I think I got up to the ~25th slot. Which probably means there are at least 100+ sets out there better than what I had. It starts getting expensive after that. Lost interest and sold most of them "except" the CC's. Still my favorite series.
That's' exactly what I've been doing the last 10 years or so. I started with a blank Dansco album. Got one coin from each mint...ending with my first cc was a big step even at XF. Then at least one coin for each page in one of the books. Then getting at least one coin in each book to cover every slot until you couldn't "see through it", For the crazy expensive slots, there's quite a fun variety of Hobo-Dollars that can be placed in the slot lieu of having a few thousand $$$ to put towards it. And there's a chinese fake 95 in there that won't fool a 5 year old. Right now I'm one coin shy of filling up my first page...page 1 book 1. Ikenefic, have fun if that's the direction you want to go.
It's about the journey getting there as much as it is the coins themselves. The tricky part is, finding problem free coins that haven't been slabbed so they can be put into the album. As soon as the price > $100 my palm sweats and I think eBay etc. is shark infested waters full of other dealers that a fair deal always get outbid or gobbled up.
My motto is; Have fun and never spend more money on a hobby (or on a loan to someone) than you can afford to lose. Happy trails.
I put a set together in the 80's in Capital holders. Still have it. Not the greatest but they ain't eatin anything so It's still around. Here are the pics.
It was my grandparent’s Morgan’s that reignited my interest in coins. Do what makes you happy
I put together the whole set including the 1895 and 1893s in matched xf.
In Danscos.
I started and lost interest in a one a year Morgan Dollar date set twice. I got so far and then lost interest. I was a dealer at the time, so selling the coins was not a problem.
Morgan Dollars do have an important part in our monetary history. They were the product of compromise legislation that kept us from going off the Gold Standard at the end of the 19th century. If that had happened, the U.S. might not have become a world power as quickly or as strongly.
I think that collectors get too hung up on this idea that every coin has to match or be in the same grade regardless of how rare and expensive some key dates are. Yes, it’s not pleasing to put a real junker in the hole in the rest of the coins are in nice collectors grades, but you don’t have to have everything “even.”
The “no junker” rule is why I don’t own some coins. If I can’t afford something decent (It does not have to be great, just decent.), then I don’t get it. That rule has worked well for me. It kept me from buying junker burials though the years. I waited until I could afford something better.