Gold Type Set Completion

After several years, I finally completed my three piece CC gold collection set. Amazing how I was side-tracked many times in the past in assembling one each of $20, $10, and $5 pieces. I owned a non-CC $10 gold piece for some time, simply as a Type Set coin, but always thought that I would simply acquire a $10 CC. My silver dollar and $20 CC Liberty collecting interests always got the best of me.

Since I am a type set collector for gold coins, I sought out a high grade coin that can command a large desire from the widest range of collectors - whether type set or dedicated series collector. The coin would have to be "problem-free" and have high eye appeal for me. Strike would have to well above average for the year-mint. PCGS would call this a "+" coin, but my simple explanation is a coin with high value. The coin should transcend the grade - rendering the numerical value irrelevant.

The scenarios involving an extreme step up in cost to the next grade are the best case scenarios, such as an 1891-CC S$1 ms 65 priced at approx. $3,800 to $4,300 that rises to approx. $15K for an MS 66. An even better example is an 1884-S S$1 ms 58 for approx. $2K that increase by a factor of 3 or 4 for the leap to ms 60.

Cost using the above criteria will cause one to pay more for the coin in the auction environment; however, I am lucky to have time on my side to recover from the financial hit, if the coin is solid for the grade and packs tremendous value.

Question. How do others choose their type set coins?

Kudos! Collecting only quality coins using such standards is difficult, slow and more expensive than simply acquiring a coin to fill a type slot. But in the long run, such collected pieces are always the most rewarding investments.

I am still learning what makes a quality CC coin but, at the end of the day, I acquire only the best coins I can identify within the grade range that I can afford, regardless of whether that range is VG-8 or MS-65.

Belay Off

The risk that I often expose myself to in type set collecting is buying coins outside of my knowledge area. I collect morgans, buffalo nickels, and $20 CC Libertys, so buying for a complete gold type set can be difficult. Mistakes can made - both in financial terms and quality terms. We call this "over driving your headlights" in my business.

However, learning about different types or series of coins makes it interesting. For instance I own two indian cents and no flying eagles, except I study them fairly extensively through Rick Snow's four volume set on the two series. I can't explain that one.

The older I get and the more I learn, the less I want to hoard coins and the more I want amass more history information.