Collections With Expensive Key Dates

Agree on the cherry picking mint sets for your key SBA dollar. The thrill of the hunt is the fun in collecting sets, not spending money.


If you haven't done it yet, do the Franklin halves in circulated condition. Great set to collect. All can be picked out of a junk silver box over time, no real key coins. Then if you like that, start upgrading to UNC and then think about including the proofs and then maybe think about going for a graded set.

I think the Franklin set is only 35 coins.

Say you are spending $10 a coin (they can be had for $6 - $7 range if you look), that is 4 coins a month on a $40/month budget.

At 4 coins per month at that budget, that is only 9 months to complete the Franklin set.



One of the neat things about building a set is learning to grade the coins accurately and then to look for varieties and such. Buying all graded coins takes out some of the thrill of the hunt for the right looking coin / upgrades. I would recommend buying a few graded coins for point of reference. The ANA grading book is what my LCS uses and what I use too.


Roosevelt silver only dimes are a pretty easy set too. No key coins, but maybe some key labels. Can't justify getting many Rosie's graded in my world.

Patience is the key. A couple of sets that I have going, I have been at for several years. You never know where you are going to find one and for what price.

I agree with " be prepared ". Put aside a bit of expendable "hobby cash" little by little towards your goal. I found the key coin to one of my sets in a local coin shop. He didn't deal much in foreign silver bullion, so he was looking for a quick sale. And lo and behold, they had lay a way. So I used my hobby cash savings as a down payment and 3 months later the coin was mine.

Point is, be patient keep some hobby cash in savings because you never know.

I'm going the mint set (and proof set) route to build a SBA set. I happen to have bought 5 1981 mint sets when they were released, and I found a really nice specimen in my sets. Not much for TPGs, I'm happy with what I got!

Just like any other collector, you have to decide whether to leave the coin out of the series, save up for the coin, or fill it with a lesser grade coin.

Personally, I'd make an exception and get the 1981-S in MS-65, which should be under your monthly coin budget. The cost step to MS-66 is huge, while the condition is not. You just have to decide if it makes that much difference in the long run to your kit.

I'm confused about the 1981 s buisness strike. I thought they were only proof until I found a non proof version at the bank.

The 1981S was included in the uncirculated mint set for that year. All the SBA's were only in the Mint sets, they were not issued for circulation.

Agree with Gyrene- there are certain relatively pedestrian coins I want for which I can't find a suitable example. Have been looking for a 1935 Walker MS64 PCGS and have not been able to locate one. There is a nice one on ebay that I like but the seller wants about 65-70% over PCGS trends. Not gonna happen

I also struggle with graded MS66 Jeffersons. Most come toned, and many have carbon spots. Finding bright white ones is a huge task and I have only filled in perhaps 20 coins so far.

If there has been an "easy" graded set to work on, it's been the Morgans. Of course I will never complete the Morgans but I have great success finding MS64s that fit my collection.

Personally I think the challenge with raw coins is finding them online to supplement what you can find at bourses and shops. The condition in hand is so often inferior to one's impression upon seeing images online.