Ever Complete A Set From CRH

State quarters, lincoln memorial cents and very close on Jefferson nickels, which I know others have done. Only 3 I've tried so far.

almost completed roosevelts 46-64

All but 4 or 5 Jefferson nickels.

I'm doing my 59 to present with coin roll finds but my album has spots for proofs...

State quarters, I just need that elusive Washington-P. (Not doing proofs, my folder has no spaces for those.)

State Quarters which got me into coin collecting, 2 set of Jefferson nickels; Memorial cent; all Franklin halves minus 55P; many JFK halves without proofes(I found 6 70-D). JFK halves including proofes (need 92,07,09,10, 11, 12 silver proofes, 12P).

canadian olyimpic set,1999-2000 set,state quarter set,

I'm just trying to figure out if it's really a good idea to try and complete a circulated set because the coins would be in circulated condition and any really old coin would probably be in really bad condition. Certainly a complete set might be worth trying to put together and sitting on for several years to make some money. I'm wondering though if anyone would really want a circulated set of coins and if buying a complete proof set would be worth it or not. I've been trying to complete a Lincoln memorial set from circulation and so far have found everyone except 72-s the lowest mintage in the series. To find any s mint penny is pretty hard. I've also come to terms with why the 2009 pennies are so rare, the mintage numbers are insanely low and would require you to go back to like the 1940s were pennies were minted in such small amounts. I hold onto all of them in the hopes that one day they might be worth more than face. They certainly will be hard to find in change a couple decades from now. I get more wheat than I do 2009 pennies. I still have only found one D 2009 penny and am trying to find the other three, I live on the east coast so it's hard. I than however realize that most people would be fine buying a circulated set of "Indian head" pennies but in terms of investment buying a uncirculated set might be worth it more => you can't find a uncirculated set of indian head pennies for sale (at least I can't) and one would fetch a pretty Penney. Buying an uncirculated set would also allow me to get all the other s mint pennies that weren't intended for circulation. Perhaps I'll try to complete a circulated set and purchase a complete uncirculated set of lincoln memorials.

How much do you think a complete Indian Head penny uncirculated set would sell for?

Also can anyone suggest a free way to determine if my 1982 pennies are zinc or copper. I don't like going buy sound as that's a very none quantitative definite way to determine if it's copper or zinc. I have a I touch and was trying to find a free app that works as a scale but can't seem to find one. Can anyone recomend a way that would allow me to determine if it's copper or zinc in a way that I could do at home with stuff that I probably already have. I don't have a scale and would rather avoid trying to get one if possible but downloading some kind of app for free is fine with me. Can you recommend one for me?

Thanks for any help.

I'm not exactly sure if one can truly make any money off collecting circulated coins. lets say that in 1900 I bought 25 dollars of pennies and sat on it. If I opened it today and sold them for the premium of roughly 10 dollars a coin. This would result in 25000 dollars a net profit of
$24,975.00
Now when we take into consideration inflation
25 dollars in 1900 would have the purchasing power of $691.00

This allows me to conclude that hoarding circulated coins for 100 years as a way to ensure that your grand kids are rich. But one has to take into consideration that our coins will be worth only a fraction of older coins. I believe that coin collecting has evolved incredibly over the years. Today your average Joe can go to the bank and try to put together a complete set of Lincoln memorials and buy 25 dollars of pennies like it's nothing. Back in 1900 however your average Joe couldn't really buy 25 dollars of pennies just for collecting purposes. I don't think our higher mintage numbers really have anything to do with it. Our mintage numbers will appear small in 100 years and that it's all relative. I think what it comes down to is that it will become easier and easier to collect coins from circulation as the purchasing power becomes less and less. So I think it's really a gamble as to what our circulating coins will be worth in 100 years.

Your average Joe couldn't collect Liberity 2.5 dollar coins from circulation by simply going to the bank as the complete set would total $82.50, putting that kind of money away for the sake of satisfying your coin collecting desires would be the equivalent of putting away $2,280.00 of circulated coin today... no nut would do that in circulated coins, perhaps in old coins but not circulated coins. Your average Joe today can put away the money today to satisfy their coin collecting desires to complete sets from circulation in any denomination of coin, dollar, penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half.

Only time will tell but I'm not exactly sure if collecting sets from circulation is worth it in terms of making money and inflation. Maybe 100 years ago it would be but perhaps now it might not.

Collecting coins from circulation as an investment is however interesting as your buying your coins for face and if you completed a lincoln memorial set from circulation it will always retain it's face value, the purchasing power however will decrease and one might perhaps be better off spending on some other things, what not sure still deciding. But cash is trash, money is meant to be spent not saved.