MS Grade Modern Circulation Sets

You wont be able to do it with proof and mint sets included, you may actually not be able to do it with just one of the two either.

Well by properly graded, I just meant that whoever graded them had some idea of grading. I wouldnt want a XF coin being called MS. I've started roll searching for them. The 90's to date are pretty easy to find. However, I have better luck finding silver, than a MS dime nickel or quarter from the 60's through to the 90's

Thanks for sharing GR58 and everyone. I already have the 96 set with the W dime and a complete set of satin finsh pennies, I agree they are awesome and neccasary coins.

To expand a little bit on what I said earlier, while you wont be able to get them all the mint sets for 400 you can get a lot of them. The last 8 years I think are pretty expensive mint sets and will cost you a few hundred on their own. However you could get most of the others if not all for the 400 and just kind of go from there adding a new mint set when you can. Those other years should keep you busy enough to give you enough time to save a little hear or there till you can add one of the more expensive sets later. Thats how I would do it anyway.

The other heads up most of the IKE mint sets are really ugly that you get from online places. Those I would definitely buy in person or on ebay where the picture is of the actual set. Dont buy those sets that have stock photos

Lars, love your collection! Nice little website too! Looks like your stamps totally outweighs the coin collection. I may have to ask about some stamps my wife and I inherited a while back. Mind if I pm you?

I think $400 is very optimistic to complete all the modern sets. You can probably do it but a lot of mint set coins are just junk and roll coins are even worse. Many of the coins in your sets will be very unsightly. I think you'd be happier and have a lot nicer collection that requires effort and of which you can be proud if you just stuck with one (or two) denominations. Dimes would be least expensive to complete in nice attractive BU and gemmy condition. They could be done for only a couple hundred. My favorite are quarters and they'd run around $300 and cents around $350. Halfs would be around $400 and Ikes depend on your requirements. Nickels with sharp strikes would be extemely challenging and could get expensive.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it for $400 but you'll have only a few really nice coins and some real dogs. Coins like a 1968 cent can be very tough to find without spots. Hand selection of mint sets can yield some spectacular coins and make the collection more challenging and rewarding.

Mint sets are a very very convient and very high quality source for most all moderns. If you find the typical quality acceptable then there's no reason to seek higher grades. Many people though may not realize how poor "typical quality" is for something like a '69 quarter or '76 type I dollar. Almost all the coins in mint sets are well struck but they can have numerous other problems like the horrendous (uneven) surfaces on '81 quarters or carbon spotting on '68 cents.

I simply believe most collectors will find "typical" sets of most moderns pretty easy to put together and the typical quality to be substandard on some coins in each set. Even coins like '72-D quarters that are extremely easy to find in Gem will sometimes be very unattractive in a specific set. ChBU sets cost very little extra and with diligence and patience Gem sets can be assembled for little extra. This situation (cheap Gems) won't last forever though and one of these days you'll have to pay extra even for chBU.

To each his own. Even a typical set is great to have for a reference collection and can be fun. One of my most enjoyable clad sets is quarters I've found in circulation and most of them are XF to AU.