Hi everyone from Phoenix. It is really as hot here as you have heard.
I was a boyhood collector from the ages of 5 to about 12. When I became a teenager, I got interested in other things. After finishing school and joining the workforce I decided to buy one or two uncirculated Morgans with each paycheck. Back in 1982 they ran about $20 each. I was planning to slowly build a nice collection. But after buying only a few, I made a mistake in my checkbook and bounced a check at the coin shop. I was mortified and so embarrassed I never returned.
A couple years ago, I retired and my father in law passed away. Among his possessions we found twenty or so fine grade Walkers. I added these to my boyhood collection, and had about half a set. That restarted me in the hobby.
I completed the circulated Walker set and turned to raw alleged mint state Morgans and
Peace dollars. I say alleged because after buying a lot of them, I took them to a dealer to send some out for grading. That was how I learned about sliders. Thankfully, not all, but enough to teach me I had no business evaluating raw coins by internet photograph for slight evidence of wear. I could tell if the coin appeared well struck, and I could evaluate eye appeal, but I couldn't spot the hairlines reliably.
About the same time my wife was looking at my silver dollar albums with me. She said they were nice, but that they all looked the same. I realized she had a point. The differences in two Morgans with different dates or mint marks could not be appreciated by someone who was not a knowledgeable numismatist. But the differences between a
Two Cent Piece (intriguing coin) and a
Trade dollar (another intriguing coin) are readily apparent, and each has an interesting story behind it to tell a non collector.
So, a year ago I started building a high grade type set from 1837 (beginning of Liberty Seated series) through 1964 (end of silver coinage). It's going to take me years to assemble.
I am getting the highest quality coins I can reasonably afford. Because I don't have to worry about buying multiple coins or rare dates, quality is the primary consideration, and buying only one coin instead of several allows for higher quality in the budget. I want the most visually impressive examplar of each type I am able to procure. Due to my experiences and painfully learned limitations, all coins will be third party graded.
The first coin I got was an 1853 arrows and rays Liberty Seated half in xf45. It seemed expensive at the time, but I wish I had gotten an A.U. Grade, say a 53. As I have acquired coins, it has been more slowly, and at considerably higher grades than I initially envisioned. But I am very pleased with what I have pulled together.
An unexpected benefit of type collecting is how much I have learned. I certainly do not have the level of expertise of a date and mint mark series collector in any given type, but I have learned an enriching amount about the breadth of American coinage, the differing numismatics of different eras, and contemporary American society paralleling changes in coinage.
This is great fun. I see why I used to like it so much.
Posted 10/17/2018 9:46 pm
