What is a Type Set? | Coin Collecting 101

 

What is a Type Set? | Coin Collecting Guide

For many coin collectors, building a complete type set is a massive accomplishment and, in some cases, a lifelong goal. While some type sets are relatively inexpensive to put together, others can cost hundreds of thousands – or even millions – of dollars. No matter the cost of your type set, building a complete one is a great feat and something to be proud of. 

So what is a type set? A type set is a collection of coins that have the same design, type, or category. The great thing about coin collecting is that there’s a collector out there for everything. As a result, people have built large type sets of nearly every kind of coin imaginable. 

On this page, learn more about what a type set is – as well as how you can start building a collection that’ll make your coin-collecting friends jealous!

Types of Type Sets

The term “type set” can be a bit confusing, especially if you’re a new coin collector. After all, there’s not just one type set that you can collect. There’s a type set out there for every collector. If you don’t see any popular type sets for the types of coins you enjoy collecting, guess what? You can create your own! 

Typically, the most popular type sets to collect are either date sets or type sets through a certain date. A date type set may include, for example, every variant of the U.S. dime from 1900 until the present year. A date type set, by contrast, could include every different type of U.S. coin from 1800 until the present year. 

Type sets can also get even more specific, depending on your collecting tastes. There are type sets for U.S. state quarters, type sets for women on coins, and even type sets for error coins! 

To simplify this guide, we’ll start by talking about the two main categories of common type sets: 

1. Bullion Coin Type Sets
2. U.S. Coin Type Sets

Bullion Coin Type Sets

Bullion coins are coins made from precious metals that are high-purity and minted mainly for investors. Coins like the American Silver Eagle, Canadian Silver Maple, and British Silver Britannia are considered bullion coins. Building a type set of bullion coins can sometimes be easier than building a type set of circulating coins, since a large number of bullion coins are produced each year, and the number of dates to cover usually isn’t super large. 

Take the American Silver Eagle, for example. The U.S. Mint released the first ASE in 1986. Since the coin is a yearly release, a type set of American Silver Eagles would include forty silver coins, which includes the new 2025 American Silver Eagle. 

The American Silver Eagle Type Set

The most popular U.S. bullion coin is the American Silver Eagle, so Silver Eagle type sets are pretty common to see among investors. Although most American Silver Eagle type sets include all dates from 1986 until the present, ASE type sets can vary based on the types of Silver Eagles that collectors choose to collect. 

For example, some collectors only include Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) American Silver Eagles in their type sets. Other collectors may only collect tarnished American Silver Eagles, proof Silver Eagles, or even Silver Eagles that are graded MS70. Like we said earlier, there’s really no hard-and-fast rule about how you should make your type set – and the same goes for ASE type sets!

U.S. Coin Type Sets

U.S. coin type sets focus on specific dates or types of circulating United States coins. Some U.S. coin type sets are relatively easy to collect, but others can cost millions of dollars to complete, depending on which coins your type set requires to be complete. There are coin collectors out there who spend their entire lives trying to build type sets that include very rare and valuable U.S. coins. 

This is the case because, unlike bullion coins, circulating coins sometimes have extremely limited mintages. If you’re building a type set of Gold Double Eagles, for example, your set is unlikely to ever be complete, since the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin is both extremely valuable and usually illegal to own. 

This doesn’t stop investors from trying to build U.S. coin type sets, though. Even if you’re never able to secure the rare penny, dime, quarter, or silver dollar you need to complete 100% of your collection, the fun of slowly building a type set over time can be a lifelong passion. 

U.S. coin type sets typically fall into three main categories: 

1. Date Type Sets
2. Specific Coin Type Sets
3. Category Type Sets

Date Type Sets

Date type sets, also called date sets, involve collecting every type of coin in a specific date range. Type set books commonly focus on dates from 1800-present, 1900-present, or from 1776 until the present day. As you’ve probably already figured out, date-based type sets can be incredibly challenging to complete. Early-American coins were minted in extremely limited numbers, and certain coins in a 1776-present type set are so rare that they’re nearly extinct. 

Most collectors who pursue date type sets are experienced, wealthy, or both. That doesn’t mean that new or budget collectors can’t build a full date type set, though. Some new collectors enjoy building type sets from the 1900s-present, which can be quite a bit less expensive than sets that include earlier dates. 

Date type sets can also be restricted to specific coins. If you collect every year of penny that’s ever been minted, you’ve made a date type set! Restricting your date set collection to a specific type of coin can be a great way to start building a collection without breaking the bank. 

Type Sets For Specific Coins

Other collectors enjoy building type sets of specific coins. You might gather a set of U.S. penny types or designs, for example, or every kind of quarter-dollar. Specific coin type sets can be inexpensive, but they can also be extremely costly, depending on the type of coin you’re interested in collecting. 

Some type sets include spots for rare varieties and error coins, which can make completing your set considerably trickier. Building a set of every year of Sacagawea dollar isn’t particularly hard. Building a set of Sacagawea dollars that includes the ultra-rare “wounded Eagle” variation? That’s a different story entirely. 

Again, it’s important to remember that your type set can be whatever you want it to be. Building a type set of one specific coin can be an affordable and exciting introduction into coin collecting. As you get more interested and invested in the hobby, you can always go back and try to fill in some of those rare slots for hard-to-find errors and varieties!

Category Type Sets

Category type sets are likely the most versatile coin type sets you’ll find. There’s a category set out there for nearly everything. Collectors build type sets of U.S. state quarters, type sets including famous women on U.S. coins, and even type sets of all U.S. coins with mintage runs of fewer than five years! 

You can also create your own categories to create a type set. Maybe you want to collect every U.S. coin with a civil rights leader on it, or you only want to collect coins that feature space iconography. Some collectors even build sets of coins with a specific grade, such as lowball (PO1) coins or counter-stamped coins!

Obviously, the versatility of the category type set means that these sets can vary when it comes to cost and difficulty to complete. Some category type sets, such as a type set of U.S. state quarters, are relatively inexpensive to complete. Others, such as a type set filled with women on U.S. coins, could wind up costing tens of thousands of dollars to completely fill out.

Starting a Coin Type Set | Your Step-By-Step Guide

Starting a coin type set can be a fantastic way to get into the coin collecting hobby. Beginning your coin collection can feel overwhelming, and a type set gives new collectors a clear, easy-to-follow path to follow. Because coin type sets come in so many different shapes and sizes, starting your coin collecting journey with a type set can also be an inexpensive and extremely rewarding introduction to the hobby. 

There are a number of tools available online to help you track your progress, purchase or trade for new coins to build your collection, and more. If you’re interested in starting a new coin type set, there are three main things to consider: 

1. Choosing Your Type Set
2. Storing Your Collection
3. Building Your Type Set

Below, we’ll walk readers through a step-by-step guide on how to start their own coin type sets.

Choosing Your Type Set Category

Perhaps the biggest advantage to starting your coin collecting journey with a type set is that versatility that type sets offer collectors. There’s a type set out there for nearly every category of U.S. coin, and collectors will have no trouble finding other numismatists working on the same sets that interest them. 

The downside is that you’ll eventually need to choose which type of type set you want to build, which can be tricky. At the end of the day, our recommendation for first-time type set collectors is to pick a series of coins that will be relatively challenging – but not impossible – to build. Think about the types of coins you already enjoy collecting or looking at, and then look up a full list of those coins. From there, you should be able to get a rough idea of how much money and effort it may take to complete a type set of that coin. 

Mintage figures and coin pricing guides are going to be your two best friends as you look for a type set to complete. Mintage figures give collectors a rough estimate of how rare a coin is, and online pricing guides and auction records can help you figure out how much it should theoretically cost to complete an entire set. 

Don’t be afraid to swing for the fences, either! As we mentioned earlier, some investors spend decades building a type set and never manage to find the elusive key date to finish off the set. That’s perfectly okay, and it’s very common – especially for sets with one or more ultra-rare types, years, or varieties.

Storing Your Type Set

Storing your type set is one of the most enjoyable parts of the hobby. Ideally, you’ll be able to find an easy way to review your entire collection. It’s really a treat to be able to flip through a type set and see a century or more of U.S. monetary history in one place. 

Like everything else in the coin collecting hobby, the best way to store your new type set depends on your own preferences, goals, and budget. Here are three of the most common ways collectors store coins while building a full type set: 

1. Coin Type Set Folders
2. Coin Flips/Capsules
3. Graded Coin Slabs

Coin Type Set Folders, Books, and Albums

Coin type set folders/books are the most common method of storing type sets. Several companies produce hundreds of different folders and books for nearly every kind of type set. 

Typically, a type set book will include circular, labeled slots for each coin with an adjustable, transparent flips on either side of each page. That way, you’re able to look at both sides of your coin while protecting it from the elements. Dansco produces the most popular brand of type and date set books/albums, and many collectors consider them to be the gold standard for type collecting.

Smaller type sets, such as U.S. state quarter sets, are sometimes stored in specially made hard folders. 

Coin Flips and Capsules

There’s no rule saying you need to purchase a book to store your type sets. Some collectors prefer to use traditional coin flips or capsules to store their type sets. We recommend keeping all of your type set coins in the same place so that you can take a look at your collection without digging through unrelated coins, but the choice is ultimately yours! 

If you want to keep your coins from tarnishing for as long as possible, make sure that your flips or coin capsules are free of holes that would expose your coin(s) to oxygen or UV light. 

Graded Coin Slabs

Like we mentioned earlier, some investors collect type sets filled with MS70 or MS69 coins. If this is something you’d be interested in, your best bet may be to keep your coins in their original grading slabs. NGC and PCGS, two of the most recognizable grading companies in the coin collecting community, return graded coins in certified slabs that provide collectors with information about their grades (i.e. condition). 

Breaking a coin out of its slab is generally considered a very bad idea. Once a coin leaves the slab, there’s no guarantee that it will grade the same in the future. Additionally, keeping a rare coin in its slab improves its resale value, since PCGS and NGC are industry-respected names that can give your future buyers assurance that your coins are actually MS69/70. 

Because of this, many coin collectors choose to keep their type sets in their original graded coin slabs. 

Building Your Type Set

So you know what type set you’d like to build, and you have a plan for storage – what’s next? The next step in your type set journey is to begin building your set. This is the fun part! Some type sets can be completed relatively quickly, while others may take decades for you to 100% complete. 

Let’s take a look at a couple of methods you can use to build your new type set of coins from scratch. 

Online vs. Local Coin Dealers

If you plan on buying each of the coins in your type set, you’ll need to decide between online dealers, local coin shops, or a mix of both. Generally, any of these three approaches is perfectly acceptable. In fact, the best way to build your coin collection is probably to work with a mixture of online and local dealers. 

Online dealers typically offer more competitive prices and a larger available inventory than your local coin shops, but local shops can sometimes stock hard-to-find coins that you won’t find at most online dealers. Additionally, buying coins and precious metals locally can help you become more involved with your local coin-collecting community. Some local dealers will entertain coin trade offers, which is a service you rarely see offered by large online retailers. 

However you choose to buy your coins, make sure you work with a dealer you can trust. Read reviews and testimonials from verified customers, and be sure to shop around and compare prices before making your next purchase. 

Trading Coins

For some collectors, the most exciting aspect of building a collection is trading with other numismatists. Especially once your collection includes rare and valuable coins, trading to get more pieces for your type set can be a rewarding – and efficient – experience. Because of the value difference between coins in some type sets, you may be able to barter one very valuable coin to get several new coins for your type set. 

Trading coins can be tricky for new collectors, since brand new numismatists rarely know the intricacies of what makes one coin more valuable than another. We recommend taking some time to familiarize yourself with concepts like coin grading, varieties and errors, key dates, and other value considerations before you jump into coin trading to build your coin type set. 

Final Thoughts: Building a Coin Type Set

There’s no right (or wrong) way to collect coins. But for many collectors, one of the most rewarding and exciting ways to collect is to build a type set. With hundreds of different type sets possible and more online investor resources available than ever before, it’s never been easier to jump into the fun world of type set collecting. 

If you’re ready to start building your own type set, this page should be your resource for sourcing, storing, and even trading coins to help build your dream U.S. coin type set. And whether you’re a rare coin hunter or a bullion stacker, Hero Bullion’s extensive inventory of gold, silver, and numismatic coins can help you build a collection you can be proud of! 

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