U.S. Type coin albums - which one do you recommend?

Hello, I'm interested in getting a U.S. Type Coin album, and would like to receive recommendations regarding what to buy, what to avoid - any advice you wish to share.

I currently have my dad's old Whitman "United States Type Set Small Coins" which he partially filled many years ago. It has spaces for half-cents through quarters but is in bad shape, so I want to take the coins out of it.

I'm also open to using alternative albums, like individual saflips, but I'm not sure how that will look.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully respond!

 

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You really have a ton of options on how to proceed here. Assuming you don’t want to go tbe route of grading them some options would be 2x2s, sapflips, self slabs or albums.

If you go the album route Danaco or Intercept Shield are good. 2x2s can also be put into three ring binder style albums when you get the pages for them. There’s albums for slabs too from lighthouse if you really wanted but those get pretty bulky fast

 

IMO first you decide the extent of what you personally call a type set.
To the best of my knowledge there is no one definitive definition.
The Red Book is a good starting point.

Then check the various albums to see how close they come to your definition.
After that look at what PCGS calls a type set.
Also look at what NGC calls a type set.
You will find that none of those sources agree.

But once you make your decision then you can decide how you want to store your set.
I've got mine but I won't describe it now because I don't want to bias your opinion.

BTW at type set is a great and worthwhile endeavor.

 

Go with the Dansco 7070 if you want a US type album.

Does it have everything? No, but you're not going to find a perfect album or necessarily agree on what constitutes all the major types.

For example, the 1796 quarter is its own type, but any example will likely be slabbed due to the rarity and value. How about major types? Do you include slots for the T1, T2, and T3 standing liberty quarter, or just one slot? How about seated coinage types? Commems? Too many variables involved. But, the 7070 is an all around pleasing type set that can be realistically assembled, and it's a quality album.

 

Thank you for your insights!

I have a question regarding cracking certified coins out of slabs and putting those coins in the type album. What are the pluses and minuses of doing that, and how do you do it safely?

 

Lots of minuses. If you do it with common grades though where there’s not really a premium it’s not as much of an issue but it does make the coins less liquid/harder to sell. I would strongly recommend doing it with a high end ones but at the end of the day if you really want to you can.

 

A slabbed coin (by NGC or PCGS) does 3 things for me:
-- it authenticates it (the coin is real)
-- it stipulates its originality (indicates whether it has been cleaned, altered, repaired, etc.)
-- it grades it by a subjective set of standards that most people agree on.

Oh, and the slab offers nicer protection than an album would.

 

But a MUCH less attractive display appearance.

 

That's the problem with a type set like this. The more valuable types, if included in the set, or if they are higher grade examples, will tend to be slabbed already.

You can always make a slabbed type set and keep them in a slab album, case, or trays.

 

I like the Caps albums and may move my 7070 over one day.

 

What is a Caps album?

 

Google “Caps album” or go to a site like Wizard Coin Supply or Amos. I’ve been thinking of going that route for non-slabbed type coins. But I’ve been waiting to get to a large city to be able to see the Caps system “in hand” before making a final decision (I’m several hundred miles from a LCS that stocks them).

Steve

 

Throwing away money doing that. Each slab cost a grading fee that factors into the price on better coins. Better to buy raw coins if they are going in your type album. If you want a slabbed type set you can keep it in the brand cases. Most cost $5 used.
I'd guess they hold at least twenty slabs.

 

I have a Dansco 7070 album which is a good start. If you eventually like a particular series you can expand it just about any way you wish considering most have a number of varieties within themselves.

 

I started with dansco 7070 then added tan pages from an off brand for the gold coins. A bit tight but more inclusive.

 

Albums that take Air-Tites.

 

Yep, I have several Dansco 7070 albums, but I'm switching all my albums to Caps. Nice presentation and they take Air-Tites, so best protection out there. You can also order custom pages, so you can add current coins and create pages for future issues.

 

Thanks for this post. This is the first I've heard of CAPS albums. I love them, but dang it would cost me $1k-$2k just in albums and air-tites to make the switch.

 

A problem with albums is that you have to go along with their definition of a type set.

EXAMPLE:
All albums that I'm aware of have only two openings for Standing Liberty Quarters, Type 1 and Type 2.
I personally recognize three.
Type 1, Type 2/Variety 1 and Type 2/Variety 2.
I don't know of any album that accommodates that.
So your choices come down to:
-- using only one of the Type 2 varieties to represent both, or
-- storing one of the varieties elsewhere, or
-- not using an album.

 

Here is a link to the CAPS albums webpage: http://www.capsalbums.com/