(downloads of checklists and photo guides are at the bottom of the page)
20th Century type coin collections are where most collectors cut their proverbial baby teeth and I'm no exception. As a collector I started out collecting coins by date & mint. But around the mid 90's became incredibly bored and switched to type collecting (and I haven't looked back since). During my initial transition to type collecting I was confused as to which coins constitute a type set. Everyone seemed to have an opinion. Coin albums and folders from Dansco, Whitman, and Littleton didn't help as they all had different amounts/types of coins. Who was right? Turns out that everyone was right. What I discovered is that type collecting is what you want it to be and these professionals, friends and companies were providing nothing more than guidance.
To avoid the confusion, this page has been divided up by type set levels to help better guide you in collecting. Remember these are just checklist guides so collect what you feel is important.
Additionally, you can use a commercial type set album but I highly recommend a generic coin album that lets you store 2x2 holders (such as Dansco's Coin Stock Album). These types of albums allow you to expand your type set whenever you want so you're not wasting money chasing supplies.
For specific coin information and mintages be sure to check out our U.S. Coin Library. .
Note: all checklists are in MS Excel format, if you want a list in a format other than Excel then please contact me.
Type Set Level 1 Click here for checklist —> Click here for PDF photo guide (1.38mb)
- Set does not include bullion, proofs, non circulating commemoratives, or gold coins
- Total Coins to Complete: 34
- Difficulty to Complete: Low
- Cost to Assemble: Low (typically less than $500)
Type Set Level 2 Click here for checklist —> Click here for PDF photo guide (1.92mb)
- Set does not include bullion, proofs, non circulating commemoratives, or gold coins
- Total Coins to Complete: 50
- Difficulty to Complete: Low
- Cost to Assemble: Low (typically less than $1000)
Type Set Level 3 Click here for checklist —> Click here for PDF photo guide (2.3mb)
- Set does not include bullion, proofs, non circulating commemoratives, or gold coins
- Total Coins to Complete: 59
- Difficulty to Complete: Low
- Cost to Assemble: Med (typically less than $2000)
Type Set Level 4 Click here for checklist
- Set does not include bullion, proofs, or non circulating commemoratives
- Total Coins to Complete: 67
- Difficulty to Complete: Med
- Cost to Assemble: Med (typically less than $6000)
Gold Only Type Set Level 1 Click here for checklist
- Set does not include bullion
- Total Coins to Complete: 8
- Difficulty to Complete: Med
- Cost to Assemble: Med (typically less than $4000)
Gold Only Type Set Level 2 Click here for checklist
- Set does not include bullion
- Total Coins to Complete: 15
- Difficulty to Complete: Scarce
- Cost to Assemble: Extremely High (typically $82000 or more)