Please! Before you begin reading. Please keep in mind that the list another experienced numismatist might create would be far different from mine.

Here are some of the guidelines I’ve followed when considering which coins to include:

I’m building this list based on a budget of $500 per month. Certainly the list would be considerably different if money was no object. What good is a dream list? What fun is it to maybe buy one or two coins a year because you’ve set impossible standards and goals?

I hope you find this to be a practical list you can consider and then perhaps modify to suit your own goals and interests. You will not find a $4 gold piece, 1795 Eagle, or 1895 Morgan dollar on my list. These are certainly important, rare and desirable coins, but not items that are within the reach of most collectors.

To allow for the greatest flexibility, I have not included any coins that only become especially significant when found in high mint state grades. I’m one of those stubborn old timers who thinks the best coins are the ones that have the ability to fascinate and delight collectors regardless of grade.

My list is filled with scarce and rare coins that will require months of saving based on my budget of $500 per month. I don’t think it hurts to have great expectations.

The Arrangement.

I’ve compiled this list according to the way the coins are listed in A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book) not in order of preference or value. To me, the last coin listed is no more or less important than the first entry.

Without question your list may be far different than mine. The important thing is that you’ve created a list. You may question some of the selections I’ve made. That’s good. I’ve let my personal preferences, experience, and numerous contacts with collectors influence my selections.

Even after all the qualifications, I can confidently say that if you were to acquire all the coins I have listed you would certainly own an impressive and interesting collection, or at least I would find it so!

The Coins.

The Spanish 8 Reales “Pillar Dollar”. This coin and its fractional parts circulated widely in the colonies and the United States. Its popularity is at least partially responsible for creating the denominations of coins we use today. A nice EF example, probably from the Mexico City Mint would be our choice.

Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling. A significant and silver, example of circulating Colonial coinage. Still remarkably affordable.

Vermont Copper—1786 Vermontensium. An interesting and historic example of a copper Colonial coin that was actually well accepted and did a fine job as money.

Fugio Cent. The first coin issued by authority of the United States. Certainly a significant issue and yet still plentiful enough to be reasonably priced.

1794 Half Cent. In my opinion, more attractive than the 1793. Nearly as scarce as the first half cent but often much less expensive.

1800 Half Cent. The first year of issue for this attractive design. Also the last half cent produced in the 17th century.

1857 Half Cent. The last year of issue for the denomination and having a nice small mintage. I think it’s fun to collect obsolete denominations.

1793 Chain Cent. Such an important coin that it would seem owning a well worn example would be better than going without. There aren’t many coins I would say that about. I think all of them are included in this list.

1799 Large Cent. Even back in the 1800s collectors considered this coin a great prize. How many U.S. coins can you say that about? An exciting coin and yet still within the reach of most collectors.

Note: If you have any interest in collecting some or all of the coins on my list you may wish to regroup them according to current values. You should find some very affordable pieces mixed in with the expensive ones. There is certainly no particular advantage to collecting these coins in the order they are listed.

1801 Large Cent Three errors: fraction 1/000, one stem to the wreath, and Iinited in legend. A wonderful piece that clearly shows how tough it was to make coins back in the old days. At least back then the folks weren’t getting the dies mixed up. I have never understood why this classic mint error has remained so affordable. Maybe after a few people read this it won’t be?

1804 Large Cent Restrike. An interesting, although unofficial, issue that clearly illustrates some of the shenanigans that went on to satisfy collector demand. What if they had restruck a silver dollar dated 1804? Such a coin might be worth a million dollars or more! Pardon me, I couldn’t resist bringing up this comparison.

1857 Flying Eagle Cent. My personal choice as the all time best cent design.

1908-S Indian Cent. The first one cent coin struck at a branch mint. That makes it important enough for me.

1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent. Perhaps the most popular and well known of all United States coins. It just seems that if you’re a serious coin collector you should have one. With this selection I’m giving in to the popularity contest.

1864 Small Motto Two Cent Piece. A scarce variety of the first year of issue and a classy way to illustrate this unusual and short lived denomination.

1851-0 Three Cent Silver. The only coin of the type and denomination struck at a branch mint. That’s enough to make it a must have for me.

1877 Three Cent Nickel. Just 510 pieces minted and yet surprisingly affordable. A great way to join an exclusive owners club.

1866 With Rays Nickel. The first year of issue for this new denomination. Yes, half dimes were also worth five cents but they were called half dimes. Although the coin is ¾ copper it was named for the “new” metal nickel that it contained. I find it interesting that half dimes were still being made after the new nickel coin was introduced. I guess the nation needed lots of coins worth five cents. Wouldn’t that be an interesting set—half dimes and nickels minted in the same years. Why am I always thinking of unusual collections?

1912-D Nickel. The first of the denomination struck at a branch mint. Some people are content to collect first year type coins. I like my “firsts” with an unusual twist.

1913-S TYI Buffalo Nickel. A more creative way to illustrate this attractive first year of the type. Perhaps one of the most American of American coins.

1937-D Buffalo Nickel—Three leg variety. A curious error that is always impressive to even non-collectors. A nice high grade uncirculated example would suit us just fine.

1795 Half Dime. A reasonably affordable choice to illustrate an early silver type coin. A tiny coin, but one well done and always enjoyable to own.

1853-0 With Arrows Half Dime. A scarcer choice to illustrate this historic type. When it doesn’t cost too much more to be different we like to be. Instead of following everyone into the pool explore all the options.

1809 Dime. In my opinion often undervalued and interesting.

1837 Bust Dime. The last year of issue for this type.

1856-S Dime. The first from the San Francisco Mint and a scarce coin. Not something that has been promoted and thus the cost usually seems to be in line with the true scarcity of this coin. With a little research and patience you might find yourself owning a gift.

1873 Arrows Dime. Quite scarce and always an interesting coin.

Note: By now you’ve probably noticed that I’m finding interesting coins from each denomination. I get great enjoyment from building sets within sets and including dual purpose coins. When someone views my collection of 100 coins and asks, “Why did you pick that one?” I want to respond with an answer that exceeds their expectations and meets all of mine.

1876-CC Dime. An affordable Carson City issue used to illustrate the production of minor coins from that mint. Far as I know, no smaller denomination was produced at this facility.

1909-0 Dime. The last from New Orleans. Of all the Barber Dimes this is my personal choice. I would also love to own a complete set of New Orleans Mint Barber Dimes. There I go again! Straying away from my original objective and finding another unusual way to collect coins.

1916-D Mercury Dime. Again I’ll go along with the majority and include in my collection what most collectors would enjoy owning. A coin that is, in my opinion, not as scarce as it may seem. Knowing this, I’d wait for just the right coin to come along at the right price.

1942/1 Dime. An interesting and obvious variety. A coin that does a good job of illustrating that many United States coins have been produced from recycled dies and hubs. If I wanted to own Mercury Dimes, and I guess I do, then this coin and my previous pick would be the choices.

1875-CC Twenty Cent Piece. The only affordable issue of this denomination from this popular and romantic western mint.

1804 Quarter. A rarity in it’s own right and struck during that magic year. If I needed to sell off my collection of 100 special coins this would be one of the last I’d part with.

1844-0 Quarter. A nice example for this type. I like the date and the mint. Hint: Rapid communication between Samuel Morse and a friend led us to where we are today. You may select a different coin and have a better reason why. For me, including coins in type sets and such that represent personally important times in history is always fun.

1853 Arrows and Rays Quarter. Always a favorite type coin.

1878-CC Quarter. An affordable way to keep up with the Carson City Mint denomination set we seem to be building. I wonder if we’ll be able to take it to completion?

1891-0 Quarter. An interesting rarity. It could be a major challenge to find a nice, problem free, example to include in this collection.

1906-D Quarter. The first of this denomination struck at the Denver Mint.

1917-S TYI Quarter. A more interesting way to illustrate a design that created quite a furor when it was issued.

1932-D Quarter. A modern scarcity. I’ve included this coin in my list of the 100 Best because it was the first coin I ever paid serious money for as a young collector. I think it’s important to add such touches to personalize a collection and make it more important to you.

1801 Half Dollar. The first half dollar using the Heraldic Eagle design and quite a scarce issue that I think is often underrated.

1807 Bust Half Dollar. The first year for this very popular type coin. It has been my experience that the early issues in this series are someone undervalued when compared to the rest of the group. Uncleaned examples with a decent strike can be quite difficult to find.

1815/2 Half Dollar. The key issue in the entire series. It’s always fun to own what everyone would like to have. Certainly not inexpensive, but a coin that offers lots of value.

1839-0 Bust Half. The last year of issue for the series and unusual due to the obverse mint mark.

1853-0 Arrows and Rays Half Dollar. By selecting the New Orleans Mint coin we’ve found a more interesting way to illustrate the type.

1864 Half Dollar. A nice Civil War era issue.

1874 Arrows Half Dollar. An interesting and necessary type coin.

Note: A this point you may well have noticed that I’ve included few, if any, shocking selections. I like to be slightly different when it’s practical. I also understand the importance of owning popular coins. There is much to be said for following the majority opinion when it is solidly based. The 1874 half dollar is a good example of a coin that has a proven track record of popularity generated by numismatic significance.

1877-CC Half Dollar. An affordable choice among the Carson City issues of this type and denomination.

1915 Half Dollar. A scarce, low mintage, issue that is difficult to find uncleaned in the higher circulated grades. I would be delighted to have a nice AU example in this collection.

1916-D Half Dollar. An affordable way to combine the first year of issue with the short lived obverse mint mark placement.

1921 Half Dollar. A key issue in this popular series.

1795 Draped Bust Dollar. The first issue of this type and having the interesting Small Eagle reverse.

1803 Dollar. The last of the regular issue Bust Dollars. Seldom as easy to locate as the pricing guides might suggest.

Gobrecht Dollar 1836-1839. Quite an expensive type coin to include in this collection. In my opinion this special pattern coin is well worth saving for. You may think differently and choose something else in place of this selection.

1840 Dollar. The first of the Seated Dollar type.

1846-0 Dollar. The first silver dollar issue to be struck at a branch mint.

1870-CC Dollar. I’m finding that I want to continue at least one example of each denomination struck at the Carson City Mint.

1873 Trade Dollar. The first issue of the type and quite a scarce coin to locate in attractive condition.

1874-CC Trade Dollar. A reasonable choice from Carson City.

1878-CC Morgan Dollar. Another personal favorite that I enjoy having as part of this collection.

1901 Morgan Dollar. A nice high grade circulated example with decent luster will be an attractive addition to this very diversified collection.

1921-D Morgan Dollar. The only Morgan struck at the Denver Mint. Attractive uncirculated examples are readily available, but this does not detract from the coin’s numismatic significance.

1921 Peace Dollar. The “poor man’s” choice to illustrate a high relief design. I would choose a reasonably well struck example. I consider this coin to easily be the most underrated issue in the Peace Dollar series.

1934-S Peace Dollar. The popular key issue in the series and always a nice coin to have.

1854-S Gold Dollar. The only TYI gold dollar struck at the San Francisco Mint. A small but important and interesting coin.

1855-0 Gold Dollar. A better choice than the Philadelphia issue to illustrate this scarce and popular type.

1880 Gold Dollar. By including this coin we have completed the type collection of gold dollars and have selected a coin with an interesting low mintage.

1838-C Quarter Eagle. A dual purpose coin that will enable me to include a coin with the Classic Head design and also one from the Charlotte Mint. Whenever possible, I enjoy owning coins that are significant for a variety of reasons.

1840 Quarter Eagle. The first year of the Liberty type and a worthwhile choice.

1892 Quarter Eagle. An attractive low mintage. Occasionally available at a very reasonable price, especially in the circulated grades.

1911-D Quarter Eagle. The only really key date in the Indian series. My choice would be to include an example with a clear mintmark. If you locate the right condition coin paying some premium for a bold mintmark may be wise.

Three Dollar Gold type coin. I would select any date except the 1878.

1799 Half Eagle. A nice example of an early gold piece and thus and important addition to the group. Having an attractive low mintage combined with an often reasonable price.

1838-D Half Eagle. With this selection I’m adding the second coin of the Classic Head type and one that will serve to illustrate an early piece from the Dahlonega Mint. See, there is some method to all this madness. This group of 100 coins can hardly be called a random selection.

1891-CC Half Eagle. Another reasonably affordable coin from the Carson City Mint.

1909-0 Half Eagle. The only New Orleans issue of this denomination struck since 1894 and a key coin in this set. Finding a problem free example with decent luster may be a chore but it is well worth hunting for.

1800 Eagle. I’ll admit to straining the $500 a month budget with this choice, but it is well worth saving for.

Note: While compiling this list and explaining why I’ve selected each coin I’ve made few comments about grades and the ideal grade to choose. In my opinion, each of the coins on this list has numismatic significance that goes beyond the condition of the coin. This does not mean I’ve ignored the importance of condition. The objective should be to obtain an example that exceeds the average encountered condition for that issue. In some cases, the value of the coin may make this impractical. When buying, I judge every coin on its own merit and compare it to what I’ve seen before and can expect to see in the future.

It would be foolish and unnecessary to purchase a common coin like the 1921-D Morgan Dollar in VF condition. Such a below par piece would be out of place in this group. Any 1799 Large Cent with a clearly visible date might be an excellent choice regardless of what technical grade it deserves.

1839 Large Letters Eagle. A very interesting type with a design that is quite different from the rest of the coins in the Liberty series.

1880-CC Eagle. Another Carson City coin I need to keep my denomination set going.

1906-0 Eagle. The last of the New Orleans Mint eagles and quite a scarce coin. Really a neat piece to have in any collection.

1907 Indian Eagle. The first year of issue for this beautiful design and a coin that can often be found with quite clean surfaces and excellent luster.

1850 Double Eagle. The first issue of the denomination produced for circulation. Another one of my favorite coins and an issue that can be found in a high circulated grade at quite a reasonable price.

1889-CC Double Eagle. My Carson City choice . An interesting date that reminds me of the scarce Morgan dollar struck at this mint in the same year.

1905 Double Eagle. In my opinion, a very tough coin to find in the higher grades and one that is still reasonably priced.

1907 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle high relief type. Maybe I’m just dreaming with this one. At any rate it would break my heart not to have it on the list. At least I do know that there are attractive circulated examples available.

1907 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle normal relief type. If I ever acquire the high relief coin then this one will make a nice companion and comparison piece.

Lafayette Dollar Commemorative. The only silver dollar among the early series of commemoratives.

Antietam Half Dollar. A beautiful Civil War inspired issue.

Grant Half Dollar. A personal favorite. I love the reverse design that contrasts so well with the crabby looking fellow on the obverse.

Missouri Half Dollar. Another coin in the commemorative series that I find appealing.

Pan-Pacific Half Dollar. Another nice design and quite a scarce issue. As you can see, I’m partial to the earliest of the early commemoratives.

Oregon Half Dollar. Our pick as the most attractive of all the commemorative issues.

Grant Gold Dollar. Our favorite among the gold commems and an excellent way to illustrate that entire series within this collection.

U.S. Assay Office 1852 $10. A somewhat affordable way to own an example of territorial gold. I want my small collection to be as well rounded as possible.

Confederate States of America 1861 Half Dollar, restrike variety. An often overlooked, but very interesting issue. As you can see, I’m constantly looking for interesting coins with strong historic and numismatic appeal.

Hawaiian Islands 1883 Half Dollar. Another unusual, historic, and interesting coin. Despite the coin’s scarcity attractive circulated examples are available.

Philippines 1903 Peso. A silver dollar size coin struck at the U.S. Mint for use in the islands. I find the design to be very pleasing and the coin itself of historical significance.

What about the last three selections?

I have intentionally left some spaces in my hundred coin collection and reserved them for new discoveries or special opportunities that come along. If I’d created a list of my 100 Best coins 30 years ago it would have been far different from the one I’ve now offered for your consideration.

The purpose in creating lists and carefully planning a collection is to develop focus, not to blind us from seeing other opportunities that may prove to be even more interesting. No matter what you collect, or how you collect it, if you are satisfied and having fun that’s all that really matters!