The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 4, January 23, 2005, Article 25

HOW MANY COINS IN A COMPLETE U.S SET?

Regarding Nick Graver's question, Steve D'Ippolito writes:
"One might be tempted to regard "every coin listed in the
Red Book" as a list of coins that would be complete.
However, I would not. I think it includes a bunch of what
are essentially mistake die varieties. Either those should
ALL be included, or NONE should be included. If you
include ALL, you probably have to multiply the size of the
list by at least ten. Not just die varieties down to the VAMS
level, but such other mistakes as the 1943 copper cent, etc.
If you chose to include NONE of the die varieties and
mistakes, you can delete the three legged buffalo, the
1955 DD (and other double dies), all those overdates, and
so forth--the Red Book only lists the more spectacular such
screwups. Plus the annoying mint mark varieties, large "S"
small "S" micro "S", etc.

I took this attitude with my Russian imperial collection
(also throwing overboard novodels, proofs, and pattern
pieces) and it simplified the job tremendously. Now I
have a chance at completing my type (not even date and
mintmark!) collection without having to live to be 1000
years old or become as wealthy as Bill Gates."

Dick Johnson writes: "To answer Nick Graver#39;s question
in last week#39;s E-Sylum: Walter Breen counted all the
coins in a "complete" U.S. collection. All one must do is
check his "Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial
Coins." He numbered sequentially every coin for us giving
a separate number for every major variety (omitting, of
course, diebreaks and other subvarieties).

His numbering system for this major American work is
called "interrupted consecutive serial numbering." He left
open numbers at the end of each section for future
expansion. I have written on this previously in The E-Sylum
which gives the answer to Nick#39;s question -- "7,343 items
in numbers up to 8035" (vol 3, no 8; February 20, 2000).
That#39;s the number up to the time of the book#39;s 1977
publication, of course. (It was reprinted in 1988.)

I had expressed my admiration for this type of numbering
system, but received some critical comments from E-Sylum
readers in the following weeks. Whatever your opinion of
the utility or usefulness of his numbering system, I still find
Walter#39;s system adequate, even for a question like
"How many?""

David Gladfelter writes: "By Walter Breen's definition
(Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and
Colonial Coins, 1987) a complete set would consist of
8,035 pieces, including a few numbers reserved for post-
1986 issues. By that definition Eliasberg's set was "incomplet"
(Forrest W. Daniel's term) because it lacked Breen 3128,
the unique 1870S half dime, undiscovered during Eliasberg's
lifetime. The 1974 standard Lincoln cent is Breen 2272 and
the aluminum cent Breen 2273. Breen gives separate
numbers to the Barber quarter dollar die varieties of 1892,
but not to the similar die varieties of 1900."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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