best way to collect.

[lcaryy65]

Hey guys I am looking for the best way to collect the wheat pennies. I am at that point to where I need most of the simi to rare dates. What would be the best way to go about this with out breaking the bank all at once.

[1sgret]

Purchase your semi-Keys in the grade you want.

Purchase your Key date coins in lower grades until you can spend the amount you want to for the higher grades. You can sell off your lower graded Key dates to help pay for your upgrades.

[Brad]

I would always get the Key dates first. If you can afford a 1909 S VDB...get it now.
1909 SVDB and 1914 D are the toughest ones. I always buy the most expensive coin I can afford...you can get the cheap ones later.

[JeanK]

Yep, get the most difficult and expensive coins right away. It surprises me to no end that a year or two ago the 09S VDB and 14D were much less pricey and easier to find in nice grades. I just completed my set, but I could stand to upgrade my 14D so I will keep looking.
The other coins you will find scarce/expensive are the 22 No D, the 1931S, 1924S.
Prices of all the wheat cents have sky rocketed in the past two years.
Jean

[Brad]

There is only one drawback to getting the key dates and semi-keys first....you may lose some interest once you know that you can get the other ones easily. This is my strategy: I get the keys as soon as I get the $, but leave some semi-keys to the end. For instance, for the Indians I would get the 77 and 09S as soon as I could afford them, but I may leave the 72 and 08S until last...so I don't get bored.

[RWBILLER]

Hi:
Joe and Brad are exactly correct as far as I think. Save your $ for the keys first - you can get most your $ back if you have an emergency with key coins. They are almost liquid - maybe a day or two if you need to sell them. Good luck and welcome to LCR!
Roger

[Wheat Cents]

Good advice here... After twenty / thirty years you'll be glad you collected this way...