As a Morgan dollar collector, I've looked at thousands of Morgan dollars for pick up points and dates/MMs that I do not currently own. Having been immersed in this for several years, I have grown a little bored with it for now. Does it mean that I'll quit collecting Morgans? Not likely. However, I did recently decide to try something different...

Early last week, I decided that I'd like to try a different US Mint series. One that was fun to collect, but wouldn't break the bank. I've never personally been much of a copper fan. Likely because there are so many other people in that side of the hobby. It's probably also what drew me to VAMs 2 years ago with Morgan dollars. Although, even that is gaining a lot of traction here of late.

After doing some quick browsing through a few different series, I decided to try and put some sets together for dimes. I've always been intrigued with how nice the series is and, for the most part, how economical it is to collect them. As someone of limited means, economical is a huge attraction for me. After considering Barber, Mercury, and FDR sets, I decided to go with FDR first. Based on what prices I had been seeing, FDRs appeared to be the easiest set to put together with the smallest financial investment.

After doing some preliminary research, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, like my beloved Morgans, there are quite a few varieties available to this set. It will certainly take me a while to get ajusted to what to look for and how to spot things like SD/MD on these smaller coins (it appears much different than what I'm used to seeing on the Morgans), but I'm looking forward to this journey and to see what I can do with it.

As of right now, my main focus will be on a 1946-1964 set as well as that same set with toned coins or vibrant colors. That set has been named "FDR in Technicolor". That one will take longer to put together, but will be a lot of fun finding them. I'll be focusing on coins with rainbows for that set. Understanding this thought isn't original, it should still prove fun. Finally, there will be a set of 1946-current. I won't start that until the 46-64 set is complete other than the overlapped dates.

Once I have completed these, I haven't yet decided if I'm going to move onto Mercury or Barber dimes. Economically, it should be Mercury...however, Barber dimes have always been something I've loved. We'll have to wait and see.

And so it begins...my first FDR dime for my registry set. Not the prettiest one you've ever seen, but the first coin just the same: