Winesteven

Many coin collectors have passions that extend beyond numismatics, and that’s the case with a collector known as Winesteven, a PCGS Set Registry icon who also enjoys fine wine! “Steve,” as we’ll refer to him throughout the rest of this article, began collecting coins at around the age of nine years old. “Apparently, I must have been living in a middleincome household, as I started collecting Roosevelt Dimes, not Lincoln Cents,” he laughs. “My dad owned a coffee shop, and one day he brought home a Twenty Cent piece for me. This was before the silver change after 1964. Apparently, a customer must have thought it was a quarter. I was fascinated!”

By the time Steve graduated from college, he joined his local coin club and began building a type set. “I found this so much more interesting than putting together a series of every date and mintmark.” He also began upgrading the coins in his collection, including his Twenty Cent piece. “My biggest numismatic regret – selling that original Twenty Cent piece when I bought an upgrade. Oh, how I wish I had that very coin back!” Still, his upgrades have boded very well for Steve, who was an early adopter of third-party coin grading. “100% of my coins are graded by PCGS!”

Joining the PCGS Set Registry in 2014, Steve boasts more than 65 PCGS Registry Sets, including a variety of high rankers, such as two Complete Dansco 7070 Modified Type Sets (one non-gold, the other with gold); a Silver Commemorative 50-Piece Type Set, Circulation Strikes; Shield Two Cents Basic Set, Circulation Strikes; and Franklin Half Dollars Basic Set, Proof (1950-1963); among others. Perhaps his favorite pursuit these days is his stunning Indian Cents Basic Set, Circulation Strikes (1859-1909) set. “At the moment, I feel my unique Indian Head Cent set and my Dansco 7070 sets are my dream sets. Only recently did I acquire a 1909-S VDB Lincoln for my Lincoln Wheat Date set – it replaced my 1909 VDB. I guess that was my dream coin – as kids, we all continually searched [through] pocket change and rolls looking for that coin.”

More than 90% of his many PCGS Registry Sets rank among the top 12 of their respective categories. Yet, the vast majority of the coins within them are pieces that cost only three or four figures – relatively small sums compared to the five-figure-plus prices paid for many coins in top-tier sets. “I only buy coins for a slot that I’m comfortable at, and it’s true that I don’t seek any upgrades or stretch for the purpose of moving up in ranking! Wherever a set appears in rank, I’m OK with that.”

Steve remarks that no matter what coin he’s after, he only buys the ones he really likes – grade, eye appeal, and all. “I take that one step further whenever I see a coin for a potential upgrade – I ask myself, is that upgraded coin nicer than the one I have that will be replaced? Many times, it’s not. True example – in my Silver Commemorative 50-Piece Type Set there are three coins I’ve been waiting for years to upgrade. The problem is the coins I see just don’t have the eye appeal of my lower-grade coins. As such, I leave them as is. Patience is so very important to having eye-appealing sets.”

He's a big believer in building camaraderie with other collectors and learning from others. “A little more than four years ago, I started participating regularly in the Collectors Universe U.S. Coin Forum. Boy, have I learned a lot! I also try to share what I have learned with others.” A collector full of wisdom, Steve has one more tip he feels all collectors should remember. “Collect what you like. There is no right or wrong!”