What does it mean to collect coin by "Type"?
A Type Set is a coin collection based on having a single example of each coin design, as opposed to collections consisting of all dates and mintmarks within a single series, such as Buffalo Nickels. Within Type collecting, there is a variety of methods to build a set. A Type Set might contain the designs of only one denomination, or even one series. Another method would be to create a complete Type Set consisting of every design for of every denomination. Some sets might include or exclude gold coins, or modern coins, or coins deemed too ugly. Beyond the premise of having only one example of each type, there really are no limits. Some people might think of minor varieties within a coin series as a distinct Type, while others would lump even major design changes together as a single type, and therefore only acquire a single example for the collection. Many collectors start with the major Types as outlined in: A Guide Book of United States Coins, also known as the “Redbook.
What are the benefits of collection by "Type"?
Collecting coins by Type allows a collector to maximize the variety of coins for the money spent. Instead of having 100 coins of the same basic design, for instance Kennedy Half Dollars from all the mints and all the years, a collector can have 100 totally different coins based on the set goals. This helps keep the pursuit of coins interesting, not only for the collector, but also the collector's friends and family and peers who are shown the coins with great pride. Variety helps prevent boredom and burnout. Some series collected by date you simply hit a financial brick wall, where certain dates just cannot be purchased within your budget. For Type collectors, most series have a mixture of key dates and common dates, which allow for the design to be purchased affordably (or not), depending on budget.

Basic Coin Checklist for US Type Set
Below you will find 155 coins that I would consider a complete US Type Set, with Major varieties. I use an expanded version of this list for my own Type set, which includes additions such as bullion coins, colonial coins, territorial coins, patterns, tokens, medals, confederate coins, and classic commemorative coins.
The below list is certainly a great starting point for your own Type set, and you can trim it down to expand it as you see fit. Many of these coins below I will never be able to own, as some are quite expensive and some are quite rare, so keep realistic budget contraints in mind when setting your set goals, and make sure to rebalance those goals yearly as your collecting interests and abilities evolve.
SEQ | DENOM | TYPE | START | END | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1/2C | Flowing Hair Half Cent | 1793 | 1793 | ||||
2 | 1/2C | Liberty Cap Half Cent, Large Head | 1794 | 1794 | ||||
3 | 1/2C | Liberty Cap Half Cent, Small Head | 1795 | 1797 | ||||
4 | 1/2C | Draped Bust Half Cent | 1800 | 1808 | ||||
5 | 1/2C | Classic Head Half Cent | 1828 | 1828 | ||||
6 | 1/2C | Coronet Head (Braided Hair) Half Cent | 1840 | 1857 | ||||
7 | 1C | Chain Cent, "Ameri." Rev | 1793 | 1793 | ||||
8 | 1C | Chain Cent, "America" Rev | 1793 | 1793 | ||||
9 | 1C | Wreath Cent | 1793 | 1793 | ||||
10 | 1C | Liberty Cap Cent | 1793 | 1793 | ||||
11 | 1C | Draped Bust Cent | 1796 | 1807 | ||||
12 | 1C | Classic Head Cent | 1808 | 1814 | ||||
13 | 1C | Matron Head Cent | 1816 | 1835 | ||||
14 | 1C | Matron Head Modified Cent | 1835 | 1839 | ||||
15 | 1C | Braided Hair Cent | 1839 | 1857 | ||||
16 | 1C | Flying Eagle Cent | 1857 | 1858 | ||||
17 | 1C | Indian Cent, Copper-Nickel, No Shield | 1859 | 1859 | ||||
18 | 1C | Indian Cent, Copper-Nickel | 1860 | 1864 | ||||
19 | 1C | Indian Cent, Bronze | 1864 | 1909 | ||||
20 | 1C | Lincoln Cent, Wheat VDB | 1909 | 1909 | ||||
21 | 1C | Lincoln Cent, Wheat | 1909 | 1958 | ||||
22 | 1C | Lincoln Cent, Steel | 1943 | 1943 | ||||
23 | 1C | Lincoln Cent - Memorial, Copper | 1959 | 1982 | ||||
24 | 1C | Lincoln Cent - Memorial, Zinc | 1982 | 2008 | ||||
25 | 1C | Lincoln Cent - Bicentennial | 2009 | 2009 | ||||
26 | 1C | Lincoln Cent - Shield | 2010 | Present | ||||
27 | 2C | Two Cents | 1864 | 1864 | ||||
28 | 3C | Nickel Three Cents | 1865 | 1889 | ||||
29 | 3C | Three Cent Silver, Type 1 | 1851 | 1853 | ||||
30 | 3C | Three Cent Silver, Type 2 | 1854 | 1858 | ||||
31 | 3C | Three Cent Silver, Type 3 | 1859 | 1873 | ||||
32 | 5C | Shield Nickel, Rays | 1866 | 1867 | ||||
33 | 5C | Shield Nickel, No Rays | 1867 | 1883 | ||||
34 | 5C | Liberty Head Nickel, No CENTS | 1883 | 1883 | ||||
35 | 5C | Liberty Head Nickel | 1883 | 1912 | ||||
36 | 5C | Buffalo Nickel, Type 1 | 1913 | 1913 | ||||
37 | 5C | Buffalo Nickel, Type 2 | 1913 | 1938 | ||||
38 | 5C | Jefferson Nickel | 1938 | 1965 | ||||
39 | 5C | Jefferson Nickel, Wartime | 1942 | 1945 | ||||
40 | 5C | Jefferson Nickel, Monticello with FS | 1966 | 2003 | ||||
41 | 5C | Jefferson Nickel, Westward Journey Series | 2004 | 2005 | ||||
42 | 5C | Jefferson Nickel, Return to Monticello | 2006 | Present | ||||
43 | H10C | Bust Half Disme | 1792 | 1792 | ||||
44 | H10C | Flowing Hair Half Dime | 1794 | 1795 | ||||
45 | H10C | Draped Bust Half Dime, Small Eagle | 1796 | 1797 | ||||
46 | H10C | Draped Bust Half Dime, Large Eagle | 1800 | 1805 | ||||
47 | H10C | Capped Bust Half Dime | 1829 | 1837 | ||||
48 | H10C | Liberty Seated Half Dime, No Stars | 1837 | 1838 | ||||
49 | H10C | Liberty Seated Half Dime, No Drapery | 1837 | 1840 | ||||
50 | H10C | Liberty Seated Half Dime, Stars | 1838 | 1859 | ||||
51 | H10C | Liberty Seated Half Dime, Arrows | 1853 | 1855 | ||||
52 | H10C | Liberty Seated Half Dime, Legend | 1860 | 1873 | ||||
53 | 10C | Draped Bust Dime, Small Eagle | 1796 | 1797 | ||||
54 | 10C | Draped Bust Dime, Large Eagle | 1798 | 1807 | ||||
55 | 10C | Capped Bust Dime, Large Denticles | 1809 | 1828 | ||||
56 | 10C | Capped Bust Dime, Small Denticles | 1828 | 1837 | ||||
57 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, No Stars | 1837 | 1838 | ||||
58 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, No Drapery | 1838 | 1840 | ||||
59 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, Stars with Drapery | 1840 | 1860 | ||||
60 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, Arrows | 1853 | 1855 | ||||
61 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, Legend | 1860 | 1891 | ||||
62 | 10C | Liberty Seated Dime, Legend, Arrows | 1873 | 1874 | ||||
63 | 10C | Barber Dime | 1892 | 1916 | ||||
64 | 10C | Mercury Dime | 1916 | 1945 | ||||
65 | 10C | Roosevelt Dime, Silver | 1946 | 1964 | ||||
66 | 10C | Roosevelt Dime, Clad | 1965 | Present | ||||
67 | 20C | Twenty Cents | 1875 | 1878 | ||||
68 | 25C | Draped Bust Quarter, Small Eagle | 1796 | 1796 | ||||
69 | 25C | Draped Bust Quarter, Large Eagle | 1804 | 1807 | ||||
70 | 25C | Capped Bust Quarter, Large Size | 1815 | 1828 | ||||
71 | 25C | Capped Bust Quarter, Small Size | 1831 | 1838 | ||||
72 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, No Motto, No Drapery | 1838 | 1840 | ||||
73 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, No Motto with Drapery | 1840 | 1865 | ||||
74 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, Arr & Rays | 1853 | 1853 | ||||
75 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, No Motto, Arrows | 1854 | 1855 | ||||
76 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, With Motto | 1866 | 1891 | ||||
77 | 25C | Liberty Seated Quarter, Motto, Arrows | 1873 | 1874 | ||||
78 | 25C | Barber Quarter | 1892 | 1916 | ||||
79 | 25C | Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 1 | 1916 | 1917 | ||||
80 | 25C | Standing Liberty Quarter, Type 2 | 1917 | 1924 | ||||
81 | 25C | Washington Quarter, Silver | 1932 | 1964 | ||||
82 | 25C | Washington Quarter, Clad | 1965 | 1998 | ||||
83 | 25C | Washington Quarter, Silver Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
84 | 25C | Washington Quarter, Clad Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
85 | 25C | Washington Quarter, States reverse | 1999 | 2008 | ||||
86 | 50C | Flowing Hair Half Dollar | 1794 | 1795 | ||||
87 | 50C | Draped Bust Half Dollar, Small Eagle | 1796 | 1797 | ||||
88 | 50C | Draped Bust Half Dollar, Large Eagle | 1801 | 1807 | ||||
89 | 50C | Capped Bust Half Dollar, Lettered Edge | 1807 | 1808 | ||||
90 | 50C | Capped Bust Half Dollar, Reeded Edge, 50 CENTS | 1836 | 1837 | ||||
91 | 50C | Capped Bust Half Dollar, Reeded Edge, HALF DOL. | 1838 | 1839 | ||||
92 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, No Motto, No Drapery | 1839 | 1839 | ||||
93 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, No Motto with Drapery | 1839 | 1866 | ||||
94 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Arrows & Rays | 1853 | 1853 | ||||
95 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, No Motto, Arrows | 1854 | 1855 | ||||
96 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Motto | 1866 | 1891 | ||||
97 | 50C | Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Motto Arrows | 1873 | 1874 | ||||
98 | 50C | Barber Half Dollar | 1892 | 1915 | ||||
99 | 50C | Walking Liberty Half Dollar | 1916 | 1947 | ||||
100 | 50C | Franklin Half Dollar | 1948 | 1963 | ||||
101 | 50C | Kennedy Half Dollar, Silver | 1964 | 1964 | ||||
102 | 50C | Kennedy Half Dollar, Silver Clad | 1965 | 1970 | ||||
103 | 50C | Kennedy Half Dollar, Clad | 1971 | Present | ||||
104 | 50C | Kennedy Half Dollar, Clad Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
105 | 50C | Kennedy Half Dollar, Silver Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
106 | S$1 | Flowing Hair Dollar | 1794 | 1795 | ||||
107 | S$1 | Bust Dollar, Small Eagle | 1795 | 1798 | ||||
108 | S$1 | Bust Dollar, Large Eagle | 1798 | 1804 | ||||
109 | S$1 | Liberty Seated Dollar, No Motto | 1840 | 1865 | ||||
110 | S$1 | Liberty Seated Dollar, With Motto | 1866 | 1873 | ||||
111 | S$1 | Morgan Dollar | 1878 | 1921 | ||||
112 | S$1 | Peace Dollar, High Relief | 1921 | 1921 | ||||
113 | S$1 | Peace Dollar | 1922 | 1935 | ||||
114 | $1 | Eisenhower Dollar, Clad | 1971 | 1978 | ||||
115 | $1 | Eisenhower Dollar, Silver | 1971 | 1974 | ||||
116 | $1 | Eisenhower Dollar, Clad Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
117 | $1 | Eisenhower Dollar, Silver Bicentennial | 1976 | 1976 | ||||
118 | $1 | Susan B. Anthony Dollar | 1979 | 1999 | ||||
119 | $1 | Sacagawea Dollar | 2009 | present | ||||
120 | $1 | Presidential Dollar | 2007 | 2016 | ||||
121 | S$1 | Trade Dollar | 1873 | 1878 | ||||
122 | G$1 | Gold Dollar, Type 1 | 1849 | 1849 | ||||
123 | G$1 | Gold Dollar, Type 2 | 1854 | 1856 | ||||
124 | G$1 | Gold Dollar, Type 3 | 1856 | 1889 | ||||
125 | G$2.5 | Draped Bust $2 1/2, No Stars | 1796 | 1796 | ||||
126 | G$2.5 | Draped Bust $2 1/2, Stars | 1796 | 1807 | ||||
127 | G$2.5 | Capped Bust $2 1/2, Large Bust | 1808 | 1808 | ||||
128 | G$2.5 | Capped Bust $2 1/2, Large Diameter | 1821 | 1827 | ||||
129 | G$2.5 | Capped Bust $2 1/2, Small Diameter | 1829 | 1834 | ||||
130 | G$2.5 | Classic Head $2 1/2 | 1834 | 1839 | ||||
131 | G$2.5 | Liberty Coronet $2 1/2 | 1840 | 1907 | ||||
132 | G$2.5 | Indian Head $2 1/2 | 1908 | 1929 | ||||
133 | G$3 | Indian Princess $3 | 1854 | 1889 | ||||
134 | G$5 | Draped Bust $5, Small Eagle | 1795 | 1798 | ||||
135 | G$5 | Draped Bust $5, Large Eagle | 1795 | 1807 | ||||
136 | G$5 | Capped Bust $5, Large Bust | 1807 | 1812 | ||||
137 | G$5 | Capped Head $5, Large Size | 1813 | 1829 | ||||
138 | G$5 | Capped Head $5, Small Size | 1829 | 1834 | ||||
139 | G$5 | Classic Head $5 | 1834 | 1838 | ||||
140 | G$5 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $5, No Motto | 1839 | 1866 | ||||
141 | G$5 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $5, With Motto | 1866 | 1908 | ||||
142 | G$5 | Indian Head $5 | 1908 | 1929 | ||||
143 | G$10 | Draped Bust $10, Small Eagle | 1795 | 1797 | ||||
144 | G$10 | Draped Bust $10, Large Eagle | 1797 | 1804 | ||||
145 | G$10 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $10, No Motto | 1839 | 1866 | ||||
146 | G$10 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $10, With Motto | 1866 | 1907 | ||||
147 | G$10 | Indian $10 | 1907 | 1907 | ||||
148 | G$10 | Indian $10, No Motto | 1907 | 1908 | ||||
149 | G$10 | Indian $10, With Motto | 1908 | 1933 | ||||
150 | G$20 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $20, No Motto | 1850 | 1866 | ||||
151 | G$20 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $20, TWENTY D. | 1866 | 1876 | ||||
152 | G$20 | Coronet Head (Liberty) $20, TWENTY DOLLARS | 1877 | 1907 | ||||
153 | G$20 | Saint Gaudens $20, High Relief | 1907 | 1907 | ||||
154 | G$20 | Saint Gaudens $20, No Motto | 1907 | 1908 | ||||
155 | G$20 | Saint Gaudens $20, Motto | 1908 | 1933 |