Canada 150: 2017 Special Edition Proof Set

I was not going to bother with this set initially. I have never, in fact in my life, bought a proof set of anything as I am not into that sort of thing.

With the Mint sold out I had to go to a local place and pay $20 more than initial issue price but I had a few silver badly worn circulation coins that I had collected/obtained at face value which I sold for $46 above face there, so that reduced my price to $204.

I have a couple of questions that perhaps pertain to all recent proof sets - at least it applies to this one for me.
There is a protective film over the front and back of the "plastic-plexi" case. There are tiny bubbles in spots under the film. I know they are not on the coins or hard plastic case as when I peeled the film back, everything is perfect.

(1) How vital is it that I keep that protective film on there? Is there great risk of damaging the "plastic" case if I don't keep that film on there? (2) Were I to ever remove the coins from the folder, to store coins separately or sell in parts, is there a trick to opening the case to get the coins out?

I likely will keep this set intact and am happy with my purchase but I hope someone can answer my questions.

@punman: Regarding the protective film, it is there to help prevent scratches to the plastic lens - the film is not meant to protect the coins in the set, that is the job of the plastic lens. It is not vital to protecting the set long-term - the plastic lens is reasonably scratch resistant.

I generally keep the film on each set I own while it is being stored (no harm in doing so) but remove it when I take the set out to show others.

Regarding removing the coins from the plastic lens, someone else will need to reply as I haven't attempted to do so with any of my sets.

@punman I've always presumed the protective film is there to ensure the plastic insert doesn't get scratched before it's in the hands of the owner.

It's easier to remove proof coins than one might think.
The first thing to do is carefully slide, either up or down, the entire plastic insert out from the spine. If you look closely, you'll notice only one end of the spine is open. The other is plugged. Sometimes it takes a bit of yanking but as long as one is attempting to slide it through the opening, it will be removed in one piece. As an aside, some collectors store only the insert and it makes collecting and storing proof sets much less bulky. The insert can easily be slid back into the case.

To open the insert use a craft knife and carefully insert it at the seam, near the corners, gently wedging the insert open. It's not glued, it's held together by a plastic adjoining pieces. Nothing should be damaged and it's easy to put it back together as well.

Thanks for the clarification on the protective film and the hints for coin removal although I will not be doing that anytime soon or ever - it is just nice to know about.

Are most of you who purchased this set happy with it? Any of you wish you bought more than one or conversely wishing you waited for later in the year for something else?

Sorry, but I am not sure what this has to do with my question about the 2017 Special Commemorative Silver Proof Set?

Okay - now I see the connection.

Yeah - I kind of felt the same about the silver dollar when I saw it in print. That is why I delayed buying this set. I warmed up to it when I saw it in person. Would have preferred it was the voyageur theme though. The other 2017 classic set - they could have put the voyageur dollar on that one to go with the beaver, caribou and so on - instead of some allegorical figure symbolism I don't get (I literally won't get it).

Like I said, I have never bought silver year sets before. This might be a one-only for me.

I do have the two 2003 commemorative silver dollars and the 2010 because they all have the voyageur theme.