Proof Set Question

1936-1970 Proof & mint sets were 90% silver till 1965 when the Kennedy half dollar was the only 40% silver & 10c+25c were clad or copper nickel till 1970. 1992 they started back with 90% silver Proof set half & 10c + 25c are 90% silver

im thinking about starting to collect the silver state hood quarter proof sets in PCGS PF69 plastic. is this a good idea? or at least an ok one? I'm with the OP, not trying to get rich but I do want to buy things that if I ever had too, I could get most of my money back out.

j-easy,
It would depend on how ambitious you are? The 1999 thru 2001 silver proof sets, might make it a little intimidating due to the prices, but if you can get passed those, you can find deals on the others. Plus since 2004 they have made the quarters available by themselves if you aren't interested in the other denominations.

It seems like everyone has answered your questions about silver content in proof coins..

As far as collecting them I do..I love the look!

My personal collection includes every issue back to 1951...the sets prior to that are extremely rare and quite pricey (even the 51, 52 and 53 are quite pricey).

And as for appreciation vs. depreciation, the coins will generally bring at least purchase price (with a few exceptions in recent years but this will change as the years pass too). Silver proof sets have appreciated more because of the boom in the price of silver, this is reflected in the US Mint's rising prices to purchase these sets as well. Proof sets go up and down in value with demand and market pressures.

An example:
In mid 2004 the 1996 Prestige proof set had a "greysheet" (that is a dealer to dealer price guide) ask of 650.00
Currently that same set has an ask of @ 450.00.

On the other hand the 2004 Silver Proof set had an original issue price of 37.95 and (although recently going up because of the silver) had a recent greysheet ask price of 29.00

Proof sets are generally down in price right now (compared to 2004) BUT they are starting to increase again..so as an investment..not too bad!

The original set from the US Mint was less than $30, I don't recall the exact issue price though someone here will probably correct me.

quote:

---

I bought all the 80's at well below the mint price at the time

---

I forgot to mention there was a great lull in coin collecting for many reasons and due to overproduction and lack of interest all the proof sets from 1973 or so to @ 1990 are very inexpensive and for the most part can be purchased well below issue prices.

i have only been collecting for about 10 years now, and I have ammassed several icg pf70 silver and clad State Quarters sets, as well as an almost full set of icg ms70 eagles. the cost at the time versus the sell price over the past few years has allowed me to add to my silver eagle collection, ie... 1999 silver State Quarters pf70 purchased in 2000 for 180.00, sells for 350-500, my point being that if you arrive to the game late, you will pay the price. Start early and sell late!!

"A friend at work gave me an inventory of his proof and mint sets he bought directly from the mint starting in 1971 that included the price he paid at the time. I have to go back and tell him today that they are right around the same price or a little less than he bought them for. On a positive note, he also bought the 1991 gold American Eagle 4 piece set for 999.00 from the mint so he has almost doubled his money on that set. I guess he could pull out the sets and see if there are any sets without the mintmark on the dime that would really make his day as these are quite valuable.

It is remarkable how cheaply these sets sell. The '74 mint set is only 20% over face value for coins which are almost impossible to find except in this set. Indeed all of the nicest cents through half dollars from this date come from the mint set. There's a DDO Kennedy which appears in ~6% of sets. The combined value of the coins in a typical set exceed the value of an intact set. But it's this way almost across the board for most of the mint and proof sets; they get no respect until they are cut up.

This has caused vast quantities to be destroyed and eventually the day will come that there just aren't enough new sets coming on the market to satisfy the demand for the parts or the entire set.

I always recommend checking the sets for those building modern collections. Nice coins can be found without paying the huge premiums for slabbed coins or even the premium for singles.

I have all of the proof sets, since 1987, when I started seriously collecting, and from 1992 with the silver. I also don't collect them for the value, I think its cool to have them, and then look every so often to see what they are worth.

I agree with BobK, that they are affordable if you get them now, and the most you can lose on them is the purchase price, which will never happen, but they can more than double in value in the long run.