Proof Set Quality Issues

I finally got the replacement 2010 set (still waiting on the 2011) and it's still got problems. It's not as bad as the other one, but there is quite a bit of spotting on two of the Presidential dollars, and there is what appears to be a cookie crumb inside the plastic with the Hot Springs quarter, and lots of other dust and debris in the plastic on all the sets. I might just live with it because I don't care that much about the Presidents... Well, one of the spotted ones is Abe, so that's a bummer, but the other is James Buchanan so he can bite it.

I don't anticipate huge appreciation for proof sets, but maybe problem-free ones are going to be rare.

It's borderline for me to send it back considering the cost of shipping, and the odds that I'll get a better one seem remote. And if I send it back now, the 2011 will come in a couple days, and then I'll have to pay to send that one back in a separate shipment when it has a hole in one of the coins or something. What is the defect rate on these anyway?

How hard is it to crack and re-close these cases to remove debris? I figure the brass dollars are gonna tone anyway, but if I can get the debris out of the cases the rest of the set will be OK.

It is too bad that there aren't more numismatic sales counters across the country. The salespeople there always let you choose among several sets the best ones the buy. Getting them in the mail and having to return them is a pain. The Mint should take a page from the RCM and sell coin products at the post office.

I'm really surprised to see some of these posts on poor quality U.S Mint coins; I've been buying proof and uncirculated packages, ASE's, commemoratives for many, many years, as presents for my youngest (and myself!), and have found them to be flawless, year after year. I had read that they were really scrutinized to catch any problems, and my experience seemed to support that. I recently stopped buying the yearly sets, as they had been Xmas presents for so long it was getting too predictable, and the prices seemed to be creeping up. Perhaps it's just the last few years that have suffered these issues, maybe too much volume or even revenue pressures?

Anyone who says die scratches will downgrade their coin doesn't know what they are talking about.

Proof sets have always been a sticking issue with me. Generally the packaging they are in reacts with the coins if they are not stored in a completely environmentally safe area. That's usually what happens to them by the time you get them - stuck for six months in a humid, hot warehouse.

I wondering if I should just try to replace the problem coins off of ebay or something instead of sending back the sets, considering I'll just get two more that suck just as bad (particularly since sales of the 2010 sets is ending.) Maybe I would have better luck on sets ordered early in the year before they've been allowed to sit around in a sea-cave or wherever their warehouse is. With free shipping, I can probably get the handful I need almost as cheap as three more round trips to the mint with these sets.

Captian I've had to send back many orders from the US MINT. The one that still drives me crazy is a 2010 PF SAE with two finger prints on the COIN! Their just partials but none the less finger prints. How the Helium do they get finger prints on them. I know someone wasn't doing their job! But stick to your guns! Don't settle for anything less then quality coins. Thats why your buying them! I've had to send back a few things more than once. I've never gone over three, and ever sense I started writing descriptive issues on the return paper (Use the back too) I've received a quality return the first round. The cases are not hard at all to open. Its just like opening a airtight, But you have corners to start out on. You might find yourself going round and round. When you get the first corner slightly opened use a finger nail or something to prop it open as you lift the other sides. Cause if you don't. As you lift one side the other goes back down. I've cursed the maker a few times. I can't stand looking through a foreign material to look at the coins. And also be careful where you set the open case down at, cause it will attract anything loose enough and fly right in, leaving you with a major mess. Must be a lint free microfiber cloth or something similar to wipe out lenses. Something like a paper towel will leave tons of fibers behind. Hope this helps! I thought they were all sealed like a slabbed coin, but their not! I think if you write a letter on your return form in a kind but direct way, asking them to please send you a replacement that will match the quality your use to seeing from them;0 Good Luck let us know how it goes.

Hmm, I just looked over the note I had written. I could be a little less nasty... The part about "if you can't provide a set of acceptable quality, just refund my credit card and I'll collect Canadian proof sets instead" was probably a bit much.

Finally, the 2010 set is OK! It only took them three tries and a couple months of trying, but it looks good!