Americana Series Question?

Exactly. These kinds of sets are 'created' by some private company with profit as their only goal. The coins inserted in these sets are often very low value common coins in either low grade circulated condition or cleaned to make them appear nicer to novice collectors. They are basically a 'hook' to the unknowing. For the better part they are sold on late-night cable shows and are worth half or less of the selling price.

One thing to keep in mind is that many of these sets have silver coins in them. At the time they were put together, silver value was very low and the coins were basically worthless. Now, however, they can be worth quite a lot when sold for melt value.

I bought one such set years ago consisting of an extremely worn Barber half, quarter and dime (as well as a worn Indian Head cent and a Liberty nickel). At the time, I probably paid $5.99 or so (including shipping), which was much more than they were worth. A few months ago, though, I sold the three Barber coins together as "scrap silver" for $33.