Gilly's ASE Collection

To begin with the non-bullion.
For the start, it was all pretty mundane, just the bullion and the S Proof.
I can add that the original price on the Proof was $21. The following year it went up $2 to $23 and stayed at that price until 1998.
Pic is my image from when I was doing a weekly ASE "report" for a forum I'm on. One thing that's cool is how they had an image of that years Proof ASE each year, so each year was a unique image.

Very nice. The BU's are well presented. The Proofs are pretty as well. Thanks for posting.

Thanks. In the first pic that the box is opened, shows the only Achilles heel of this set up. Notice they are are crooked. They move around, just sitting in the box! Had to straighten out my ladies for the close ups.

For 1993 I decided to really just copy and paste the weekly report I posted awhile back online. I think it was written fairly well for someone with a 13th grade education. Will then post up the same pictures from my collection, hope you like it:
Ok, so just one more year to go through for awhile. Next up, 1993.
Have to back pedal a year to 1992. The US Mint was established in 1792 and the first coins minted in 1793 in Philadelphia. To put this in my own words, the mint sort of wanted to do something special to commemorate the bicentennial. A movement to make a 3 coin silver set, which would require an act of Congress, failed. There were a few things that they could do without an act of Congress. In 1992 they issued both a 1 1/2" and 3" bronze medal dual dated 1792-1992. The obverse featured an engraving of the portrait "Washington Inspecting the First Coins". The reverse is a collage of 15 coins.
One thing that the numismatists picked up on is an error in the Washington quarter. The collage shows the obverse with the S mint mark. In 1932 the mint mark was on the reverse.
As an aside the mint also started minting silver proof sets in 1992. They were authorized to do so in 1990, but didn't start until '92. The mint used marketing to make it sound like they were issuing the silver sets to commemorate the mints bicentennial, although there was no mention of the bicentennial on any of the packaging or OGP of the silver sets. At any rate, the silver sets were very popular and of course continue to this day.
In 1993 the mint started minting the proof ASE in Philadelphia. I'm not sure if this was due to the workload San Francisco mint was now under due to producing the silver mint sets, this would be my speculation though. San Francisco did also continue to mint bullion ASEs.

The following year, the mint continued to celebrate the bicentennial (assuming the bicentennial of the first minting in 1793).
The mint started producing the
The Philadelphia Set consisted of a 90% silver version of the prior years bronze medal, with the word "Philadelphia" taking the place of the dual date, so this is undated. The error on the reverse involving the mint mark on the Washington quarter was corrected. In addition the silver version also displayed the Philadelphia mint mark, where the bronze versions didn't.
Production of the medal and therefore the Philadelphia Set was 12,689.
The set also consisted of a proof 1993 American Gold Eagle in 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 oz and a 1993 proof Silver Eagle, all with Philadelphia mint marks.
So there you have it, the first time an ASE was offered other than as a bullion coin or individual proof. Nothing that sets the coin itself apart from the normal 1993.
One thing to note, is the toning the ASE especially shows in this set. The medal not as much. My speculation is that it may be more prevalent on the ASE due to the different composition compared to the 90% medal. The coins are not individually encapsulated, the early Limited Edition Silver proof sets display similar toning problems I believe due to the same reason. They are like Whitman albums with a plastic sheet on each side.
Hope you enjoyed the little bit of back story leading up to this set.

Just a few extra notes, since I did this review of 1993 awhile ago.
EDIT: Original issue cost of the Philadelphia Set was $499. Mintage/number of sets was 12,689.
On any prospective set your may be looking at, you almost have to expect a certain amount of toning on the ASE at least. I didn't really mention the gold eagles in the set, in this one there is no $50/1oz as there is in the 10th anniversary. If you find a set without toning if the ASE, it is very suspect, although removal of the ASE works be very difficult without damaging the OGP.
The set is mainly sought after for the silver Bicentennial medal.
It's a significant set as the first mint set with an ASE in it. I'm not much of an AGE collector. Just the ones that also contained ASEs, which did happen a few times, plus one very special AGE set, which will come soon. I believe this is probably the first special set with gold eagles as well.
Collecting the bronze medals were fun and decided to add those to compliment the Philly Set. Prices in those you have to shop out. The 1.5" isn't too bad, the 3" I had to shop quite awhile to find one with a down to earth price. I did have to try a couple capsule versions before I found one that really fit properly. The 3" has a very unique finish, I've heard it described as sand blasted, that's pretty much what it looks like.
Ever since I got the 3" I've referred to it as my "bronze manhole cover". Thing is huge!

Dan, Welcome to the Coin Collecting Family,

Could you explain the Title of the Set presented, Is the Set you show Named , I have Never Seen or Heard of this Set before Today,

This Forum is Full of Experienced, Skilled, Sometimes Short and Testy, But Knowledgeable Coin Collectors. In 1993 mintage for Proofs was 405, 913 out of Philly, Yours is a 1993 Proof, No ? Nice Looking Medal Too.

Looks like an Altered Old Prestige Set... Is it possible some one at some time took a Old Prestige Case, like the one You show and Placed one of the 405, 913 Philly Proofs in it, and added the Gold and Medal, ?

I collected the Entire American Silver Eagle Series, of All Mint Marked Coins, No Bullion, ....Set Seems Strange....
I have Also Never seen a Gold Presentation set With Out the I ounce $50.00 Coin Present. Have you Ever seen Another like this, I appreciate in Advance, your time and Efforts, Mike.

If you could, zoom in on the picture of the set showing the box lid. Yes it is named, it is not something I put together at all. Production was about 13,000 sets.
But yes this is where I draw lines on completeness. It's a 1993P proof, there is nothing unique about the coin, it's just that it's a complete OGP set.
The official name is the Philadelphia Set, often referred to as the Philadelphia Bicentennial set, again it was to celebrate the bicentennial of the Philly mint.
It was the only way to get the silver medal contained in it.
As to the gold, no idea why the mint left out the 1oz, I'd guess to make it more affordable.
I agree it generally looks like a Prestige set of this era. I'm glad they changed course for 1995 or we'd be looking at a lot of toned up 95Ws! Then they did it this way again for the Limited Edition sets, the dummies!
But I do like researching and I'd never heard of this set either! I already had my 10th anniversary set and was looking around online and like WTH is this thing!?
As far as my collection, yes, you definitely WILL see sets with ASEs in them that were also available as a separate issue like this. I started going for just one of every ASE issued, but starting loving the sets and wanted you get every SET, not just every coin, and I did get complete sets, too. Bear to store though.