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 Replies: 21 / Views: 2,455 |
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
I'm very new to coin collecting, and this is my first post to the board, too. (Hi everybody!) My dad was the collector in our family, and he left me some silver proof sets. I'm interested in adding to this collection, and have been looking at older proof sets on ebay. I'm seeing lots of sellers advertise 50s & 60s proof sets as "unopened," i.e., the envelope has never been unsealed. Is this better than a set with an unsealed envelope? Then the seller says there could be very rare coins inside worth thousands of dollars, which, right away, activates my BS detector. I'm thinking this is bunk because who in their right mind would sell something so potentially valuable without making sure they weren't practically giving it away? I want the nicest proofs I can find, but don't want to get taken. Any advice from more experienced collectors on buying silver proof sets would be greatly appreciated. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
That's a scam. You can go out and buy the envelopes and put the mint set in them and say "Unopened" and people believe it and they sell for a premium. Your best bet would be to go to a coin shop or show and look for them there, because you'll have more or a selection and you can actually see how they look like in person, and deal with the blurry, detail less ebay pictures. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1283 Posts |
I'm not a proof collector myself, but I have talked with my dealer about them. Basically they ARE considered more desirable if it has not been opened. But the problem is you have to really know what you're doing to do the diagnostics to determine. One example is, on older proof sets (which came in plastic bags) examine the staples.
If you don't know what you're doing I would just assume all proof sets are NOT in the original package.
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New Member
 United States
4 Posts |
Thank you so much for responding! Think I will leave ebay to the experts and just find a reputable local dealer to buy my coins from. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
So what years were you thinking about getting?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1231 Posts |
Most of the proof set from that time period, that came in envelopes were never sealed when shipped from the mint.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1283 Posts |
pilgrimsoul, You don't necessarily have to be an expert, but you do need to be well educated. If you learn as much as you can about coins and ebay itself and it can be a great place to buy coins. Every single one of my major purchases were from ebay, with one exception but even that was online. |
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Valued Member
United States
411 Posts |
 I've gotten a lot of nice coins from ebay. I've also gotten a lot of overrated, damaged, cleaned, etc., coins off ebay. Always look at a seller's feedback, both the percent and the number of feedbacks. And always always always look for the seller's return policy. Anyway, welcome. You can learn a lot from hanging around these forums.  I have. |
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Valued Member
United States
455 Posts |
Hey Pilgrim....
(I always wanted to say that)
Welcome!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1952 Posts |
there is no such thing as an unopened mint or proof set. the mint has never taken the time to seal the envelopes that was done by either the seller owner or humidity. but the mint has never sealed a single envelope
it is a scam thought up by an unscrupulous seller somewhere in time
Gary
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
Please dont buy those unopened mint or proof sets since they trying to hide coins with bad spots or something wrong them. They can take an 6 dollar mint set such as 1971 mint set coins. Put them reproduction envolope say an 1955 and sale it for 75 to 125 bucks. In those auctions they offer no returns if they are opened. I made that mistake with those I bought before. My coins was tarnished or spoted in serval proof sets I bought like that before. I did later buy sets that was opened on ebay and got an good deal on them to replace the bad sets I bought. chevrolet454ss |
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Rest in Peace
United States
3730 Posts |
I have quite a few proof sets from the 1960's, all came from the mint, I think for about $2.50 each (at the time I bought them), and none were sealed.
Edited by Gary Burke
09/02/2007 02:16 am
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
amazon, I was thinking about collecting all of the proof sets from the 50s, 60s & 70s, but have no idea yet how expensive that acquisition might be. Hopefully not in the crazy expensive range! Right now I have some Prestige sets from the 80s and 90s.
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Forum Mom
 United States
5877 Posts |
Since these sets were originally shipped some sealed and some not, there is no way to know for sure if they have truly not been opened. Quite frankly, when I get any of these to sell, I open them so that I know what I'm selling. I don't think that purchasing coins should be a gamble. If I wanted to gamble, I'd go to Las Vegas.  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
quote:
If I wanted to gamble, I'd go to Las Vegas.
But Atlantic City is much closer, and you could stop here for a beer. Of course, being here is the precise reason why I don't gamble.... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
651 Posts |
Hi Pilgrim, You made a great decision to start here. If you are interested then might I recommend your next step be to pick up a price guide like Red Book or Krause for around $15. Their prices may not be perfect but they'll give you a baseline for pricing. You can also search e-bay for completed auctions and get some price ideas there. BTW, cheerish what your Dad left even if you change collecting habits. It's not the $$ value he left but something much more. Good Luck, Ken |
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,455 |
Posted 09/01/2007 4:04 pm
