Proof And Mint Set Question

Were they consecutive years all the way from 62 to 05 ?

any of them silver sets ?

Metalman

I think I still have the list in my briefcase and will check on the years when I get home and will let you know, Rick.
Jim

I can't answer for others but my fascination with these coins runs very very deep. The first thing you need to understand is that most of the coins from these sets are available nowhere else!! This is a tough concept for most old line collectors to wrap their minds around but it's very true. All the proof coins can be found only in these sets and most of the mint set coins weren't saved in rolls and bags. Even singles are tough because there were very few collectors. This applies to almost all the dimes and quarters, the majority of the nickels and many of the halfs and dollars. Even a few of the cents can be difficult in rolls.

But this is just the surface of the matter. Perhaps the most important consideration lies in the reason the coins are so tough in rolls; horrid quality. Most of the coins made for circulation over the last 42 years are poorly struck from worn dies so people didn't save them. Of course very few were interested anyway but the poor quality was a big turn off. Mint set coins are made by new dies, at lower speeds, and under greater pressure. Most are well made and a few are well preserved.

Mintages of the mint sets was high but attrition over the years has been staggering. These sets have been cut up for decades and the bulk of the coins returned to circulation. In the '80's and '90's when these sets were coming into coin shops in large numbers the value of the sets was less than the face value of the coins in them. Dealers would get out the scissors and dump the coins in the cash register. They didn't pay any attention to gems in those days so they just used the coins to get customer attention and make a little extra money by buying their Ikes for 80c.

There are increasing numbers of people collecting sets of moderns and it can be difficult for sellers to keep all these coins in stock. Since quality is often poor in the sets there are many collectors who are seeking sets with a nice Philly cent or a gem Denver half. The sets are still getting destroyed but now some or most of the coins are surviving the ordeal. This has some people interested in saving complete sets since they believe these might become scarce. And there are those who are collecting these sets as well.

This is one of my favorite aspects of the sets; the incidence of sets with all gem coins is higher than mere chance would dictate. It seems apparent that the mint attempted to make some better sets before 1980. Finding such sets is fun but looking can be a real hoot.

Whatever you're seeking though and however you're trying to find it, if it's modern then the first place to look is in the proof and mint sets. But it can't end there since some coins are excessively rare in the sets or don't appear at all.

I don't know what collectors are going to do for 1968-P cents. The BU roll coins are ugly and the mint set coins are all corroded now. About 5% aren't too bad but even these have carbon spots and they'll just get bigger and bigger.

Nice '68 cents may never be rare but you might have people busting down your door for 'em. There are millions of wheat collections but few memorial sets. This will probably change with the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln fast approaching as well as the day that the mint can't afford to try to keep these in circulation.

My only thought with using aluminum foil is the chenical reaction that will take place. Dis-similar metals always react, and will plroduce corrosion of some type.
Dick

A lot of oldtimers used to swear by the aluminum foil trick. I can't say for sure if it works but I don't think I'd try it.

I have seen rolls that have been wrapped up for 50 years in aluminum foil which when they were opened looked absolutely great. But I don't know how most of them were stored. They may have stayed nice because of where they were stored and not the foil. (The one roll that I do know how it was stored, was stored in an old military ammo box and those are pretty airtight. So no fresh reactants or moisture coming in. They would have probably stayed nice no matter how they were stored.)

If they had been stored badly such as in a moist environment, the two dissimilar metals in contact with moisture would have resulted in electrolytic corrosion.

I suspect the only pieces we see today are the success stories that didn't develop corrosion over the years and which were broken up long ago. since all we see are the good ones, the myth is perpetuated.

I agree that it has been a good thread. It has renewed my interest in the Proof and Mint sets that I have. Thanks from here too.