Does anyone else hate proof sets?

I agree with you. Although I find many proof coins attractive, I've never really appreciated (or respected, maybe) the concept. Rather than business coinage that serves a purpose in daily commerce, proof coins strike me as sort of a smug monument to money. To each his own, as they say.

 

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Yes + No price :devil:+ new style engraving I don't like.
But to keep a few sets update I still buy one each year.
this year Sac Proof dollar is one of the best Rev in Sac series

 

The proof sets from the Mint are not entombed, and the lenses can be easily opened to remove the coins for placement in 2x2s, mylar flips, submission to TPGs, etc.

 

One thing I dislike about the silver proof set packaging, is that I've found quite a few coins that have damaged reeding from being pushed into and/or being removed from the paper and foam insert...

 

Thanks for the reminder. That proof coin is one of the reasons I will probably pick up a proof set this year.

 

"Hate", is a very strong word. I don't think proof sets can muster that much emotion out of me.

 

With you there. For the investor types, I'd think it'd actually make it less valuable as a set. But you never know, in 50 years, it may be a hit. Ha! I sometimes take the coins out (which may be bad - I do it carefully).

 

yet I am strangely compelled to buy them every year

 

I no longer buy them and the withdrawal has not been that bad from the habit. Actually had a complete set of 1953 to 2009 with multiples of all dates after 1964 until I kicked the habit.

 

I agree. I don't usually buy proofs, but this is one I did pick up. Personally, I like all the Sac dollars.
Guy

 

I have gone on a couple of ebay buying binges for proofs sets and I hate myself after. Does that count?

 

When I first got into collecting about a year and a half ago, I for some reason thought I needed to buy every proof set out there, and had all years from 1964-2011. Then I realized that there was no good way to display them unless I bought expensive Eagle albums, and I didn't like keeping them all tucked away in boxes. So less than a year after I bought them, I sold them and managed to roughly break even. The only proof sets I have now two I'm holding onto for my little girls... a 2009 silver proof set and a 2012 silver proof set, marking the year of their respective births.

That being said, I like proof coins, so my personal compromise was to build a modern proof type set of NGC-graded coins, essentially defining a "modern" to be coins with an actual person on them (Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington, Franklin, Kennedy, Ike, Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, etc.) plus an ASE. It won't be a true type set in that I won't be getting every state quarter and ATB reverse and every Presidential Dollar for the set, but I've compromised there limiting the state quarters to Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, and New Mexico (states in which either my wife or I have lived), limited the ATB's to Acadia and Volcanoes (each of which have a personal significance to me), and limited the prezzies to Washington and Lincoln (because they're Washington and Lincoln -- we used to get a day off school for EACH guy's birthday when I was a kid). Also, where possible, the set includes or will include a silver coin (e.g., 1942P nickel, 1964 dime, 1964 quarter, all state and ATB quarters in silver, 1964 half, 40%-silver Ike and 40%-silver bicentennials).

As for display, I'm putting them in Lighthouse Certified Coin pages - the set when complete will require 5 of these pages. I'm about 8 coins away from completion, and doing this set has been more fun and more challenging then simply buying proof sets. Plus each year, there's at least one more coin to add to the set (Sacagawea dollar).

Anyhoo, if you like proofs, but dislike proof sets I'd try something like this, or like others have said, pop them out and put them into albums or 2x2's.

 

I am not a fan of proof sets myself. I dont mind proofs that are commemoratives but yearly proofs of modern circulating coinage I detest.

 

They make excellent gifts which encourage YNs. Inexpensive and pretty, and relates to their birth year, graduation, etc.

 

I agree. It may also be why I personally didn't like them, since they felt like coins non-collectors collected.

However, I don't "detest" ANY coin. If I don't care for them, that's cool, leaves more for those who do love them. Just like most here would hate the coins I collect today, I just don't care for coins made just to be sold to collectors. Neither side is right.

 

"...coins non-collectors collected." Love that. Which is why I think SILVER proof sets are cool

 

Nobody hates ancients, Chris. They just scare people because we can't read the writing on them.
Guy

 

Most ancient collectors cant read them either

Some, like romans, use abbreviations on many.

 

Not enough to start a thread about it.