1950-1955 Proof Sets

Interesting. It appears from your picture that some have the finger slot and some don't. Are some turned the other way perhaps ?

All I can relate is my own experience. I was still searching these sets as late as 2002, and never then or in years previous did I run across one that had the finger slots. And in searching ebay now, I can find some that do and some that do not have them.

Now I suppose my mempory could play tricks on me, but I tend to remember details like that. Just like I can remember those sets where it was obvious that the box was new & the interior packaging was wrong - obviously a made up set, not original.

There were made up sets on the market back when I collected them and there are undoubtably made up sets on the market now.

 

Seems to me you've answered your own question with your 2nd sentence. So are you just looking for validation of your choice - or something else ? My answer would be OGP because for me it was OGP or nothing. But that's me.

And, you've only got 4 more to go - '50-'53 - to have the series in OGP. Or is it that you are unaware that's all you have left ? I say that because in my entire life, getting pretty close to 60 years worth of involvement in numismatics, when it comes to the '36-'42 sets I have only ever even seen 2 examples of complete sets in OGP . One a '41, the other a '42. And both of those were just in pictures, I've never seen in person. In almost 60 years that's it ! So does that give you an idea of their scarcity ? It's even possible that none of the other years still exist in OGP. And maybe not any more of those 2 either.

The theory is that pre-war there were very few collectors who wanted Proofs let alone sets, so only very, very, small numbers of complete sets were sold, if indeed sets of all dates were even sold at all. Most collectors back then were only interested in individual examples and there wasn't a whole lot of collectors like that either. '36 was the 1st time in many decades that Proofs were even produced so nobody was collecting them.

 

Well, I had all the Proof Sets back to '50, and only needed 2 of the Mint Sets from the 40's to have all of those. But I never stopped looking for the '36-'42 Proof sets, I just couldn't ever find any.

So did I consider my set complete ? No, not really. But I pretty much had to face it that the reality was - it never would be.

And just as an FYI, it was not until the end of 2014, long after I quit collecting at all, that I got see pictures of that '42 Proof Set. And that was only because a dealer member here, LostDutchman, posted pics if it when one came through his shop. Before that the '41 was the only complete set (of the early ones) I ever even saw pictures of.

 

Yeah, but nobody alive, or even their great, great grandchildren, will ever see it happen. And, at some point the coins themselves will disintegrate too.

I get what you're saying, but look at the pictures in this thread. Do any of the items look to be on the verge of disintegration, or anywhere even close to that ?

My point is this, you could keep the items original and pass them down through several generations and they will still be original.

 

And a question like that could be, stress could be, construed as to be pushing the envelope of the forum rules.

And this part is not just for you but it does apply to you in this case. When you want to ask somebody a question like that it's best to send them a PM, even if they haven't been around the forum recently. I say that because when yous end a PM that person also gets an email alert about that PM. So even if they are not visiting the forum, at least they will be aware of it and you'll stand a chance of getting a response.