US Mint Notification with 1959 Proof Set

Perhaps I'm too easily amused but I found this insert in a recently purchased 1959 proof set to be . . . well . . . amusing. Why did I purchase a 1959 proof set? Merely amusement. I have many proof sets that my daddy-o purchased directly from the US Mint in the 80s and 90s, but I have only one each from the 70s and the 60s (I think). Price was right so I took the plunge.

Anyway, for your enjoyment. I hope you are amused as well. I get the impression Rae V. Biester was receiving or responding to far too many "unnecessary correspondence" from us OCD coin collectors. Did you see that at the bottom right? The Government Printing Office (GPO) even assigned an official number to Mr. Biester's note.

 

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Ms.

 

I remember getting those with sets. Anyone know what years they were included?

 

Me too, Larry. Guess we's be showing our 'age'......

 

I think it was mainly in the proof sets from the 50's and 60's

 

My apologies to Ms. Biester. I should have known, perhaps. Thanks!

 

Well, what a coincidence. I was just today looking at my 1959 Proof Set. It was the first I bought. I still have the envelope with my name and address on it. It still has that little flyer in it and the 2 card stock inserts.

 

I'm seeing some toning or ? on the fifty-cent piece. BF looks like he has one of those modern day tattoos (German cross?) there on his cheek. I guessing that's why the price ("my price") was right. I am thinking I need to get these coins out of the "polyethylene-coated cellophane" soon (photo through the cellophane). Opinions?

 

I have that same letter in my 59 proof set. I too was amused when I read it. I bet you are correct and the mint was already tired of hearing from us sixty years ago!

 

I find it even more amusing in the fact that it appears to be a typed on a 4x6 catalog card - typed by someone on a typewriter. A typewriter! Goodness. I haven't used an actual typewriter in perhaps twenty years. I work for the feds so I actually saw one recently in an Oakland GSA office. A real live typewriter!

 

During my quest to learn more about polyethylene coated cellophane, I ran across this URL - http://atlcoin.com/atlcoinblog/2010/07/21/cellophane/. Hard to believe a call in 1956 computes to $12 per minute in today's money? Whew! I call Germany for less than two-cents per minute; it'd be free if my mother had a computer (and knew how to use it).

 

My 1959 set has the same insert message although the printing was a bit more formal.





Edited say: I just checked though all of my Proof sets from 1960 to 1964. They have the same message included in the envelope. In later years it became a pink slip instead of a blue slip.

 

@johnmilton My insert is just like yours and I know it came from the US Mint. I still have the original mailing envelope with my name and address on it.

 

Check it out! This is by @Nolan Workman back in July 2019.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1958-proof-set-bottom-shelf-in-a-local-pawnshop-18.342998/

A google search for "GPO 937256" found Nolan's post and a bunch of other results outside of CoinTalk.

 

Cool article about Rae Biester (who I looked up after reading this thread):

http://www.coinnewstoday.com/index....st-lady-of-the-philly-mint&catid=34&Itemid=71

 

You'll probably find similar note in earlier proof sets as well. Probably not in 1955's, but I would think 56 and 57 sets would be possible. Especailly 57's, that was the first year that the general public really got into buying proof sets in a big way and they wouldn't know what they were seeing and start writing the mint asking/complaining about the problem. 1955 mintage 378,200 and only part of those were flat packs, 1956 669,384, 1957 1,247,952. By 57 I would definitely expect to start seeing those cards.

And the cards were also certainly not done on a typewriter, they were probably type set and printed.

 

Buying Proof sets from the mint at the issue price of $2.10 was a profitable activity in the early to mid 1950s. People began to notice this, and the mintages increased every year until 1957 exceeded 1 million for the first time. That mintage exceeded the demand, and the wholesale price fell below the issue price for the first time at $1.81. Perhaps there were those who tried to return the sets when they saw that their investment had soured. The practice of canceling orders is quite common today when the “latest hot new mint issue” turns out to be a dud.

 

I am afraid that what you see (under the chin & above the 5) are Milk spots and there is no way to eliminate them. Not sure about the "tattoo " on his cheek. I purchased a very large collection of pre 64 prof sets several months ago and it seems like 57-58 were the years of the Milk spots. I have since removed ALL coins from the mint packaging.