A Lifetime of Mint Sets

Well, I've decided I need to pare down my coin collecting budget, but I still need an interesting goal to attain... So I think I'm going to try my hand at collecting every mint set made since the year I was born... 1981. I already have an '81. Anybody else out there trying this?

It should be an interesting collection... I like the fact that 1981 was the last year of the SBA and the 1970s packaging style, so it would even have some great visual appeal to see a collection of mint sets ranging from the old-style white envelopes and lighter-colored red and blue color-coding strips up to the current multi-colored, graphical packaging (which, I agree, is WAAAaaaay overpriced. $32 for a mint set?)

I bought my first mint set in 1993 and I had a 1995 -- which I sold not long after. Though they're cheap sets anyway, I do wish I hadn't let go of them. The 1993 was my first mint product I ever ordered and I bought the 1995 AT the Philadelphia mint! Oh well, at least I'll be able to "get them back" in this mint set collection!

Thanks for letting me bend your ear :smile

 

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If you want a challenge there are a couple varieties that are tough. There's an '81 set with a type "d" reverse quarter. This is most easily seen in the distance between the left side of the "N" in "UNUM" and the eagle's head. It's much greater on the type "d". It accounts for about 1 set in 160.

There's also an '88-P half with rotation up to 180 degrees. It's about 1 set in 120.

If you look at more than a few sets try to find nice choice sets. These get tough after 1979 to find as all gem but all choice isn't too tough.

 

This thought has crossed my mind, but, as the poster above said, it's hard to get nice looking sets, and I don't trust an eBay seller to give me anything good lol. I definitely might pick up a few nice sets every time I go to a show or store that has them.

 

Great points -- thanks for the input. I thought of trying to look for any varieties as CladKing mentioned. There are certainly some opportunities for cherry picking in that sense, though, yes, many poor quality sets. It would be great to have some real gems in this collection, which might prove to be the real challenge!!

 

I'm just starting a collection of 1965 to date. I'm picking them all out individually, a lot of the mint set coins are real ugly (spots and haze)

 

Hamman, I've mulled the idea of doing a 1965-to-date collection. What a great basis for picking up the 40% Kennedys and the 1976 silver set. Good luck on building that collection. I'm sure it will look beautiful once you get all the sets up to the current year!

 

And then the proof sets... and all the modern sets in albums... and the southern civil war tokens .... and then a hi-grade type set. Then i'll be done!!! Oh wait, then there's upgrades!

 

Hamman, it sounds like you and I have the same definitions of a "complete" coin collection (ha ha!!!)

 

Sage advice. I absolutely refuse to buy proof or mint sets online anywhere. You must see these in person to make sure the set was stored properly. I venture to say at least 90% of all sets have been improperly stored at some point because folks think they are actually sealed and protected in mint packaging. WRONG

Coinman1981 - Make sure you look at every coin in each set closely with a loupe. Be very picky and don't rush. There's plenty of sets out there to choose from. I've often tossed every single set aside at dealers or shows. When the magic one comes to you finally...... you'll be excited and know you're on the way to putting together a quality set and not just a set. :smile

 

Same here, I can't decide what to do! I have an idea of what I want, then I walk into the shop and I get lots of new ones XD

 

The only Uncirculated Mint or Proof sets I buy online are pre-1964 because I know they will have 90% silver in case the coins are duds. I want to collect every mint & proof set from 1964 back to the beginning (1946 & 1936 respectively). That should take me the rest of my life

 

If a seller will let you mix and match it can go a lot faster. Many don't care if you take a Philly packet from one set and a Denver from another as long as you leave his sets in good shape. You might even have an extra envelope or two so can take sets he has without envelopes. This can lower your cost and make dealers a lot more cooperative.

 

That will be a nice set run to put together.

I did a proof set run from 1958 - present, and SMS 65-67; 10 years ago and it was a lot of fun.

 

try finding indian proof sets in high quality and you will end up sorry

 

Really!?!

My luck with quality of Indian proof sets must be exceedingly good. I can't seem to find the '69 set with a superb or even choice 10R but most of my other sets are really nice. I even have a superb '54 set. The '50 sets I've seen are pretty awful though I've seen very few.

 

Having never purchased many mint sets or proof sets via mail-order dealers, I definitely will go to a brick-and-mortar coin dealer to buy these sets. While I realized that may of the sets are poor-quality, I had not realized how epidemic the problem is until reading the posts here.

Thank you all for taking the time to share your insight.

 

Coinman, I also did what you are now planning to do. I was born in 85 and collected every set from then to present. Now, every birthday I'm sure I'll get the next year's mint set as a gift. I don't have much to add. In my collection I accpeted that all the coins may not be perfect. I simply asked my dealer to bring me 5-10 mint sets and I simply picked out the best one. I will say that after years of mint sets I was burned out. I know that the pre-1985 may be readily available, but I'm still burnt out on them. I wish you the best in collecting 81-present. It is truly satisfying knowing you have one example of every US coin from your birth though.

 

'99..... Although, none were minted in between those years

 

It's not so much that the sets out there are bad as it is that when these sets were made most of them are quite mediocre. In this case "mediocre" really isn't bad most of the time. The mint set coins are usually far superior to the roll coins so even a typical set tends to be a decent bet for a serviceable coin.

But only about one mint set in three will contain even a single gem coin. One in ten will have nice choice coins with a gem or two. One in a hundred will have all gem or near gem prior to 1980. After 1979 gemmy sets get much less common. I believe this is because they started packaging with machines and the human touch was lost. Gem sets become no more common than their probaility would indicate and in many cases this might mean there are no all gem sets. '92-D stands out as one of the worst.

Additionally there is a problem with spotting and tarnish. This primarily affects the older sets but the '84-D is getting pretty bad because of the penny.

Lastly there's a problem with cherry picking. This isn't nearly as big a problem as some people think because there is a steady flow of fresh sets onto the market by the original purchasers and a steady drain of picked over sets by the wholesalers who cut them up to assemble rolls and denominational sets. Mint sets are the source of almost all BU singles being sold and have been since the mid-'70's. But there is enough demand and enough lingering supply of some sets that the picked over sets accumulate on the market a little. Don't expect to open a dealer's SMS and find a cameo. These were scarce even back in 1967 and two generations of cherry pickers haven't made them any more common. Don't expect to find either a gem kennedy or a small date cent in a '70 set. These are picked over pretty quickly. For the main part the gem Ikes are going to be a big rarity. Of course gem Ikes have always been a big rarity but now even the near gems and choice specimens are getting picked out. Forget a gem unless you have a fresh bunch of sets.

Later sets aren't as bad but any set with a large premium is far more likely to be cherry picked than sets with discounts since premium sets aren't destroyed in large batches by wholesalers.

The '81 set is very high mintage but one of the more "fun" sets since there are so many interesting coins in it. The S dollar is a killer with only about 3% of sets having a choice coin with near gems and gems being scarce. The Philly quarter will make you tear your hair out since only a few have nice smooth surfaces and most of these are scratched up. The Denver half comes nice but is tough. The type "d" quarter even can have a PL reverse. The cents have a small tarnish problem.