I have been considering the purchase of around 20 of the most common US Proof Sets from the 60s going forward. I realize they are not an investment and may never appreciate in value. My reasons for choosing them are twofold: 1) They are attractive yet inexpensive. When I was a kid I enjoyed them and still do. 2) They would be one avenue, along with US State quarters, to get a kid started in collecting. By buying a bunch of different ones at once from a dealer I would save on shipping. 20 sets, including shipping, would run about $126, or $6.30 each. Making too big of a project to accumulate them does not interest me a great deal. We can play with quarters from change to achieve that aspect of the hobby. Do you folks think this is a reasonably cost effective way to get them without a lot of shopping? Any other suggestions as to how to buy them? Actually any thoughts from you experts would be appreciated. Last night I spent some time reading forums topics and was impressed with the depth of knowledge the community has.
Welcome to the neighborhood, BJ! I see nothing wrong with what you want to do. Even though you will probably not find any super valuable coins, you just never know. An acquaintance of mine was at one of the largest shows in the country when he stumbled across a dealer who had one of the "No S" proof sets and the dealer didn't even know it's true value. He paid $10 for it and flipped it for a quick four-figure profit. At that price, you really can't go wrong. If you decide to buy them, wait until you've had a chance to examine them and if they are in good shape, you might want to see if that dealer can provide you with other proof set bargains. If you've got a good thing going, stay with it. Chris
http://www.harlanjberk.com/unitedstatesco/text.asp?title=Proof+Set&inventorygroup=us has proof sets at a pretty reasonable price and really havent seen many other online sites beat their prices Another good site I have bought from is www.cheapslabs.com
I went to the Harlanjberk site and unfortunately the set on this page: http://www.harlanjberk.com/unitedst...&title=Proof+Set&inventorygroup=us&linenum=18 isn't a proof set. I wonder what's up with that? As for the OP, what you are doing sounds like a good plan and a relatively inexpensive method for accumulating what you want. After you receive your sets, take some time to view each one and perhaps perhaps take some time to determine what's good or bad about each set. It'll give you a starting point for deciding which sets to replace with "better" sets in the future. Collecting Proof Sets can be accomplished by anybody with enough free cash but collecting "primo" proof sets requires some patience and searching.
I think their price on the 2000 mint set is in error as well as the price on the 1996 Silver Premier Proof set.
Thanks to all for your helpful answers. I plan to go to a coin show tomorrow to look around. Then I will probably order the 20 proof sets and start getting back into the hobby. I think that coin collecting is great for adults, but it is even better to teach a lot of good skills to kids. Again, thanks to all who responded.
UPDATE: Today at the coin show there was a dealer who had a large number of proof sets. After some discussion he sold me 19 of the most common sets (68,69,70,71,73,76,77,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89, and 92) for $90 ($4.74 each). That worked for me. Now I'd like to figure out a way to display them on the wall without the case costing more than the sets do. Thanks to all for your help.
Most coin stores have a good selection of mint and proof sets. I would just visit a few stores (or a local coin show) and cherrypick nice ones.
1968-1992 proof setsd I am only missing a 1990 set to have a 25 year consecutive run from 1968-1992. I may get the 1990 set tomorrow, but I thought I'd post the sets I have gotten so far in the frame. The whole project, starting out with three sets and purchasing 22 along with the display case, ends up costing me $180.
