I'm looking to start my own coin collection, and I figured a decent place to start would be to buy the U.S. Government Proof Sets that are issued every year. From my understanding, these are just a few coins (I've seen 4-5) that are packaged nicely in what looks to be an air tight container, and I believe you receive some sort of certificate along with the coins. I've done a bit of browsing online and noticed that they can come in some different type of cases, so I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the differences in the cases, and the differences in the types of coins that are issued every year (if there are any). I'm just looking to collect the standard ones issued every year. The ones I have in mind are the ones that come in cases that are green, purple, blue, etc. I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations for reliable websites that sell these sets from EVERY year they were issued. Obviously I prefer websites that are the cheapest when it comes to the actual set, as well as shipping, but I also don't want to order from a shady website. I understand if members are not allowed to promote for websites in their posts, and if that is the case, then could someone just PM me a suggestion? Thanks for all your help! EDIT: I also want to note that I want to buy the original ones that the government sold, not remakes or something like that. I would also prefer them to be new sets that are in good condition with minimum wear and tear.
Many people take the proofs out and put them in cases and such. Sometimes, that's not a bad idea. Just have to be careful with them. You should be able to put together proof sets going back 50-60 years at a fairly reasonable cost. I don't have my redbook handy, but I think most are relatively cheap.
My first suggestion for you is, don't purchase any set unless it is in the original " U.S. Mint BOX/ with the certificate of authenticity " . Secondly, most of what you seek can probably be had here or other coin forums such as NGC or PCGS, to name just two, by posting an ad in the ' BUY SELL TRADE " sections. Good Luck.
FYI...you can still get the 2010 proof set directly from the mint. I just ordered a couple for my kids last week.
Welcome to the neighborhood! Some of the much older proof sets were put together because the Mint didn't issue complete sets. There are also the years of the Special Mint Sets, 1965-1967, when the Mint didn't make proof sets. You'll also find that some years there were only silver proofs, some years there were only clad proofs and other years there were both silver and clad proof sets. Until 1999, the sets were either 5 or 6 coins dependant upon the year since some years had Ike or SBA dollar coins. In 1999 the set consisted of 9 coins with the SQ's, 2000-2006 it was 10 coins with the Sac $ and SQ's and beginning in 2007 it increased to 14 coins with the Sac $, the Prez dollars and the SQ'S. When the SQ program ended in 2008, the National Parks quarters replaced them in 2009. All of this info is available in the Red Book. Not all sets included a COA, and you should also know that the plastic cases are not airtight. One of the biggest problems with some of the proof sets is that many of the coins will develop an unsightly haze on them because the cases were not impervious to environmental conditions. My best suggestion when purchasing these online is to make sure you have a good, "no questions asked" return policy. Chris
:welcome: Here are some of the US Mint Proofs currently available. >>>>> http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wc...storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&identifier=2000
My advice...............shop first......then buy or you'll end up with second rate sets. COA and all. There are some good sets out there and it seems that each year or series has some weird quirks. Some cloud up, some tone up, and some are just honked up. Some are sealed well while others not so well. Some have great coins while others have not so great coins since no two proofs are made the same way. Some have extremely high mintages yet others rediculously low mintages. Some are silver coins while others have copper nickel clad coins which command majorly different prices. Be VERY careful of 1999 to Date Silver Proof Sets since "some" unscrupulous individuals out there will open them (they are not sealed and are easily taken apart), replace the silver coins with their clad counterparts, and then sell them as silver. Be VERY, VERY Careful. from my own experience, the more time you spend "studying" what you buy, the better off you will be. Good Luck and Welcome to the Whacky World of Coin Collecting!
http://www.mintproducts.com/ Scroll half way down the page and look for the proof set offerings to the left side of the page. These guys offer fair prices.
The majority of them are available at most coin shops and prices are mostly set by Grey sheet. Save on shipping and look at them before committing to buy.
Thank you for all of the responses! I was not expecting this kind of response. I'm browsing the site that green suggested, and I'm under the proof category for 1936-42 and the lowest price is something like $1150. Am I looking in the wrong area? I expected them to be anywhere from $10-$50.
The older proofs are going to demand a much larger premium. They are quite rare. Mintpoducts.com has the sets segmented by decades. look at some of the more "modern" issues such as the ''70's '80's and the '90's. Those issues will be far more reasonable in price.....
Thanks for the website information , I checked it out and the mangnifyer interested me and the flips so I ordered both I hope the magnifyer works , it is a lot of strain on my eye Sandy
Get familiar with the look of the proof set packaging. I've seen things that kind of look like proof sets but are really from the home shopping network (stay away!!) especially if you do any ebaying or anything like that. A red book can help too as far as value and pricing and things like that. You may also want to look into the mint sets as well. At this point I'm only missing a few proofs and mints from the 50s to present and I can tell you that if you shop around enough, you can find them relatively cheap. As someone said above, do your homework so you don't buy anything silly! Oh, and you can also sign up for a subscription from the U.S. mint and they'll send you the new set every year!
As mentioned, lay eyes on the exact set you intend to buy. Even while in mint packaging, some sets are ugly. 68-72 proof sets are dirt cheap, but REALLY hard to find with nice coins. (as an example) Right now is a good time to be looking at post-64 mint and proof sets. With silver so high, the sets that are primarily/all clad coins are dropping in price from already low prices. 3-10 each will get you into most clad sets. The most recent (state quarter era) clad sets are crazy cheap. I got a few lately for under 10 bux, and they were sold just a few years ago from the mint at over 20.
Proof set runs from 1960-current year are running between $750-$925. Many dealers raised their prices on the sets(1969 and older) with silver coinage to coincide with the increase of spot price over the past several months. A proof set run 1968-1998 recently sold for $315, and a run 1959-2009 sold for $775.
The coin market seems to run in cycles, and right now proof sets are down, so it is a good time to buy when prices are low. I agree with those who say to visit your local dealer and look at the sets before you buy em.
Go to http://stores.vendio.com/coinsbybobby coins by Bobby, he has every year US Mint Proof set, Uncirculated sets and more.
