Well, they were scheduled to get here by noon today and UPS showed up at 11:55 a.m. so they made it! As others have said, it's surprising to feel the weight of a 15 lb box. The quality of the boxes are excellent. Some want to say they're cheap made in China boxes. I don't know where they're from but they are super high quality. The case has 3 hinges, it's tight and heavy, highly polished. The frame that holds the coins has a nice black felt ring that holds them very snug. It feels weighted at the bottom which allows them to be stood up for display on it's beveled edge. I saw somebody selling just the box for $60 on ebay. I wouldn't fault somebody for buying it if they wanted one. Though they could take up a lot of storage space. I removed mine from the boxes to store more appropriately but I am saving the boxes and everything. Despite how snug they fit in the frames, all but about one of the coins in five sets, came loose during shipping and had to be put back in their spots. They should have had a piece of foam on top of them against the lid so this couldn't happen. Never underestimate how hard boxes get thrown around in shipping. They really shouldn't have come loose, but they did from rough handling, I'm sure. Despite this, it did not cause any damage. The boxes were packed tight and could not move in the shipping box. The coins are snug in the capsules as everyone knows. Each box had two small silica gel packs in the bottom with the COA to keep them dry. Quality wise, I would say all were at least 69s. There is no horror story here. No white spots, specks or grease as is expected. They look about as perfect as you can strike a planchet of silver. That said, I would NOT want to have submitted this box for grading and it exceeded my expectations. Sorry guys. I hate to rain on anybody's parade but I want to be honest. The quality is very impressive BUT, I know how difficult it is to get a 70 grade (as many of you know) and I'd say very few of these had a chance. It's almost impossible not to have the tiniest of spec, nick, or simply a very tiny luster brake or nick on the rim. Most anything readily seen by the naked eye drops to 69. The proofs, reverse proofs and S mint marked ones were the best, IMO. Which is good for you guys. But I think the other two will be the hardest for people to get the 70s on. I don't know if they aren't held to the same quality standards or what. I don't think any of those had a chance at 70s, out of 5 sets. Maybe one or two? The other three coins in the sets might have at least had a shot. I'm not going to worry about it though. These look so good in hand. The reverse proof is just an amazing coin. It's a whole other experience having them in hand than looking at them on the computer. You look at this set and feel like you really got something. The mint did a fantastic job producing these.
At first, I was disappointed that the cases weren't made of wood as advertised. But once I saw how attractive and well-constructed they are, I was more than satisfied. I feel a bit sad for those who have chosen not to open their sets, because they are missing out on seeing the beauty of these coins in hand. It is a cliche, but they truly are something to behold. I, too, feel the mint did a great job with making these sets.
Vess and Sturmgrenadier, I couldn't agree more with what you both have said. I am still in awe of this set.
Just wanted to add... The frame the coins are in I don't believe is weighted. I believe there's magnets in the bottom of the beveled edge that hold up the coins. It's a nice touch. The magnets and the metal are probably what adds all the weight to these boxes.
UPS tried to deliver my set yesterday, but I wasn't there - so, a nice trip this lunchtime to the UPS facility for me!
My experience echoes yours. 19 of 20 coins were knocked from the display slots, one hard enough to cause some damage to the wooden display rack. As for grades, except for possilbly the regular proofs, I was able to find tiny flaws on each. Some flaws could be spotted with the naked eye, some with a loope. But all in all they are nice coins, even if they "only" grade 69.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Yeah, I think we both saw the same typical stuff. Excellent quality with only very minor flaws. I completely agree with you. I thought the regular proofs were the nicest of the whole bunch. At least 3 out of 5 of those had a good shot at 70s. That said, as you described, I would not want to be relying on getting a full set of 70s out of a 5 set box. I think most people will not get one full 70 set back. Sadly, I believe most will probably regret sending them in. Only the tv shows that got hundreds of sets and discounted grading rates may be able to play that game and win. We'll know soon.
That's odd. I opened both of my sets and not a coin was out of place. I even tried to get one out and had a bit of difficulty. Haven't inspected closely enough to guess 69/70 yet.
