Everyone says don't buy the holder, buy the coin. So here is my question. Do mint sets in their original mint packaging have more value than mint sets that have been put into a hard plastic whitman mint set holder? As I have a few carded S mint coins, I would like to put together my own sets of BU+ coins.
Most mint and proof sets are worth more busted apart whether they have any high grade coins in them or not. It has been this way for a couple decades now. Collectors buy most moderns as singles or as a denominational set. Wholesalers buy these coins by the roll because it's easier than busting up the sets themselves and the market for the end product has been growing for years. There are growing numbers of collectors who want the coins in their original packaging so at some point the pricing structure will reverse. Keep in mind though that original packaging for some of these sets is poor so if the coins turn the set will be discounted when the time comes to sell. Ultimately singles and sets will probably trade based on their individual merits.
The only thing I can add, is that packaging is of no importance to me. Whether or not a coin appeals to me, is the only thing that gives it any value. JMO Now, I know that others collect coins because of the holder, box, COA, TPG slab, etc., etc., but that just doesn't work for me. For me, it's all about the coin.
The only thing I have to add is that coins from mint sets tend to be more valuable to the extent the coins are of higher quality than the ones released into circulation. I think in recent years (at least in the 1990s to date) the Mint has tried to improve the quality of coins in mint sets. My understanding is that most of the "ultra grade" modern coins come from broken mint sets rather than from circulation. I'm sure ND will have some additional perspecitve on that!!
In the case of Japanese mint sets, generally the set in its original holder is valued quite a bit more than the individual coins, although the difference varies substantially from year to year. Krause #MS1, the first ever official set from the Japane Mint Bureau, issued in Showa 45 (1969), has its "market value" set as $650, and the Unc. values for the constituent coins total $6. (This is despite the fact that the early Mint Sets were in vinyl folders, and most of the coins show significant PVC discoloration. )
The early Japanese mint sets are a fascinating situation. Only a few thousand of each of these were made and they are very popular with collectors. The coins in them are deceptively rare in nice condition. While Krause's prices imply they are all common the home market prices are much higher (~$30). This price is based on a startling lack of demand. Not only do these early coins apparently not exist, but it would seem that no one has noticed. Indeed, the '67 and '68 issues weren't even available in sets at all and are very difficult to find even in AU. XF's can take considerable legwork. There are many examples like these from the latter half of the twentieth century from this country and worldwide. The US clad mint sets are in many cases about the only place to find many of the modern ('65-'98) coinage. This is especially true of dimes and quarters. Unfortunately many of the best varieties do not appear in mint sets at all, so many of these will be rare in grades over Fine or Very Fine. I always watched circulating coinage and picked up gems as they were available but for the main part they were exceptionally hard to find at the bank. The mint set coins are almost universally well struck so one only needs to find one which is not banged up. Usually about 2% of the mint set coins will be gem while most of the regular issues gems will account for less than about one coin in a thousand. This is highly variable in both sources however. The very finest gems are typically found in mint sets also, however this too, varies by date, mint, and denomination. Bear in mind that this question will never be answered to everyone's satisfaction because the origination of these pieces is often lost.
As one who was a collector of original US Mint and Proof sets for many years I will say this - I have yet to ever see a Mint set or a Proof set in a Capital holder, or any other holder, sell for as much as a set in original Mint packaging. I will agree - if the coins are sold as individuals instead of as a set - they do bring more money in the end. But the orignal question was this - So my answer to that is - yes.
I am a very modest collector and by no means an expert. My collection is almost exclusively Proof and Mint Sets in original packaging. I have absolutely no interest in sets in Capitol Holders or any other format. Here's my reasoning, it it is in original packaging, you can be sure it's genuine. Sure, some of the older packaging has caused the coins to be less desirable, but you can be sure they are the real McCoy.
I really have nothing against the original holders and packaging for modern coins. Most are quite adequate for storage and even those which aren't may be more of a problem caused by the condition of the coins that went in them than it is a problem with the packaging itself. The coins still in the packaging has long represented "raw material" for modern collectors rather than a collectible itself. These are being collected now and likely make a great collectible but in the past they were mostly purchased from the mint as much more a speculation than as a collectible. If a buyer missed a year he didn't normally go onto the market to find that particular date. For the main part these were amassed rather than collected. Over the years these sets have suffered horrible attrition because they were so unappreciated. They have been cut up and the contents spent to recoup the face value of the coins within, they have been destroyed in fires and floods, they have been dismantled to make the denominational sets that most collectors desire, and they have simply withered away as they are sold off to anyone with a couple dollars. Today their days appear to be numbered. Many of the original purchasers have long since sold their sets for whatever they could get. Generally these sets were sold on a market where everything else was more important and he sets simply gathered dust in inventory until they were sold to a wholesalers and destroyed or the dealer destroyed them himself. Collectors of sets are starting to drain off significant numbers just at a time that the hobby is beginning to recognize that the sets are the prime source for many moderns and the sole source for some gems. While the rate at which mint sets is being destroyed has probably dropped in recent years, it is only because the sets are getting more difficult to find. The percentage of remaining sets being destroyed is probably increasing pretty dramatically. There are increasing numbers of ads for modern singles and sets and this would seem to imply increased demand. Prices for the sets and singles have been somewhat subdued for some months now but this is probably caused by the fact that more people are catching on to the fact that some of these sets contain very valuable coins. This brings sets out of storage for inspection and slabbing of gems and likely results in increased supplies by the remaining sets being offered on the market. These markets are still very small relative to the original mintages of the sets, so a little increase simply swamped the demand. The logical question though is when these sets now get mopped up, where will supply come from in the future? It would seem that the answer is that we'll mostly have to get by on the coins that have already been removed from these sets. This means the coins that went into circulation and the coins that have been sold on the Home Shopping Network to outsiders of the hobby. Lest anyone still feel that I don't like the original packaging simply because I bad mouth it frequently, I do keep the finest sets I've found over the years intact. Sets containing all gem coins tend to be far more common than mere chance would dictate. While a few dates are very tough in all gem, most will have as much as 1% of mintage with all coins being gem. The same applies to proof sets.
I buy 2 mint sets, one to keep and one to break up. But as some of you said, mint sets guarentee that the coins are uncirculated. Also I find that you can get some nicer coins from BU rolls rather than from mint sets or bags. David
i like my coins in their original packaging...there's just something about holding/having something that's in the same state it was in when it was issued by the mint 20, 30, 40yrs ago...i dunno.
