Me and a local dealer had an interesting conversation about some new Seated Dime proofs he bought over the weekend. And i'm curious about the earlier seated, Barber, Indian head cent proofs of the later 19th century as far as how they were sold/distributed. Were these sold in sets like the more modern offerings or were they sold as single coins from the mint? What's your take on the subject?
They were sold individually until 1936. That is why every denomination has a different minage. I love early proofs and have assembled complete sets of Indian heads, two and three cent pieces, shield nickels, seated and Barber dimes. I can't get enough of them, just wish I had enough money to get more and more and more. I digress.
Early Proof coins were sold individually and in various sets. One set contained Cent through Dime and another set contained Twenty Cent (or Quarter depending on date) through Dollar (I think - could be wrong on exact denominations in the sets). You could also purchase a set of Proof gold coins.
