I have quite an amount (50+) of 1964 proof sets I purchased recently. One of them came opened and does not have the accented hair. Is it worth it to open the other proof sets to check for the variety? Its a dilemma for me because I want to re sell them and I want to maximize my profits and unopened sets I think tend to sell for a little bit more on eBay. Any input or past experiences? Thanks!
These things were never sealed at the mint. Over time the humidity in the air has caused the sets to more or less seal themselves.
Just an FYI, the envelope proof sets of the early 60s, and the 50s, were not sealed by the Mint prior to shipping. So opening them will not impact the value of the set.
wow I never knew that thanks for the info guys! So you think I should carefully open all of them and check for the variety?
How much are you hoping to get for these sets? Also, re: the OGP - I find it interesting that the Mint would go to the trouble of designing and applying the glue to the envelopes, then not seal them. Doesn't make sense to me...but then what do I know. Anyone know the history of why this happened this way?
If it was me, I'd open them all to search for varieties and cameos. However, that might depend on where I got them. If I got them from eBay, I'd probably assume that they had already been searched and then sealed to create the illusion that they were unsearched. If I got them from an estate sale that looked like someone's actual collection, not someone's unwanted/leftovers, then I might be convinced I might find something. It also depends on how quickly you need to sell them - because going through 50 plus proof sets is going to take some time - especially if you're searching for more than just Accented Hairs. Of course, on the one hand, you could get lucky and get an Accented Hair, or two, or ten. Of course, on the other hand, you could get none, or maybe one that is covered in hairline scratches... I'd love to see you get $27/each for them...but it looks like eBay is showing completed auction prices of $27-29 (and then you are going to lose fees.) If you have a local coin auction that you can put them in, that might work, but then you'd need a couple buyers willing to go over silver melt for them (with silver going down, around $12.50/set right now for what's considered a common silver proof set.) Once you open them, you might lose the "idea" that there are hidden treasures inside. I am Benjamin's willingness to talk openly about coins and his experiences buying/selling them.
I suppose the price paid will also factor heavily into your investment/profit ratio. (master of the obvious.)
I have good profit margins so thats not a problem. I purchased the collection from an older lady who's husband bought them a long long time ago.
Ill sell them to anyone who uses USD. How would I steam them open with common house supplies? Ive never done that before.
Ya boil a pot of water and when the steam rises, as the pot is boiling, carefully hold the envelope over the steamy brew. Wear an oven mit as you'll burn your hands otherwise. Allow the steam to moisten the seal and as time goes by you should be able to loosen and open it.
Although, if they were all purchased at the same time (possibly from the mint) (I didn't ask), wouldn't the chances be very slim if 2 don't have the accented hair?
Hi, i just joined 5 minutes ago and kind of new at the whole coin thing. I wonder if someone can tell me what the heck i have here. I was going through some rolls of Kennedy half dollar. I found a 1976 bicentennial mirror silver kennedy half with mirror silver reeded edge. I thought maybe a proof but NO MINT MARK??????
Okay so I've done about 5 and I'm using http://www.ipotad.com/pages/ah2.html for the diagnostics. So far none have all the extra hair from what i can tell from looking at other photo examples but some of the ones I've done have had broken rays and mine look like the rays don't fully touched the shield just like in the accented one. If you look at the regular solid rays, its fully touching the shield. any more info or easy diagnostics?
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