But I guess they sold them all, right ? So they pretty much catered to demand, I guess. I guess it was a residue of the adults who collected in the 1940's-1960's....get a family member or friend something to collect. Easiest thing was to just order from The Mint rather than scour coin shops and not know what you are buying. Proof sets were all I got back then. Wish someone had skipped 90% of my presents and just gotten me 1 damn Saint-Gaudens or even a few Morgans on the cheap !!!
I quit buying the clad proof sets in 2006. They just take up a lot of space, and for the most part, are worth very little. At this point in my collecting career, I have no interest in any coins that do not contain silver or gold.
The sudden unavailability of the 2020 clad proof set has significantly increased the selling price on the bay. It is currently selling for prices above the $80 as the word on the street is they are sold out. Its mintage is the lowest for a proof set since 1955. It also includes the proof W mint mark nickel, which also adds to its desirability. Proof sets from the 70's, 80's, and 90's continue to wallow in the doldrums. Recent proof sets seem to be holding and even gaining value, perhaps as a result of their ever decreasing mintages. The table and chart are provided for your perusal:
Thanks for keeping this thread alive. It's an interesting situation with the 2020 set. It looks like the 2012 set is still going for a premium. I haven't bought a clad set in 25 years but the ever-declining mintages is interesting.
There were far more collectors two and three generations ago. I continue to purchase the sets from the Mint, not worrying about their "worth." There is nothing sad about that.
No, absolutely isn't anything wrong with that. If you want to see a circulation coin in the best possible presentation, then the mint sets are the way to achieve that. If you pull coins out of circulation you'll find some nice pieces but nothing beats seeing it the way it was really meant by the designer.
The latest update on the US mint's proof sets. The 2020 value continues to rise with its low mintage and strong demand on the after-market. The 2012 continues to hold value with most other years staying relatively flat. The mintage of the 2021 is going higher than the 2020 set, which was the lowest since 1955.
Give me one good objective reason for the pricing on the 2012 set? I'll give you that in 2013 it was an all time low based on previous mintages. But subsequent mintages have simply proved there's very little demand for proof sets so why is it still expensive? It's not like there's some huge rarity you could cherry pick out of the set. Even if that was true by now they would largely have been picked over.
The 2012 set was an unexpectant sellout, which caused a chase for sets on the after market. The result of that event seems to be keeping the value high to this day despite its higher mintage than some of the later year sets that remained on the market for some time. The 2020 set was another set that sold out suddenly. It was most likely caused by COVID-19 and reduced production capabilities because of it. COVID seems to be creating more interest in the hobby or perhaps a reinterest in it. As sets diminish in mintages coupled with more interest in the hobby, they seem to be retaining or increasing in value. Some sets are broken down as collectors fill holes with high quality specimens. For instance, I buy half dollars each year to fill holes in my Kennedy book. It requires half dollars from clad proof and silver proof sets. I've even got P's and D's from mint sets.
They really screwed everyone that bought the 2021 at much higher prices who thought it was going to be the new modern key when they put it back up for sale after several month
The latest update on the US mint's clad proof sets. The 2020 value continues to rise with its low mintage and strong demand on the after-market (COVID Set). The 2012 continues to hold value with most other years staying relatively flat. The mintage of the 2021 is set is higher than the 2020 set, which was the lowest since 1955. The 2022 set will most likely exceed the 2020 set when the mint stops selling it in about a year.
Have a set of Proof sets from 1936. I’d like to keep the set going, but I’m done with the new clad sets. At least you have some silver if the prices for those sets collapse.
Why? Do want to the mint to create rarities every year? Do you want the flipper feeding frenzy with many collectors out in the cold? Not I.
Great points! I wasn't old enough to know about the GSA Morgan hoards when they became available......my dang relatives needed to get me a bunch of those rather than a chemistry set, erector set, etc!! Dang their lack of insight!
I don't know -- I've gotten a lot more mileage out of the interests sparked by those STEM toys than I would have from a handful of GSA dollars.