I have purchased a handful of Mint sets off of ebay and I've always been pleased but now I want to buy a Proof set. The Mint sets I've bought only have 5 coins and I want to get 10 coins. I have looked on ebay and there are some double sets on there but they have all been opened. I want to buy a Proof set with 10 coins 5 from Philidelphia and 5 from Denver, unopened. I'm trying to get a Cameo Franklin half dollar and I don't just want to buy a Cameo'ed Franklin half dollar on ebay. I want to find one in a set. I feel that the opened sets are somebody's leftovers and I don't want any part of it. Any ideas?? Anyone?
I have bought many mint sets from http://www.harlanjberk.com/unitedstatesco/text.asp?title=Proof+Set&inventorygroup=us and love their service and prices. I have purchased 2 from them and got them within days after ordering. They are carefully packaged too, which to me is a big bonus. $6.00 for shipping which is alot if you only order 1 or 2 but when you buy 5 or so the cost of shipping is actually higher than what they charged. I would try them.
If the mint sets you purchased only have five coins they either are not mint sets or you've only been getting half of the set. Since 1959 the ONLY mint sets that only had five coins were the 1965 - 67 Special Mint Sets. Since 1959 the mint set has had one coin of each denomination from each mint that made them for circulation. Exceptions to this are: 1970 had the D mint half which was not made for circulation 1971 and 1972 sets did not include the P or D Ike dollars. 1973 set had the P & D Ike which was not made for circulation 1975 had the bicentennial quarters halves and dollars. 1979 did not have the 1979 S SBA 1981 had the P,D,and S SBA's not made for circ 1987 had the P & D halves not made for circ 1996 included the 1996 W dime not made for circ 1999 did not include the P & D dollars 2002 - 2008 included the P&D halves and Sac dollars not made for circ. Before 1959 the mint sets are double sets and contain TWO coins of each denomination from each mint that produced them for circulation. PROOF sets only contain one coin of each denomination (Except the since 1999 when they have one of each of the state quarters and president dollars. The 1999 set also did not have the SBA dollar.) and they are ALL for just one mint. Before 1968 they were all struck in Philadelphia, and from 1968 on they have all been from San Francisco. So before 1999 they were ALL either five or six coin sets. You will never find a proof set with five P and five D coins in it. The problem with finding a cameo Franklin in a proof set is that cameo Franklins are popular and valuable so people have been searching the proof sets for them for at least the past forty years. The chance of finding one is to be lucky enough to be the first person to get a chance to examine a set that has been in a collection since the 1950's. And that isn't too likely since often the dealer that buys the set will check it before he puts it out for sale. The only other way is to find a dealer who does a major market in proof sets who doesn't have the time to go through them. Problem is these dealers are usually well known and they have multiple collectors or dealers waiting to go through their new purchases. And the proof sets back in the fifties were shipped out from the mint unsealed. If they were storied in a high humidity environment sometime they would seal themselves shut. But just because a set is open that does not mean that it is someone elses reject. The only ways to tell if a set has been picked over is if some of the coins are missing, or if the envelope sealed itself and some one has torn or cut it open. (Some people will steam open the sealed sets, cherry pick them and then reseal them. It is also possible to buy new envelopes on ebay to put your picked over sets into and the seal to sell as "never opened" for a premium price. In other words, NEVER pay a premium for a "mint sealed" or "never opened" set.)
Great, I appreciate all the info and I guess now I will just keep my eyes open for a nice looking Cameo. I'm sure not gonna find a Cameo in one of these looked over packs!
That set pictured is a mint set and you are very unlikely to find a cameo there. Most cameos are only in the proofs.
Hey Conder101 or anyone if you're gone, why is there these cello packs with the Red and Blue stripes and for the same year they have only a cello pack without any stripe? I'm at work so I can't post a pic. Any idea why the mint did that? Ok, I got a pic so I'm back to edit. You can see these in any year from 1959 to 1964. What was the deal with the US mint making two different packaging for the same type of coins? I'm just sayin' it sure is confusing.
What you need to understand is that there are two entirely different products offered for sale by the mint every year - Mint Sets and Proof Sets. Mint Sets have the colored stripe on the pliofilm package (it's not cellophane). Proof Sets do not have a colored stripe. Mint Set coins never have the cameo effect. Only Proofs have the cameo effect, and then only some of them do. Can you not tell the difference between a Proof and Mint Set coin just by looking at the coins themselves ? Proofs have a mirror like finish on the fields - Mint Set coins do not.
Just be aware that the proof sets you buy on ebay are many time picked over proof coins in a cracked open case. There are many sellers doing this unethical practice and reselling problem sets. Trust me, find a local dealer and examine the sets before purchasing them. You'll probably get them cheaper, anyway. Ebay proof and mint sets usually get overprices through bidding wars in my observations.
