Hey guys, my grandmother has a TON of these proof sets in her closet, my grandfather bought 4-5 of every set since the 50's. They're all in great condition. This particular example is from 1976, it's an Eisenhower dollar, Kennedy half dollar, and Washington quarter. The dollar has the Liberty bell and the moon on the back, the half dollar has Independence hall, and the quarter has the revolutionary drummer. They're silver. Any guess as to what they're worth? Thanks.
I was going to say the same thing -- about $15. These sets are common. Super cool, IMO, but not rare.
p.s. what's neat about this set, IMO, is that each coin is in its own acrylic holder. I was given this issue as a present in 1976, and the coins, despite being stored in drawers for years, are completely untoned.
Which sets does she have from the 50's? Some of those, depending on condition, will be worth a lot more than the 1976 set. Also, many varieties to look for in other years' sets, that could make them worth a lot.
Buy a Red Book or simply go to a commercial book chain and sit down to look at one. This is also known as A Guide Book of United States Coins and can be obtained for about $15. It will tell you an awful lot about the proof sets and other things that you may have.
The three coins are 40% Silver 3,998,621 (estimated sets put together) Original Issue Price: $12.00 They peaked at $21 per set and settled around $19 for the longest time and depending who and where you buy/sell, a dealer will offer you $12 and sell for $15 The problem is, there are just to many of these bicentennial sets out there in collector/non-collectors hands there was no real demand. Anything from 1964 on back to the 50's is where the real value lies with these US proof sets.
If she has a 1961 proof set, take a close look at the reverse of the Franklin half to see if it is a doubled die. :eating: TC
I figured it wasn't worth that much. I'm going to go through the whole lot and take pictures of everything individually, when I have time. And if these coins are 40% silver, what's the rest made up of? And what does doubled die mean, struck twice or something like that?
The earlier the better. Up to $700 on a 1950. $100 for the '55. Save original packaging! If some are in original packages sent from the mint , don't open them, they bring more money.
I was at an auction a couple of years ago and I was picking up 70's proof sets for $2 and $3. I ended up with over 30 sets for less than $70. I think that I ended up with proof coins and face value. It was incredible. I guess that were no coin people at the auction.
Many proof sets from the 1970s and 1980s still bid for less than $3 and $4 each, so you may very well have paid market value.
I also picked up a 1979 proof set last week. It has unexpectedly become one of my favorites, and I display it on my desk. I have studied the Susan B. Anthony under a couple of magnifying glasses to determine if I have the type 1 or 2. I think I have a type 2, but my eyes and magnifying glasses are just too weak to know for sure. Still, it's a beautiful set of coins.
And if these coins are 40% silver, what's the rest made up of? And what does doubled die mean, struck twice or something like that?[/QUOTE] ...this may help you understand doubled dies. http://www.coingalaxy.com/coininfo/doubling.html
These coins in this 3 piece set were struck at the San Fransisco Mint beginning in 1975. The outer layers are composed of 80% Silver, and 20% Copper with the center or core composed of 79% Copper and 21% Silver. This clad combination of metals give you the 40% silver content. I need to do some searching to verify the number of sets assembled and sold by the mint, I may want to change that 3.9 mil. I'm staying with the mintage figures as given, but I incorrectly gave the issue price as $12, it was $15.....MY MISTAKE.
What you have is mostly common modern stuff, Follow the advice here to gauge it's value. If you are lucky, you will get 90% of gray sheet bid for 'em.
Well thanks for the help guys, but I probably won't be selling them anyways. Was just curious. If I find anything that I think may be a bit rarer I'll post it up.