I recently bought a few 1954 mint sets online "in mint factory holders" and I was a little dismayed to find them just stuck into the carboard holders, no cellophane and no protection other then the stardard peice of carboard in the envelope. Can anyone tell me if this is standard packaging for 1954 mint sets, or have mine been tampered with before I received them?
No, that is the way they came from the mint. They are in cardboard holders with aflap of paper covering the coins. In fact a lot of people want their mint sets like that, I do......
Anyone know the history of uncirculated set packaging? When did they start putting them in cellophane? Do know that proof sets were first put into hard plastic packaging in 1968. (As well as the 1966 and 1967 special mint sets). Before that were just in cellophane packages.
GD is the man to answer this one. He is the resident expert on proof sets and how they were packaged. I recall him saying something along the lines of he actually did a study or something on them. awaiting his response to this.. I am sure it will be good!
I have all but one year of those early sets in ogp and I know until at least 1958 they are in the cardboard. But maybe 1959 they changed to celo?
Mint Sets came in the cardboard holders from 1947 thru 1958, in '59 they changed to the pliofilm holders. Proof sets in 1950, the coins were individually placed into cellophane sleeves and the sleeves stapled together and then wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a small cardboard box. In 1955 the mint switched and they offered Proof Sets in both the old way and in the "new" flat pack - pliofilm holders. The hard case packaging we know today began in 1965 with the SMS sets. Proof sets 1936-42 were like the early '50s.
Thanks for the info. I have 5 sets of these including different mint marks and I was thinking about selling off my extras. Just wanted to make sure I had them still in the same packaging as the mint.
Er minor correction but the 1965 special mint sets were still in the cellophane. The hard pastic packaging didn't start until the 1966 special mint set. (I've seen both 1965 and 1966 special mint sets in coin stores and can attest to this.)
1958 was also the last year for the double mint sets. When they started putting mint sets in pliofilm they also stopped putting in two examples of each coin.
