With all of the recent discussion of breaking up Mint sets, I was wondering if anyone else here collected them as I do. I have a complete set going all of the way back to 1959 when the US Mint started placing the Mint Sets in sealed cellophane flat packs. (My set includes 1982 and 1983 Souvenir Sets from each Mint.) Is anyone else collecting them like me?
I do, but lately I've had to back-fill after the original issue, because I initially only buy one direct from the Mint to keep my Dansco albums up to date. Yes, every coin in my Dansco albums that CAN come from a Mint Set, HAS come from a Mint Set, from the current date back to 1959. I later pick up an additional set to keep whole. For most years, I get then below OIP. Once in a while, you either get burned or have to wait extra years.
I don't collect mint sets. Hope others will chime in with why and why not. For me, I'm just not interested in them. With a few exceptions, the mid 50s have morphed into sort of a cutoff point for me. Coins with presidents on them aren't that appealing to me to have scads of them.
I do collect them (to break them up) because it's frequently the only way to get the coins in high enough condition for my standards. There are exceptions, such as the recent local FLOOD of extremely awesome quality 2016-P dimes circulating here in South Central PA, but not many exceptions. I don't HAVE a cut-off date; not 1964, not any. I am metal and date agnostic. Coins are coins, to me. All equally interesting. My sets will stop updating when I assume ambient temperature. The thing that annoys me is I had to add a blank cents page to my Dansco to have a place to put all twenty 2009 cent types. And forget about 2014 halves! Nobody that makes albums got that year right, even allowing for deleting the gold one.
Kurt, what about the years that have Satin Mint Sets? Do your sets not include the circulation strike coins from these years? Did you do the same with 1965-67?
I have added circulation strikes for 2005-2010, with the 2009 nickels and dimes being buggers. I have a roll of all 4, but don't want to break them up. I have seen exactly 1 2009-P nickel in "circulation" (actually change from a vending machine in Baltimore during a Whitman show there), and not a single 2009-D nickel and not a single 2009 dime from either mint ever. Had to "go dealer" for those. I added blank quarter pages for non-satin quarters for SQ, the 2009 territories, and the 2010 ATB quarter albums. My 2010 circulation strike ATB quarters share a page with my San Fran circulation strike quarters from 2012 on to the end of the album. Reminder, ONLY 2011 is complete as the album is designed. I make sure I have both types in 1965-67. My 1965 NON-SMS quarter in NGC MS67 is one of my favorite pieces. If a piece doesn't have a hole in the "plus proofs" Dansco, I make sure I have one in an NGC slab.
Have you seen CapsAlbums? They have all those holes, as well as S-Mint business strike AtB Quarters and more, and you can order your own designed page(s). Since they hold Air-Tites, I'm adding proofs to my albums.
Unfortunately, they updated their website, so now you can't see the pages up close. The eBay ads do let you enlarge to see the detail on the pages.
Those albums sound like the only kind I would be able to tolerate. I hate when albums are incomplete.
I have one concern - I want to know PRECISELY what plastic is used for the page itself, including the portion where the three holes are punched. I am a fanatic about keeping ANY plasticizer components away from my coins. Then you get the converse problem - if it's plasticizer free, how durable is the portion where the ring holes are?
I don't like collecting them. Especially in the cellophane package. There always seems to be a slight film or pvc damage, impairing the luster. Later sets in plastic I've noticed, don't have much of those kind of problems.
I can't say for sure about plasticizers in the Mint sets, but definitely in the styrene plastic proof sets.
For which one? I have never seen a page with 20 holes for 2009 cents, and that's the barest of minimums I'd accept. I've seen a 12-holes for 2009 Dansco page, but that's all.
I just checked on the Lincoln cent pages and it's only for the regular issues, not the complete set. Littleton was ahead of the game I guess.
Let me know if you find out the composition. The pages and ring holes are durable. How many mil, not sure. Before receiving an ablum, I thought the plastic would be thicker, but it's not thin and I think it's just right, any thicker and it would be tough to insert an Air-Tite. As is, the Air-Tites fit very tight (not easy getting them in), I don't see them falling out.