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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cladking, post: 64087, member: 68&quot;]Mint sets were made in much smaller numbers than proof sets and have had</p><p>much lower prices and much higher attrition.&nbsp; In the past many collectors </p><p>didn&#039;t include the proof coins in their sets but this may not be true in the fu-</p><p>ture.&nbsp; Proof coins now have the S mint mark which should add to their appeal </p><p>to many collectors.&nbsp; There are also the silver proofs and cameo coins.&nbsp; The </p><p>high quality of these is a welcome break from drab quality of most of the mint</p><p>set coins.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps the greatest thing the mint state coins have going for them is the </p><p>huge spread in quality from the worst to the finest.&nbsp; In a few cases the qual-</p><p>ity tends to be excellent and in a few it tends to be very poor but the range </p><p>present on all these issues.&nbsp; The low survival rates coupled with the frequently </p><p>low quality means some coins are quite scarce in attractive condition.&nbsp; They&#039;re </p><p>not only scarce in top grades but they&#039;re sometimes scarce in gem or even in </p><p>choice condition.&nbsp; There is a lot of room for growth since collecting levels are </p><p>still quite low and many of those who are collecting them haven&#039;t been in the </p><p>hobby long enough to acquire a high level of sophistication as collectors.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve always set mint state and proof coins aside based on level of preservation</p><p>and have concentrated on the mint state coins.&nbsp; A rare variety is worth keeping </p><p>even in VG but a typical &#039;72-D 25c (which was normally well made) was worth </p><p>saving only in ch Gem or better.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Today things have changed a lot and such considerations as to whether mint </p><p>sets or proof sets have more potential are relevant.&nbsp; My guess is the proof sets</p><p>will appear in ten years to have done better but the mint sets will sell individually</p><p>based on the quality of the coins in the set.&nbsp; Published mint set prices will look </p><p>like there is only anemic growth in this market because these prices will apply to</p><p>the sets with nothing of note in them.&nbsp; But, two mint sets out of three today do</p><p>have at least one coin that is nicer than most and some sets are just loaded with</p><p>nice coins.&nbsp; It is these nicer coins that are likely to do well.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>There will be a set premium on all the mint and proof sets in the long run but my</p><p>advice would be to collect what you enjoy and try to set aside nicer coins.&nbsp; If you </p><p>want to buy intact sets as a speculation on capturing a potential set premium wait</p><p>until you can get a premium for better quality and use that money to set aside ho-</p><p>hum sets.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>There are never any gaurantees and there is no sure thing.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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