Okay, I got a little crazy on eBay and bought something I thought I knew about. Now that I've received it I'm not so sure. The description was: "I have a 1963 Proof set enclosed in a nice plastic case.All of the coins are flawless except the Lincoln cent has some tarnish on it.Should be worth something,and shipping only .75 cents" I checked the feedback, 100% positive. I checked the "View Sellers other Items" and there were six or seven items, but no coins. So, I'm guessing this isn't a dealer. Anyway, the coins arrived today. They are in a Whitmam five-coin holder and contain a half dollar, quarter, dime, nickel and penny. The coins are reeeally shiny and look like silver, the penny is hard to describe. At first glance it looks like a steel penny, but then it looks like a mint penny that has been lighly coated with silver, just enough so the red still shows through. Questions: When an item is listed as a "Silver Proof Set, are all the coins minted in silver, or is it just a mint set of the silver coin era. What are the probabilities that these coins are silver plated? What's the deal on the penny?
As you already know it's an after-market Proof set. Now it could easily be that the original buyer ( from the Mint ) placed this set in the hard case - many do. But it could also be what I call a made up set. This is where a collector purchases the coins idividually and saves them umtil he has a full set and then places them in the case. Such sets never appealed to me - but to each his own. As for the set being called a silver Proof set - yes - it can be as all halves, quarters & dimes struck before 1965 were silver. Of course the nickel and cent are not. As for the color of the cent - it is likely just toning. But it could also be that a previous owner dipped the coin at some point because of a carbon spot or because of toning. But dipping copper is NEVER a good idea as the metal is likely to turn just about any color you can imagine. That may be what happened here.
One positive to buying your coins in the plastic case is that you can reopen it. If you're not happy with the cent, you can replace it. You can buy another '63 Lincoln proof for $3-$4. Less if you can find one at a local dealer. The S&H is what hurts you on low cost coins.
Unfortunately, with the coloring the way it is, I would bet that it was dipped, but as Jody said, it can be replaced very inexpensively. The other coins look good, though
I got the loupe and and looked closer at the coins. There is a fine sprinkling of powder-like substance (dust?) on them, more on the obv than the rev. I have been reading all the posts on not cleaning coins, but I'm wondering if there is any way to get the powder or dust off. I was thinking distilled water and a Q-tip but I'm afraid I might damage the coins. The dust, or whatever, is only on the silver coins.
I have heard swirling the coins in a pure acetone bath does not damage the coin. I personally am very much on the fence about this but I know of one collector that was able to restore a proof coin this way. In my opinion, though, this still qualifies as cleaning and therefore I cannot recommend this, I'm only passing the info along. (Sorry to be so wishy-washy about it but I just can't bring myself to tell someone to clean a coin.)
Understandable -- 99% of the time, the correct answer is to not clean it. But there are times, with the right coin, a professional opinion and a professional treatment, that "cleaning" (usually less than than that, like a dipping or non-harsh restoration) can benefit a coin. I just never feel qualified to make that call, so I generally tell folks not to clean anything without getting a *very* solid professional opinion and a very professional "messing with" on the rare chance it's called for.
