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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;stairstars, post: 4491630, member: 111609&quot;]Certainly, the mint started selling complete proof sets to the public in the mid 19th Century and are well represented in historic catalogs.</p><p>According to present Smithsonian consultant, Jeff Garrett:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Starting in 1858 the US Mint sold Proof sets to collectors annually. The sets could be purchased in a variety of ways as the Mint sold minor coin sets, silver sets, and complete sets including gold. The coins were sold for a small premium over face value to cover the extra production costs of these special coins. Occasionally, an original Proof set will enter the market from the late 1850s or 1860s and include the original packaging and documentation. Some were housed in leather boxes, but I believe these were privately made outside of the Mint.&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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