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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1192636, member: 19463&quot;]The current fad among collectors is to consider every little difference to be significant and the mint is happy to supply items sold above face value to feed the beast.&nbsp; When I collected as a kid, I looked up to Louis Eliasburg who had &quot;The only complete United States Coin Collection.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; Today people say his collection was not complete because he (like most of us then) thought that proofs were just a super nice Philadelphia mint coin and saw no reason also to have a business strike (&#039;defective&#039;) coin when he already had a perfect one.&nbsp; Later the mint really got carried away and made coins that were made in proof only even having marked mints (S and W) that made no &#039;real&#039; coins (things made to be spent).&nbsp; I remember people who would break up proof sets to add the coins to their coin folders because that was the easy way to get a perfect coin.&nbsp; D and S marked coins would be added from circulation or as available from dealers.&nbsp; I lived in the Mid West then so we saw more nice D &amp; S coins than plains anyway but some (including me) thought it looked better to use matching business strikes for all.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>None of this stuff is worth more than face or melt except when you (collectors) add a value to it by demand.&nbsp; If you really believe MS66 is worth double MS65 and half MS68, so be it.&nbsp; I recall a time when you could get a US proof set for less than the $2.10 issue price ($.91 face) and there is no guarantee anyone will return your issue price for any special product.&nbsp; It is all in the control of the &#039;next generation&#039; of collectors.&nbsp; When I die, someone will have to decide if they want to give my estate a profit on what I bought or not.&nbsp; I recommend the next generation make up their own mind on where to spend their money and not accept the current fads unless they really seem to be worth giving new life for another generation.&nbsp; How many in the long run will care for the difference between bright and frosted?&nbsp; You may know someday.&nbsp; I won&#039;t.&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile enjoy your hobby.&nbsp; I have.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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