If you are into coin collecting, surely you have heard of proof coin sets. When talking about United States proof sets, in particular, you should know that some of them are highly valuable. However, for a proof set to fetch its absolute top price, it needs to fulfill certain conditions. It needs to be:
- Housed in its original U.S. Mint packaging
- Available with all original documents and COA (Certificates of Authenticity)
- Completely free from any damage
- Also needs to have never been circulated
Nowadays, getting your hands on United States proof coins and sets is as easy as ordering them directly from the website of The United States Mint.
History Of United States Proof Coin Sets
Historically speaking, proof coins have been in production at the United States Mint since the early 1800s. Sold to coin collectors at the U.S. Mint offices in Philadelphia, these early specimens had a special finish on the surface of the coin. They were manufactured with the utmost care.
However, a Proof counterpart for every coin produced for circulation does not exist. As time progressed, coin collectors had started to request one proof coin for every single type of coin that was being minted. Eventually, in 1936, sets of every coin minted were beginning to be assembled by the United States Mint. These sets were then sold to collectors directly.
As time went on, commemorative coins were also manufactured by the Mint. However, most of these commemorative coins were produced in proof and business strike finishes. Thanks to this, collectors were able to get their hands on a variety of sets that combined differed denominations or finishes of commemorative coins.
Particularly Valuable Proof Sets
Compared to common ones, there are a number of United States proof sets that are worth considerably more in any given condition. Because of that fact, these coins are frequently altered from common coins and counterfeit. If you happen to have one or more of these coins in your possession, don’t act rashly. It is crucial that you have them authenticated by a third party grading service or reputable coin dealer like Colonial Acres before you start celebrating early retirement. These coin sets include:
- 1990-S No S Lincoln cent ( the Lincoln penny is missing the mint mark “S” below the date on the obverse)
- 1981-S Clear S (all mint marks on all coins have a flat and very clear mintmark)
- 1971-S No S Jefferson 5-cent (on the obverse, the Jefferson nickel is missing the mint mark “S”)
- All proof sets dated between 1936 and 1951
If you are eager to know more about proof sets and rare coin specimens alike, visit Colonial Acres Coins. With a long and successful history in professional numismatics, the company is more than happy to help you with coin appraisals and trading in all kinds of coin collections.
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