While uncirculated mint sets have been packaged by the United States government for over sixty years, there may be fewer of them than one might imagine. At times these uncirculated coin sets are purposely broken apart by coin dealers in order to satisfy customer needs. Many have been destroyed in this way. In fact, one fairly well known coin dealer is reported to have actually installed equipment to open their protective packaging, rather than have workers continue to do so by hand, lest they suffer from repetitive motion injuries! Some owners of these uncirculated mint sets have broken the collections themselves. Rather ironically, this is often because they wish to complete a certain collection of their own. Some coins were never minted for common or 'business strike'. For example, the 1970-D Kennedy half dollar was only available from the 1970 uncirculated mint sets. Therefore, the only way that a person could complete a collection of coins in this denomination would be either to break up their own mint set or buy the item from someone else who had done so. Breaking one up, of course, would only make sense if the value of the coin was worth more than the value of the set.
The original packaging of many of these uncirculated mint sets is not very sturdy, and suffers the effect of wear over time. Some collections were packaged in envelopes, whose color at times caused toning of the coins inside. Since there is a continued demand to some extent, (even just because new collectors take an interest each year in obtaining these items), it would seem that as time goes on, fewer of these older mint items will be available. So, if one does have uncirulated coin sets, keep them intact, especially if they are in their original packaging.
A person might easily confuse the concept of uncirculated mint sets with proof sets. However, they are very different. Both, of course, have never been in general circulation. Unlike proof coins, though, the coins displayed in uncirculated sets were usually not made with any special considerations given to the quality of the coins. Normal procedures were followed, unlike the preparation for proof coins, which may require attention to striking equipment or to the blanks used in fashioning the coins, even to the point of multiple strikes or special handling of materials in order to obtain the best quality strike. Therefore, the coins from uncirculated coin sets could display a variety of conditions. However, in general, such sets had probably been handled more carefully and were packaged at the mint, so the coins' conditons may have benefited at least somewhat from the additional attention. Proof coins, on the other hand, received attention at nearly every step in their production.
One move lately to further distinguish mint items from normal uncirculated coinage is that these newer uncirculated coin sets from the US Mint are given a special satin finish in order to make it easier to distinguish them from regular uncirculated coins. This is a wise move for several reasons. First, it helps to distinguish between the Mints' products, which makes them more desirable and sells more collections. Secondly, this discourages unscrupulous sellers from removing original coins which are in excellent condition and replacing them with less valuable coins. With the satin finish, this practice would be more readily apparent. If doubts persist in a buyer's mind before making a purchase, a skillful coin dealer could be consulted to evaluate a set and determine whether an item offered for sale was authentic. Likewise, a person wishing to sell his or her set could obtain authentication which could be a factor in the sale of the item.
The collections which the Mint produced from 1947 until 1958 were double mint sets. That is, they included two specimens of each coin produced from each mint (Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco). In 1965 to 1967, Special Mint Sets (SMS) were substituted. These contained samples of the coins from the cent through the half dollar. The items in these collections were of a higher quality than usual, and were almost 'Proof' in condition. The San Francisco Mint only minted coins through 1955, so those offered afterwards will not have any S coins.
Examining the offerings for uncirculated coin sets and various popular coin investments available on the websites of several coin dealers, it was easy to see how complex the hobby of coin collecting could become. It would take a certain amount of time to familiarize oneself with the many items available, even in the coinage of one's own country, in order to make an intelligent investment. Even after such a labor, there are no guarantees that the winds of the market will blow in a favorable direction so that any profit could be realized. Although one may have invested in coins as a hedge against financial insecurity, there is no promise that any coin will remain valuable or help provide for future needs. In contrast, these words from Isaiah 33:2 offer a sure foundation that one can build a life upon: O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. Coin collecting can be an enjoyable and sometimes profitable hobby. Make sure that it does not become the pursuit and foundation of a life, though, for only God is able to completely fulfill such a position.
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