Mint Sets

Official Mint, or sometimes referred to as Uncirculated sets, were first offered for sale by the United States Mint in 1947. The coins in these sets are normal Uncirculated specimens intended for circulation and are not minted with any special consideration for quality. Coins that are struck as Proof only issues are not included in these sets. The early sets from 1947 to 1958 were issued with two examples of each denomination from each mint that produced coins for circulation that year. The coins were mounted in cardboard holders, which sometimes caused various degrees of toning on the coins.

Sets from 1959 to current date, excluding 1965, 1966 and 1967, have been packaged in transparent plastic envelope and include only one specimen of each coin struck for that year. In 1965, 1966 and 1967 the Mint issued Special Mint Sets (SMS) as a substitute for proof sets. The coins in these sets are of a higher quality than regular mint sets. These coins are prooflike in appearance and they are packaged in plastic cases. The 1970 large-date and small-date (SD) varieties are distinguished by the size of the date on the "S" Mint Lincoln cent. The 1976 three-piece set contains the quarter, half dollar and dollar with the Bicentennial design and they are 40% silver. The 1975 set as well as the regular issue set for 1976 also contain the quarter, half dollar and dollar dated 1976 with the Bicentennial design. But these coins are made of a copper-nickel composition. There were no official Mint sets issued for the years 1950, 1982 and 1983.

Mint sets have always been a very popular part of numismatics. Some collector's will collect one set of every year issued from 1947 to date while others will start their collection with the clear transparent plastic envelope sets from 1959 to current date. Another popular way these sets are collected is by various nostalgic years to commemorate a significant occasion like an Anniversary, a Birth Year, Wedding Year, Graduation Day, etc.