1959 1c-50c Proof Set, 5 Coins PR

Original Packaging: The five coins were sealed into a single pliofilm envelope with pockets for each coin, a sixth pocket containing an embossed and printed paper seal reading US MINT PHILADELPHIA in blue on a silver background. The set was protected from damage by two strips of cardstock, and all three pieces were inserted, along with a brief fact sheet, into a buff-colored mailing envelope. This carried a pre­-­printed return address and a discreet notation of its contents.

Commentary: Sales of Proof sets rebounded in 1959, collectors perhaps being reinvigorated by the relatively lower figure in 1958. It is doubtful that there were more than a quarter million serious coin collectors in the USA at that time, so many of these sets represent multiple orders from single individuals as well as casual orders from the general public.

Anticipation of the new Lincoln Memorial cent was very high, and this certainly contributed to Proof set sales. The new reverse was richly detailed and looked quite sharp on Proofs coined from unworn and properly polished dies. This is in sharp contrast to the obverse of the cent, which by 1959 had lost nearly all of its once superb detail. The same obverse master hub had been cranking out master dies since 1916, when the last major update to the design occurred, and repeated sinking of dies had worn away just about all of Lincoln’s beard. He now seemed to have simply a very large and misshapen chin!

Both the nickel and the half dollar had likewise suffered some loss of detail over the years, a fact that was painfully evident when examining Proofs. These coins should have been the very epitome of quality, yet they were often not much sharper than ones made for general circulation.

Cameo coins of this date are especially scarce. Ultra cameo pieces are genuinely rare, as their high prices suggest.

Sharp­-­eyed collectors should look out for the doubled­-­die obverse 1959 Proof quarter. It shows distinct doubling of IN GOD WE TRUST.

Source: Whitman