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Here is something you rarely, if ever, see. A 1936 proof set in OGP.
SanctionII
Posts: 13,233 ✭✭✭✭✭
A 1936 proof set in OGP (wish it were mine).
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wow
Wow is right. I wish I had that one as well
That is so cool. It would be even cooler to find a cameo, semi-cameo, or rainbow toner.
Incredible! Is there an original box to go along with it? I'm guessing it is the exact same used for the other box type proof sets.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
That’s incredible!!
"Another day, another Collectors Universe forum scrolling session."
- Someone, probably
Wowzer !!!!!!! Never saw one before. 😎
🇺🇸 Harlequin
harlequinnumismatic@gmail.com
Home of the Americana Collection of USA silver coins
Hmmm. Very cool. Where did you see it? What do the coins look like in person? I assume a little hazy at least.
Fascinating, looks genuine too. A lot of times these are faked.
Coin Photography
Yesterday I was searching for 1936 proof sets on the Internet. I was directed to a hobby related site that had a forum discussion about a person who inherited a 1936 proof set in the cello envelopes. The forum discussion was posted in 2020.
The person posted a photo of the 1936 proof set. I copied the photo and posted it in this thread.
I thought it was very interesting to see a photo of what appears to be a 1936 proof set in OGP. I remember that many years ago on the US Coin Forum there was a thread posted by a person who, along with his siblings, inherited his grandparents' coin collection. That collection included many 1936-1964 proof sets in OGP, plus many Classic Commemorative coins. The grandparents acquired these and other coins in the 1930's and subsequent decades directly from the mint and stored them carefully. It was quite an enjoyable thread; and it included many photographs of the coins in the collection.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/573989/recently-acquired-coin-collection-the-return#latest
This should be the thread you reference.
Coin Photography
FlyingAl.
You are correct sir.
I just sent a PM to Darth5oh to say hello and to suggest that he post a new forum thread giving an update on the status of his grandparents' coin collection.
@Coinscratch should see this.
God bless all who believe in him. Do unto others what you expect to be done to you. Dubbed a "Committee Secret Agent" by @mr1931S on 7/23/24. Founding member of CU Anti-Troll League since 9/24/24.
Darth5oh just sent me a PM.
Some of his grandparents' collection has been sold. He bought out his relatives and now owns the rest, including better quality proof sets and Commemoratives.
Where can I get one
So is it worth more in the cello or graded or does that depend on how spectacular they are??
I did not know that the 1936 proof coins that way. The ones I have seen came in a plastic/cellophane and in a 2x2 envelope.
Interesting topic, but click bait thread title. 👎
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."
I kind of like click bait titles. 😂
Interesting click bait titles are all I ever click on, the rest of the crap is boring.
And yet it would be so easy and courteous to include what the thread is about.
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."
Catbert.
Ask and you shall receive
I hope that Darth5oh decides to post an update. His threads were some of the best threads that this forum has had while I've been a member.
I knew it would happen.
I remember the Darth5oh thread, it was an all-timer. Glad to hear the udpate and that the coins are still in good hands.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
What makes you think this is OGP??
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Maywood.
The pictured 1936 Proof Set in the cello envelopes (in my opening post to this thread) looks like the 1936 Proof Set (also in the same cello envelopes) Darth5oh inherited from his grandparents (who purchased same from the mint and on receipt kept it in the mint packaging) and posted photos of in his forum posts about his grandparents collection in 2007.
So, I am assuming that Darth5oh's 1936 Proof Set is an example of one being in OGP.
Since that set looks similar to the 1936 Proof Set pictured in my opening post to this thread I also assume that it is an example of one being in OGP.
Thanks for the Link, Flying AI. . .enjoyable back-story.
Kevin, I guess what I'm asking is has anyone ever come across some documentation which details how the Mint "packaged" Proof coins from that era. I don't recall ever seeing anything.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Maywood.
I also do not recall seeing any such documentation.
Truth be told, you could just remove 5 coins from a 1955 set or earlier, and put your 1936 set in those cello wrappers. Who would know or be able to prove otherwise. That is the easy part. Now for the hard part, you have to find a 1936 proof set.
Most of those wrappers are brittle and wouldn’t do well if coins were removed and replaced by others.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
How much would you care to wager on that? Send me a 1936 proof set and I will have it out the door, 5 minutes later, in OGP!!
The defense rests.
I just looked at Darth5oh's January, 2025 update thread and his 2007 sequel thread on his grandparents' coin collection. In those threads are photographs of multiple 1936-1942 proof sets, many of which are in cello sleeves and stapled together.
Since those proof sets were acquired by his grandfather from the mint at the time of issue and upon receipt were kept as is (until Darth5oh and his siblings/cousins inherited same) I take it as proof that these early proof coins were placed by the mint in cello sleeves and shipped to buyers (with orders of multiple coins having the cello sleeves stapled together.
No matter how strongly I feel about something, I wouldn’t offer or accept a serious bet with a forum member over it.
And by the way, the defense rested prematurely, without having proved 1) the source or type of the pictured packaging or 2) that its state of preservation is representative of what’s most likely to be found in original 1936 Proof sets.
Edited to add: Where are the staples?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
You can no more prove that there was not a 1936 set in there, than I can prove there was. My point, you can use ANY of the old wrappers, and no one would know otherwise. The staple would not go back in until it was sealed back up. The fascination on seeing a set in these cello wrappers, is mind numbing, when it is SO easy to put coins right back in them, if you wish to do it.
The image in the OP looks a lot more fake than real cello plastic I have. These were from a 1952 unopened proof set, that I had graded, so I know they are original. If I would have posted a 1936 set in these, you would have believed it, if you believe the top one is real.
I got to see/hold some of the coins Darth5oh had and I was impressed on so many levels. It was one of the most significant numismatic experiences of my life.
The cellos definitely look different from yours which are shorter in length and they have some type of a pressing seal you can notice on the right side which could be a telltale sign of authenticity.
I’m in the camp that I don’t have a clue what they’re supposed to look like but they’re definitely different and also separated by almost 20 years.
It would make an interesting idea for a set to have a complete run from 1936-1942 in the original government packaging. Does he still own the proof sets?
Newbie here with a distantly related question -- if you have a proof set in a box that has never been opened, should you leave it sealed? Is there a loss of value by breaking the seal? In the case of this thread, what if the box had never been opened? Thanks
Casual collector slowly building a collection....
"Is there a loss of value by breaking the seal?"
Depends on who you ask. Some people put a higher value on "unsearched" items than other people do.
edited to add... With regards to the set in this thread, I would expect that, due to the packaging materials used in these sets, it's more likely the coins would look worse than average rather than better. JMO, YMMV.
Notice that that cellophane is from the 1950-1955 era. That era did not have stippling on the bottom of the cellophane, whereas known sets from 1936-42 did.
Coin Photography
Just for clarity, it wasn’t my intention to cause any strife with my simple question. It’s just that all we have had and continue to have even now is anecdotal evidence. Sadly, those people who could provide more reliable(yet still anecdotal) evidence have all died.
For my own part, there was a local Coin Club member whose father was supposed to have a run of sets dated back to 1936 still in the OGP, but nobody I know ever saw them. That man and his father are both dead now and the whereabouts of the sets is a mystery.
Absent any sort of documentation such as Mint correspondence(man, I miss @PhillyJoe) this is one of the more enduring recent Numismatic Urban Myths, right behind the 1964 Peace Dollar. Perhaps some future reasearcher or Heir(s) will help to solve it. Till then, I guess each of us will believe what we choose.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
cameonut2011.
Darth5oh is the current owner of all of the 1936-1942 proof sets that were acquired by his grandfather directly from the mint. He bought out the interest of his 5 siblings and cousins. If I recall correctly for each year from 1936-1942 his grandfather purchased either one set or two sets. He has had some, if not all, of these proof sets graded.
If he chooses to look at this thread perhaps he will post a reply that provides information about the history of these proof sets, including information about the cello sleeves the coins were contained in.
Hey to all!
As SanctionII pointed-out, back in around mid 2023 I started pushing my cousins/siblings that we needed to do something with the collection (since I'm about to go on Medicare, lol.) We were working on how might be the best way to liquidate, and it got a bit complicated. Long story short, we sold the vast majority of the "smaller stuff", and even a few of the lower graded silver commemoratives to "test the waters." I ended up striking a deal with the family to buy-out their share of the remaining collection - all the proof sets and about 30 of the silver commemoratives. (I wrote an update thread in Jan 2025 describing this, along with pics and PCGS grades: "Recently" Acquired Coin Collection – The Update)
My grandfather bought all these back when they were issued. They sat in a few big boxes in his (and my grandmother's) bedroom closet for decades in Carlsbad, NM until he passed in 1992.
Concerning this thread's topic - the proof sets I have are: a 1936, two '37s, '38, '39, '40, two '41s, and two '42s. (There was also a 1950 set.) The '36, one of the '37s, and the '38 were not in original holders. They were in those old black cardboard holders with the sliding plastic "windows" for viewing. All the others were in OGP. I still have those in small labeled boxes after I transferred the coins to the 2x2 flips for PCGS grading...
Mark
Nice to see you posting again Mark.
The mint packaging that the early proof sets came in and that most of the proof sets remained in until the collection passed to your generation in 2007 is a topic of much discussion on the Coin Forum.
The mint packaging for proof coins made in the 1936-1942 era mostly does not exist anymore.
If you can take the time to take photos of this packaging (the cellophane sleeves the individual coins were placed into; any material the cellophane sleeves/coins were wrapped in; any cardboard box the coins were placed in; and any mailing envelope the mint used to ship the coin/sets to buyers) and post photos to this thread that would be greatly appreciated by me (and most likely others).
Keep in touch.
Kevin
If you can take the time to take photos of this packaging (the cellophane sleeves the individual coins were placed into; any material the cellophane sleeves/coins were wrapped in; any cardboard box the coins were placed in; and any mailing envelope the mint used to ship the coin/sets to buyers) and post photos to this thread that would be greatly appreciated by me (and most likely others).
Ditto. If memory serves, my grandfather had told me about ordering proof coins from the Mint, and that single coins could be ordered individually. I'm wondering if individual coins were shipped without staples and how they might have been supplied. Did everything prior to 1955 come in the same type of square cardboard box and were the cello envelopes always stapled?
Welcome back Darth5oh!
I knew it would happen.
Thanks Kevin and jmski52!
My grandfather bought sets only, so they were all stapled together. Unfortunately I don't have any of the original boxes or whatever they came in from the mint. I don't know what became of those.
Here are a couple pics from my 2025 update thread. I'll get a few pics of the empty cellophane sleeves in the new few days...
It nice to see these old coins after being saved by an individual for so long and then passed to heirs. With what’s shown it’s still hard to assign this as OGP. Too bad for the loss of any boxes/documentation, especially the mailing envelope. That sort of stuff would be cool to see.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Thank you for sharing the photos. Great story.
If in person inspection looks like that photo and I could afford it I would buy it as original
On the original 1936 proof set, it would be interesting to know how many cents and nickels as well as what kind.
It is my understanding the 36-42 proofs were sold individually and were requested/purchased piecemeal.
There was a company that sold very similar pouches back then (maybe Meghrig). Kind of like the 66/67 SMS sets in a product very similar to what Whitman sells.