Poll: fate of "unopened" 1954 proof set: bust up, dip/NCS, slab, or just leave it be?

Baley

Imagine you just bought and opened up this fresh 1954 proof set:



It's still in the cellophane, which has yellowed and is brittle. the staple is rusted, but the cent, nickel, and dime are clean. the quarter is lightly toned, and this is the half dollar:



please vote in this poll for the statement which best expresses what you would do about this set, and leave a comment as to why.

Cam40

Ok I voted.hehe

hmmm which one is mine....hmmm lol

Cam40

hey two others voted down...

Cam40

Anyway you mean `just opened `54 Proof set` right?

Some people might try to reseal it and put it on Ebay as unopened and ask a big premium if they didnt like the coins inside.

It looks like a killer set.No DCAMs I suppose,but the Frankie looks CAM.
Why slab them unless you know you have a huge coin in the bunch
that would grade very high or is a sought-after variety.

I,d sit on it myself.
I bought a nice non-CAM `54 set in plastic Capital holder.But an untouched ,right out of the box,1954 PF set?
I,d be very happy to have it all in original packaging.

LucyBop

If it were me, Frankie would splish splash cause he's taking a bath, rub dub he's relaxing in the tub..... Then I'd send it in to PCGs...
Inspect it closely for hairlines..... If you have major hairlines this is a grade killer and you may want to leave the set as is...

Outhaul

No doubt...leave as is.

There are enough singles out there if you want one.

Cheers,

Bob

DoubleDime

I have a '55 set that I kept as is. I wanted a set in box for type.

nwcs

NCS does amazing work, far more than people realize. I say send all the coins to NCS and let them take care of contaminants and have them slabbed by NGC.

BillJones

I would never dip an original Proof coin. Once it's done people who are in the know can spot it from a mile away. And If you do have the coin slabbed that could knock 2 points off the grade. Proofs are not like business strikes. The surfaces are so smooth and perfect that any removal of metal will show.

This is a particularly nice 1954 set. About half of them were packaged in plastic sleeves that caused the silver coins to tarnish to an unattractive brown color. The sets in the cello either stayed white or toned to more attractive tones.

I’ve left my box sets alone, but if you are uncomfortable with the cello, take the coins out and put them in a Capital Plastics holder. If you want to sell it as a set, you might do better leaving it in the cello and box. Many collectors like the originality of that.

At any rate I would avoid having it slabbed. The only time that makes sense is when the coins are really exceptional cameos. Otherwise as someone else said, there are loads of Proof singles already.

CarlWohlforth

In our run of proof sets we have two of those boxes. The more they get busted up the more desirable the remaining ones are to some people.

I wouldn't dip the Franklin for all the reasons Bill Jones mentioned.

So it comes down to why did you buy the set in the first place? Are you collecting a run of proof sets in original packaging? My wife is so she would keep the set as is. However if I bought the set for resale I would take a good look at the Frankie. If it could grade 65 or better I would probably send it in. Not maybe 65, but if it was maybe 67. It doesn't look deep cameo.

Baley

thanks for the discussion so far, wow, pretty even voting!

To update and clarify, i bought the set for the fun of opening it up, hoping of course for some Gem coins.

I needed the half for a set of Frankies I have, it's complete with business strikes in choice to gem, with the proofs from 1955-63, so this would be my '54. The cent was intended for my dansco type set album to replace a BU 30-S (I'm in the process of replacing moderns with proofs, and also just got a $5 proof Sac and SBA singles to replace my $1 BU coins that I got at face value)

Anyway, I did decide to remove the rusty staple and take the half out of the cello for a better look:



As you can see, the fields are decently mirrored but hazy with some tone, there are is that very dark spot on the obverse at 10 o'clock which I think distracts my eye quite a bit. The devices are fairly frosty, with Ben's head having some horizontal hairlines that look mint-made they do not continue into the fields, and there is the frost break at the front of his shirt, so while this coin may not make cameo, it may get a half point for the 2-sided contrast.

I am dying to dip this coin but am worried that the 10:00 black spot will come out dull. your experience?

Baley

here's the quarter, "before"


I'm thinking about seeing how it comes out of a dip before attempting the half:




it also has a few of what look like hairlines, are these die polish? they're very light and only on the frosty devices, not in the mirror fields. I'm kind of new to proof coins, thanks for your help/advice

CarlWohlforth

I like them as they are.

The lines on the quarter do look like die polish lines. If you tilt the coin under a light and looks closely, maybe with a glass, if you see shadows from them they are die polish lines. Die polish would make lines that stick out of the coin while hairlines are scratches into the coin.

Baley

well, Carl, it came down to the question you asked, why did I buy the set in the first place, and it was not to put it away as is, but to look at and enjoy the coins, so I decided to dip the quarter. Here is the result:



I think it looks much better like this, and in an archival quality flip, than in the crumbly cello.

another original set bites the dust!

I think I will put the flips back in the box though, at least for a little while longer, and save the cello and tissue for some arcane reason.

keets

hey baley

although the predominant thinking seems to be "leave it original" i think it's wise if you're going to keep the set to get the coins out of the cello and away from the staple. you should at least afford the set a little protection. it seems rather foolish to keep it original, in the deteriorating cello with a rusting staple, when it can be placed in small BB type bags and kept in the box of issue. lose the tissue paper, also, since it may be a cause of the tone/tarnish.

al h.

CarlWohlforth

Well I guess you did a good job. I tried dipping once and left horrible residue spots. I might get better if I tried again, but I'm too chicken.

Baley

that rusty staple did a little damage to the quarter and moderate damage to the half over the past 49 years. I'd be happier if these coins were a little less original and a little more better looking.

Anyway, since they're destined for different displays as examples of semi- modern proofs, I wanted this year as it's right before the mintages of proof sets really takes off into the high 6 figures and on into the millions, and figure that maybe enough original sets will be left to satisfy that demand.

It's interesting to look at the mintages of proof mercs and walkers in the thousands and tens of thousands and realize that barbers and seated coins were made proof in quantities of hundreds, and the early seated, bust proofs, and gold proofs had mintages in the tens!

Baley

well, I went ahead and dipped the half, too. came out ok, the black spot is now pale yellow, but the fields look a lot better without all the haze:



unfortunately, not a super gem, but just an ok proof with a light cameo and some hairlines,