Newbie says "hi" and asks "1954 flat-pack proof set; is it possible?"
NYCcollector
Posts: 23
Hi, folks. I’m a first-time poster, and I have a question that maybe one of you pros may have some thoughts about. (By the way, I’ve been looking over the posts for a few days, and I’m dazzled by your collective coin knowledge, wit and camaraderie!)
Here’s my question. I was looking for a 1954 proof set and I noticed a curiosity on Ebay: a 1954 proof set in supposedly original plio-film flat packaging. Everything I’d seen was pretty clear that the Mint didn’t issue flat packs until mid-1955, and that the ’54 sets came only in a box. But here it was. (I’m going to attempt to put in an active link, but forgive me if I screw it up. I’ll post the URL, so you can paste it in, if you’re interested in seeing it.)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2217465282&category=41111&sspagename=STRK:MEBWN:IT&rd=1
So I contacted the seller. She was perfectly nice, said she knew little about coins, and said she was just selling her mother’s collection. Apparently, her mother had acquired this some time in the 50s.
My first thought was: it’s just a garden-variety set, and someone thought they’d have a little fun by sealing it in a fake flat-pack. But why? It’s obvious that the Ebay seller wasn’t trying to capitalize on the “unique” packaging. (Note the absence of hype about the packaging.) And if someone were trying to put a Capital holder set back in phony “original” mint packing, wouldn’t they have thrown it into a brown box and the little stapled packs, rather than invite closer scrutiny with a highly unusual (maybe unique) flat-pack? Anyhow, I figured that, for the price, I was, at the very least, getting an OK proof set (I’ve examined it, and they’re proof coins, as described).
But do any of you know whether the Mint did a test-run in ’54 of the flat pack? Any idea who’d know for sure?
Here’s my question. I was looking for a 1954 proof set and I noticed a curiosity on Ebay: a 1954 proof set in supposedly original plio-film flat packaging. Everything I’d seen was pretty clear that the Mint didn’t issue flat packs until mid-1955, and that the ’54 sets came only in a box. But here it was. (I’m going to attempt to put in an active link, but forgive me if I screw it up. I’ll post the URL, so you can paste it in, if you’re interested in seeing it.)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2217465282&category=41111&sspagename=STRK:MEBWN:IT&rd=1
So I contacted the seller. She was perfectly nice, said she knew little about coins, and said she was just selling her mother’s collection. Apparently, her mother had acquired this some time in the 50s.
My first thought was: it’s just a garden-variety set, and someone thought they’d have a little fun by sealing it in a fake flat-pack. But why? It’s obvious that the Ebay seller wasn’t trying to capitalize on the “unique” packaging. (Note the absence of hype about the packaging.) And if someone were trying to put a Capital holder set back in phony “original” mint packing, wouldn’t they have thrown it into a brown box and the little stapled packs, rather than invite closer scrutiny with a highly unusual (maybe unique) flat-pack? Anyhow, I figured that, for the price, I was, at the very least, getting an OK proof set (I’ve examined it, and they’re proof coins, as described).
But do any of you know whether the Mint did a test-run in ’54 of the flat pack? Any idea who’d know for sure?
0
Comments
Welcome aboard.
Surely it's fake.
morris <><
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I checked with an expert on original packaging of US proof sets and he concurs that this is for sure a counterfeit package. The pattern made by the heat sealing machine is different. One or more of the coins could have been switched out from a proof set. I can't see each coin very well but the Lincoln does look funny.
You are doing well, subject 15837. You are a good person.