I ask, because I saw a '65 SMS set on EBay being toted as "Mint Sealed" and I've been told here before, that '64 was the last year that any were even sealed... so, I sent him a question asking how he could support such a claim... and he replies "experts have indicated that approx. 2% were sealed" So, now I've sent him another e-mail, asking for references to these so-called experts We'll see if he answers... the set only has a few hours left to go... so... unlikely... but... we'll see... and it's not like it's going for an outrageous price, but definately over greysheet...
I ordered a couple of SMS sets from the mint in 1965. And as I think I recall, these were sealed in a cardboard shipping container. I have kept the sets in their mint issued packing with, I believe, the shipping container, but unfortunately they are in a safety deposit box (for 1965 SMS sets, the obvious question is "Why keep these in a safety deposit box?" The answer is "Who knows?") so I can't check to be sure. So I think my safest comment is that with some reasonable probablity, if the seller is talking about a cardboard shipping box, the seller might be correct. But my recollection says that Russ and mercurynut are correct insofar as the blue mint box inside the shipping box was (as I recall) not sealed. Also as I remember from 1965, the blue mint box was a pain to open because you must pry the long blue flap from where it was folded inside the box and it was easy to tear the (or at least wrinkle) the blue flap, thereby making the blue mint box less than perfect. But, in 1965, collectors truly disliked these SMS sets so probably no one cared much what happened to the mint box...
Yeah, I tend to believe Russ and Marty who have seen a LARGE number of sets... and no, the seller is not referring to the shipping box being sealed, but the envelopes themselves...
I've opened more than a few of the shipping boxes and don't believe any were sealed. It is not extremely uncommon to find them in the original boxes sealed but usually there is ev- idence they were stored in moist conditions. The "sealing" is rarely solid and will extend across the entire surface of the glue as would be expected if they had gotten moist.
I've bought the envelopes from dealers and the coins inside were unsealed. You can tell the flap with the glue has never been wet. Anyone who says their coin sets are mint sealed have probably seen what's inside!
Monster Wavy Steps Rule! - 1999, WSDDR-015, 1999P-1DR-003 - 2 known My EBay Store/Auctions
Comments
Russ, NCNE
42/92
Mark
Hope this helps
Paul
42/92
Paul
<< <i>Bet he sealed them after a Cherry picken >>
If not him, somebody along the chain of custody.
Russ, NCNE
is not extremely uncommon to find them in the original boxes sealed but usually there is ev-
idence they were stored in moist conditions. The "sealing" is rarely solid and will extend
across the entire surface of the glue as would be expected if they had gotten moist.
My EBay Store/Auctions