1955 Proof set... original cello question

coinsarefun · September 10, 2007 5:37AM

Is this the original cello? It looks like a newer plastic for each coin. Also the lincoln cent looks like it has a rub to me.
The auction says original box and holder.

ebay

MORGANHUNTER2 · September 10, 2007 5:39AM

Yep- very new baby baggie to me..

kind of common these days when you see the old boxed sets opend up- odds are they will pull the celophane and staple apart and redo it- sad thing is - the folks that do this want MOON money for the set- and now it is no longer ORIGINAL.

ttown · September 10, 2007 5:41AM

Repackaged.....

Rarity · September 10, 2007 5:41AM

Not original cellophane envelopes

SUMORADA · September 10, 2007 5:43AM

And PVC to boot..........

LanLord · September 10, 2007 5:43AM

The original bags should be krispy-kritters, those look nice and supple. NO GOOD.

UtahCoin · September 10, 2007 5:52AM

I think it is original! Here's a pic of an original that I opened last year. The plastic is soft on the 55's. I am 100% sure that mine was untouched since 1955. I bought this from an old time customer that had several of each year from 1950 forward. The 55's were like this one shown. Note that the seam at the bottom of the bags are identical.

keets · September 10, 2007 6:09AM

i would go against the flow and say that it's possibly original. my understanding is that just as the Mint switched from Boxed Sets to Flat Packs during the 1955 year, they switched from brittle pliofilm to the polybags during either 1954 or 1955. as a result, those years could perhaps come in a number of different combinations with 1955 Boxed in either pliofilm or poly bags, or the flat pack. as an additional variation, the 1955/1956 flat packs came in envelopes which opened at either the long end like a standard envelope or the short end with cardboard surrounding things.

this as all based on what i've found at shops/shows, but Rick Tomaska does a good job of explaining things in his books.whatever the type of packaging in the Box Sets, i always suggest that the coins be removed and placed in some type of alternate holder such as a Whitman or Capital, with a 2x2 flip being better than the "Original Mint Packaging" that so many pay a premium for. it does more to damage the coins and lessen the value than enhancing it in the long term. in practical terms, it shouldn't even be considered to keep these as they came from the Mint.

originalisbest · September 10, 2007 6:13AM

People do like to pay more for the original... I have an original '55 flat pack that I chose to remove as the original film had developed some hairline cracks. Should've kept the film, but I still have the cardboard insert and envelope, at least.

MORGANHUNTER2 · September 10, 2007 6:19AM

Keets- polyvinyl bags had not been invented yet.

I have 4 original 55 proof sets at home- all opened and not one had the new polyvinyl baggies.

polyvinyl did not come out until the mid 60's

Gemineye · September 10, 2007 6:24AM

If the staple is old an rusty and the plastic is old and crusty it's original...

keets · September 10, 2007 6:38AM

polyvinyl did not come out until the mid 60's

not worth arguing about, but understand that information of that nature is wrong. please see below:

Polyvinyl chloride was accidentally discovered on at least two different occasions in the 19th century, first in 1835 by Henri Victor Regnault and in 1872 by Eugen Baumann. On both occasions, the polymer appeared as a white solid inside flasks of vinyl chloride that had been left exposed to sunlight. In the early 20th century, the Russian chemist Ivan Ostromislensky and Fritz Klatte of the German chemical company Griesheim-Elektron both attempted to use PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) in commercial products, but difficulties in processing the rigid, sometimes brittle polymer blocked their efforts. In 1926, Waldo Semon of B.F. Goodrich developed a method to plasticize PVC by blending it with various additives. The result was a more flexible and more easily processed material that soon achieved widespread commercial use.

jmski52 · September 10, 2007 7:16AM

Original cello is not soft, and is often yellowed and/or crispy - like LanLord said. These polyethylene bags are not original, imo.

RBinTex · September 10, 2007 7:18AM

Not

options26 · September 10, 2007 7:18AM

<< <i>I think it is original! Here's a pic of an original that I opened last year. The plastic is soft on the 55's. I am 100% sure that mine was untouched since 1955. I bought this from an old time customer that had several of each year from 1950 forward. The 55's were like this one shown. Note that the seam at the bottom of the bags are identical.

>>

I just opened a sealed one that has the exact same soft plastic baggies. I have no reason to believe that it was not legit, but I guess who knows. I tend to believe it was legit since the half was a strong cameo coin and I doubt a scammer would have left it in there.

bushmaster8 · September 10, 2007 7:22AM

The bags pictured look like polyethylene, not polyvinyl.

Hence, no PVC risk .

bluelobster · September 10, 2007 7:41AM

I find this thread very interesting, I got all of my dads proof sets starting in 54 and 55, with both sets boxed and both with soft plastic. I will add that he didn't aquire them untill 1974 or so and while I truly believe the boxes are original, I can't vouch for the plastic. It may have been common practice with the "dealers" , at the time...or not and maybe some did come with soft plastic , otherwise, with as many of these soft plastics out there, it would lead me to believe it was comon practice for some dealers to cherry pick stuff over 30-50 years ago.......say it ain't so