Investing In State Quarter Proof Sets

When the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act was signed into law in 1997, it had a triple purpose..First, it wanted to promote state history and culture to children. The state quarter sets were to commemorate the states that make up this great country.The third goal was to help inspire a new generation of coin collectors.

Beginning in January 1999 with the release of the Delaware commemorative, a new state quarter was released approximately every ten weeks with five coins being released per year.The last quarter in original 50 states was released in 2008.

The program was a resounding success.Almost half of the US population began collecting states quarters.To further the  goal of the program, quarter proof sets were also sold by
the United States Mint for collectors.

The San Francisco mint was the only mint to product proof state quarters.This is unlike regular state quarters, which were minted by the mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia.The mints have a special process that allows the final coin to have a beautiful design and finish.This results in a mirror-like background and sharp relief of the design.Finally, to give the coin a cameo-like appearance, the foreground is sculpted and frosted.

Proof sets are designed more for true coin collectores.This is due to several factors.Proofs are the highest quality coin.Two, the fact that these sets are purchased directly from the United States Mint, rather than put into circulation, also adds to their value.Uncirculated coins tend to have less wear and tear than those released into circulation.

Proof sets are minted in smaller quantities than those released into circulation.Increased rarity produces increased value.The 2008 proof sets doubled in value within a year.Proof sets from the beginning of the program are now valued as high as to .
These will continue to increase in value as more time passes.

Finally, the quarter proof sets come with a certificate of authenticity.They are also specially packaged by the United States Mint.This additional care, not given to coins released into circulation,  also aids value.

Proof sets are originally sold only directly from the mint.However, you can now purchase them from stores that cater to coin collectors.Some can even be purchased on auction sites such as eBay.

With the state quarter craze, a new interest in coin collecting was sparked across the ountry.Many citizens started their collection with the quarter proof sets.New state quarter investors are best to start with the 1999 quarters since those will likely be the most difficult to find.

A good place to get started collecting state quarter sets is with the 1999 state quarter proof set.