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Collecting old proof sets is both challenging and rewarding.
Offering old silver coins that have been rising in value over recent years, buying proof sets from the 1950s and 1960s is one way to easily assemble a collection of old U.S. coins.
The 1950 U.S. proof set was the first proof set made by the U.S. Mint since 1942. With about 51,000 produced, the 1950 proof set offers these coins:
- 1950 Lincoln wheat cent
- 1950 Jefferson nickel
- 1950 Roosevelt dime
- 1950 Washington quarter
- 1950 Franklin half dollar
When buying old coins, like those in the 1950 proof set, be sure you do your best to avoid buying coins that are discolored or have spots.
Old proof coins that have cameo devices (or frosted areas on the designs and lettering) are always desirable and worth more than those that don’t have frosted areas on the raised parts of the design.
My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I'm a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I'm also the editor at CDN Publishing (a trusted source for the price of U.S. rare coins), editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I've contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I've also authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins — and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
