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Mint Sets (or Uncirculated Sets) are complete sets of coins produced by each mint facility for circulation in a particular year. They are packaged and sold as coin collecting sets by the US Mint. A Mint Set contains one uncirculated coin of each denomination struck that year, from the pool of coins intended for general circulation. Unlike Proof Sets (which contain coins with the best finish, the finest quality of a coin), the coins in Mint Sets are not made with any special considerations regarding quality. (On rare occasion, we also talk about individual uncirculated coins here.)
Most worn 1964 pennies that you’ll find in circulation are worth the value of their copper content — or about 2 cents. But some 1964 penny values are MUCH higher — like the 1964 SMS penny. Here’s how to tell if you have a rare 1964 SMS penny why these 1964 pennies are worth so much.
Do you have any 1983 quarters? A 1983 quarter is generally worth more than face value… as much as $15,000 apiece!
Clad quarters have a copper band around the edge, between 2 nickel colored layers. Look for these 8 valuable quarters in your everyday pocket change!
What are mint marks? Mintmarks are small letters stamped on U.S. coins that designate where the coin was made. Where a coin was minted affects its value. See which coins each U.S Mint facility made. And what a U.S. coin without a mintmark means. (Some are rare error coins. Others are not supposed to have a mint mark.)
Coin Strike Types – There are 3 different kinds of coin strikes produced at the United States Mint. See what they are and when they are used.
U.S. mint coin sets from 2000 to 2009 include a wide variety of really cool coins. Here’s a look at the coins in U.S. Mint uncirculated coin sets from the 2000s and how much these sets are worth today.
The US Mint did not produce any coins with a mintmark from 1965-1967. Silver was also removed from coins during this time, and proof sets and mint sets were not produced either. It wasn’t until 1968 that mintmarks, proof sets, and mint sets returned to normal. See why 1965 coins, 1966 coins, and 1967 coins are different, and what’s so unique about 1968 coins.
A really fun idea is to assemble a Birth Year Coin Set or a Conception Year Coin Set. It’s a collection of coins that were struck during the year of one’s birth or the year of one’s conception. The idea is to pick out of pocket change an example of each coin you find that was struck the year you (or someone you love) was born — or conceived. This is a simple DIY project for all skill levels — whether you officially collect coins or not! Here are some clever ideas for making coin sets by year — including Birth Year Coin Sets and Conception Year Coin Sets.
The U.S. Mint’s state quarter program began in 1999 and continued through 2008. In all, 50 statehood quarters were made — one for each state in the United States. They were released into circulation in the order that the statehoods came into existence. Here’s the official list of all 50 state quarters and their release dates. Plus, everything you need to know about collecting the 50 state quarters, and fun ways to save state quarters that you probably haven’t thought of!
Collecting uncirculated mint sets from the United States Mint is a perfect way to get most, if not all, of the examples of coins found in pocket change from each year! Uncirculated coin sets have been issued by the United States Mint since 1947, and they’ve been offered almost every year since then. See what U.S. mint sets are worth, plus my personal tips and strategies for building a really cool mint set collection.
