The trend of weaker sales continues for United States Mint clad and silver proofs sets. The agency recently stopped selling its pair of flagship sets for 2016 and, according to the latest Mint figures; they ended at milestone low levels.
A few years back, it was often cheaper to buy proof sets after the U.S. Mint stopped selling them. More are now holding their values in the secondary market. Some mintage low sets are actually commanding exceptional premiums.
2016 Proof Set
The clad 2016 Proof Set launched on April 1, 2016 for $31.95. Coins in the set include the year’s cent, nickel, dime, five quarters, half-dollar, and $1 coins with each struck at the San Francisco Mint to proof quality.
Last reported sales have the clad set at 595,184 for the lowest total since the 1955 Proof Set ended at 378,200.
The 2015-dated set previously held that distinction at 662,934; preceded by the set from 2014 at 680,977; and then before it the set from 2012 at 794,002. The set from 2015 is realizing prices ranging from around $31 to $39. You can find 2014 Proof Sets that have recently sold from $28 to $37. The set from 2012, which failed to breach the mintage milestone of 1 million for the first time in decades, continues to score the best prices by realizing from $82 to $105.
2008 – 2016 Proof Set Mintages
| Year | Issue Price | Coins | Issue Date | Ending Sales / Mintage |
| 2016 Set | $31.95 | 13 | April 1, 2016 | 595,184 |
| 2015 Set | $32.95 | 14 | Mar. 24, 2015 | 662,934 |
| 2014 Set | $31.95 | 14 | Mar. 25, 2014 | 680,977 |
| 2013 Set | $31.95 | 14 | Mar. 28, 2013 | 802,460 |
| 2012 Set | $31.95 | 14 | May 7, 2012 | 794,002 |
| 2011 Set | $31.95 | 14 | Jan. 11, 2011 | 1,098,835 |
| 2010 Set | $31.95 | 14 | July 22, 2010 | 1,103,815 |
| 2009 Set | $29.95 | 18 | June 1, 2009 | 1,482,502 |
| 2008 Set | $26.95 | 14 | June 24, 2008 | 1,405,674 |
2016 Silver Proof Set
The 2016 Silver Proof Set launched on April 18, 2016 for $52.95. Like in the regular clad set, the silver set has San Francisco Mint-struck proofs of the year’s cent, nickel, dime, five quarters, half-dollar, and $1 coins. Adding to its appeal, seven of the coins — the half-dollar, five quarters and dime — are in 90% silver.
Last reported sales have the silver set at 369,849. Introduced in 1992 as an annual product, no other silver proof set has a lower mintage.
The 2015-dated set had held the mintage low distinction at 387,460; and before it the set from 2012 at 395,443. Sets from 2015 are selling from $50 to $75. Those from 2012 are moving for around $175 to $200.
2008 – 2016 Silver Proof Set Mintages
| Year | Issue Price | Coins | Issue Date | Ending Sales / Mintage |
| 2016 Set | $52.95 | 13 | April 18, 2016 | 369,849 |
| 2015 Set | $53.95 | 14 | May 14, 2015 | 387,460 |
| 2014 Set | $53.95 | 14 | April 29, 2014 | 404,665 |
| 2013 Set | $67.95 | 14 | May 2, 2013 | 419,720 |
| 2012 Set | $67.95 | 14 | June 4, 2012 | 395,443 |
| 2011 Set | $67.95 | 14 | Jan. 25, 2011 | 574,175 |
| 2010 Set | $56.95 | 14 | Aug. 26, 2010 | 585,401 |
| 2009 Set | $52.95 | 18 | July 17, 2009 | 697,365 |
| 2008 Set | $44.95 | 14 | Aug. 26, 2008 | 763,887 |
2017 Set Sales
United States Mint figures as of June 25, 2017 have sales of the clad 2017 Proof Set at 292,156 and those of the 2017 Silver Proof Set at 196,304. The silver set just debuted on June 7 while the clad set has been around since March 29.
The above 2016- and 2017-dated sales are unaudited figures from the United States Mint. The other years show mintages from Whitman’s third edition of MEGA RED, the expanded deluxe version of its Red Book®.
So, if I am understanding this correctly, nobody wants them, nobody buys them from the mint, and then they are “low mintage” and are then valuable? That’s valuable by virtue of no one wanting them, essentially. I can understand coins being valuable for low mintage if the mint was unable to strike many of them or for some reason that the mint didn’t strike many like being late getting the dies designed or the process perfected like with the incused lettering on the ’16 Silver Eagle, but I can’t understand the above where no one bought the sets and the… Read more »
@Rodney Moore – I think your partially right that the sets are not as popular as they once were and that quality seems to be more of an issue. But I also think that one of the factors is the high cost of the sets. I still buy them myself but the profit/senoriage that the Mint makes on the sets are too high. In my opinion of course. It used to be much more affordable to buy items from the Mint. But it seems like every year it’s getting more difficult, to get what you want, at a fair price!!!
I think part of the problem is that the Mint churns out far too much stuff. Back in the ’60s you had two products, a mint set and a proof set, and that helped keep interest focused. Now it seems like every other week there’s something being pushed. I understand about the silver eagles and some of the high end products, and a couple of commemoratives a year, but the national park quarters, the hockey pucks, birthday sets, etc. just cheapens things no end. After awhile the list begins to look like a late night infomercial.
Speaking of more stuff, looks like the Mint has another product for Aug. 1st.
https://catalog.usmint.gov/225th-anniversary-enhanced-uncirculated-coin-set-17XC.html?cgid=product-schedule
whew!
@ NW Robert: Thanks for posting that link to the 225th Enhanced finish. I suppose that I will get it for the Kennedy Halve. I wonder if they are also going to do this in a Silver enhanced set as well? @Richard: I agree with you that they make way too many products. When they make Star Wars coins, baseball coins, etc it makes the other coins seem not real either. I posted a similar comment and about 5 people replied disagreeing with me. I think when they make limited amounts of products it makes them special and it certainly… Read more »
Still like the 2015 silver set. The 2016 set has lower mintage but you might want to add 42 thousand Limited Edition Sets….
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Don’t worry, Mike “Sold Out, Limited Edition” Mezack will turn them into a “Very Limited Edition” sell on HSN.
Does anyone know when the 2012 Silver Proof Sets began to rise in value? Wondering if the 2015 and 2016 sets with lower mintage’s will bring what the 2012’s are selling for?
Thanks, Steve
Steve, The 2015 has no reason to rise in value since it is not the lowest mintage. Even though it doesn’t make sense because the 2016 has the lowest mintage only because people just didn’t care to buy them, I suspect it will indeed rise in value. I was too lazy to look and check prices on ebay but I suspect that everyone that read this article that sells on ebay probably immediately went and raised the price on any sets that they had for sale. I’ve seen similar comments and articles back in January about the 2016 being the… Read more »
I disagree..Lets face it..The key to the silver sets are the Kennedy half, Roosevelt dime and silver quarters. The 2012 and 2016 sets had an additional 42 thousand Limited Edition coins added to these totals. Yes the 2016 set has a lower mintage, but the key coins of the 2015 set are the lowest in years. No Limited Edition that year…
Why did the mint stop selling the 2016 sets? Was there some kind of law that forced it, like when they had to stop selling the 2015 Silver Eagles in 2016?
And, is it possible for the mint to start back selling the 2016 sets? I think that they could start back selling the 2015 silver Eagles if they wanted to and that they were just restricted from selling them in 2016 because of not having incused lettering.
rmets40, You’re right about the lower mintages for the silver coins in the set. The lack of a LESPS means that the 2015 silver coins are the lowest. However, as long as the sets are in a freefall, there will be little enthusiasm. The 2012 silver proof sets had the fanfare immediately after the sellout in early 2013. No one was expecting it. So, the 2012 garners a special place even though it’s really not that special any more. But because the 2015 contains the REAL lows, there should be some appreciation eventually, that is if the trend reverses, which… Read more »
Funny thing about the 2015 sets, I tracked sales figures that year and expected them to be pulled early because of a decrease. When the 2016 sales were short as well, I believe the USM pulled the sets early in an effort to save them from gaining a reputation for being an unwanted set.
I was wondering (still wondering) how that worked because some items are still being sold years later. I remember the being an article here about the 2016 proof coin sets were not going to be sold after the first of they year and that it would be a new low but I don’t remember the article saying WHY it wasn’t going to be sold. I think the 2015 Silver Eagles were pulled before the start of the year 2016 because the law mandated that the eagles sold in 2016 have a lettered edge. That clumsy wording caused them to not… Read more »
That’s right, the wording stated that only Silver Eagles with edge lettering be sold in `16. However, the 2016 silver proof sets did sell out. In fact, they sold out 2 or 3 times as the USM delivered them to distribution. I believe the mint in San Francisco watches sales numbers closely throughout the year and makes adjustments in production up unto the end of the year when they are forced to stop production. You know they have to be very concerned about the lower sales numbers.
2 things:
The mint is out of control because there is no director of the mint to manage it and take responsibility.
Secondly it is my opinion that the mint should never sell or take orders for any coin beyond its mint date.
You can’t be serious ! I have several PF-70 2016-w and 2017-s congratulations NGC Sets. Last night ebay had a set at 10 K. Just looked again to see the same set at 15K…….what ?????? Must be because of that used car salesman on HSN selling the ANACS set for $ 1,499.00, just the 2016 w pf coin.