1961 United States Proof Set

1961 Proof Set

Enthusiasm for the 1961 Proof Sets was incredible. Beginning on November 1, 1960, the Mint received an average of 20,000 orders a day, and by December 9, over 2,200,000 sets had been sold. By February 1961, the Mint had received orders for 3,000,000 sets! To handle the increased demand, the Mint installed new-fangled IBM machines to process order, new presses to strike coins, and switched to a 24-hour a day production schedule.

Each set contained five coins: One example each of the Lincoln Cent, Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter, and Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar.

About the sets: 1961 Proof Coins are found with Brilliant, Cameo and Deep Cameo surfaces. Brilliant Proofs are the most common, Cameo Proofs of any denomination are fairly common, and Deep Cameo Proofs are very scarce, but not rare.

Mintage: 3,028,244 sets

Look for the extremely rare and popular 1961 Doubled Die Reverse Half Dollar variety, with strong doubling at "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "UNITED STATES".

Beware of buying unopened 1961 Proof Sets. "Sealed" Sets are likely to contain substituted coins (and even non-coins). Flat packs should be examined for small tears or cracks in the pliofilm. Even a hole the size of a pin can let in oxygen or moisture, both of which will react chemically with the metal of a coin, causing unsightly spots.

Original packaging: Each coin was sealed in its own compartment between two sheets of flat pliofilm. An octagonal, foil seal imprinted with "US MINT PHILADELPHIA" was placed in a sixth compartment, and the flat pack was then inserted into a mailing envelope with a card.