1958 United States Proof Set

1958 Proof Set

Proof Set sales declined in 1958 for the first time since 1936, revealing a temporary over-saturation of the collector market, and a general tightening of the American economy that began in 1957. 1958 was also the end of a fifty year run of the "Wheat" Reverse on the Lincoln Cent.

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

Mintage: 875,652 sets (sold through 97,806 mail orders and an unrecorded number of over-the-counter sales)

About the sets: 1958 Proof Sets are a collector's favorite with the end of the Wheat Cent reverse and the dawn of the Memorial Cent reverse. The 1958 Proof Set is very difficult to obtain. 1958 Proof Coins are found with Brilliant, Cameo and Deep Cameo surfaces. Brilliant Proofs are the most common; Cameo Proofs of any denomination are scarce, but Deep Cameo Proofs remain very rare. The Nickel is the most difficult to locate in Deep Cameo Proof. Beware of buying unopened 1958 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.