1959 Proof Set (BUY)
Face Value: $0.91
Original Issue Price: $2.10
Mintage: 1,149,291
After slipping below the one million mintage milestone in the prior year, the 1959 Proof Set saw the interest in the set rebound and reach 1,149,291. This was still below the record sales achieved in 1957, but demonstrated that the proof set had become an annual tradition for many collectors.
Each set contained 91 cents face value in coins that was sold at a price of $2.10. Each set included the Franklin Half Dollar, Washington Quarter, Roosevelt Dime, Jefferson Nickel, and Lincoln Cent. The 1959 Lincoln Cent represented the first year that the new Lincoln Memorial reverse design was used. The previous Wheat Ears design had been replaced after fifty years of use.
Most 1959 Proof coins are brilliant proofs, with cameo and deep cameo coins less frequently encountered. Coins with cameo or deep cameo designations carry big premiums, particularly the half dollar.
The 1959 Proof Set was packaged in the flat pack that had become standard fare for the set. The five coins were sealed within individual compartments of a plastic cellophane. This plastic was placed within a yellow envelope with writing to indicate the Treasury Department issuance and the year of the set denoted as "1959 P.C."
