The decade from 1980-1989 saw some interesting changes for the United States Proof Set. This time period saw the end of the small sized dollar coin, which had gone through two designs in the previous decade, and several packaging redesigns. The annual Proof Set continued to be a popular product for coin collectors looking to acquire high quality examples of each year’s circulating coinage.
The 1980 and 1981 Proof Sets contained the last Susan B. Anthony Dollar coins. This series had only last from 1979 to 1981 due to its unpopularity in circulation. In the final year the coins were not produced for circulation at all, but only in U.S. Mint issued Proof Sets and Mint Sets. From 1982, the Proof Set contained only five denominations from the cent to half dollar. This would remain the case until 1999.
The year 1981 also saw the appearance of two distinct types of mint marks. A similar situation had occurred in 1979. The Type 2 mint marks are scarcer. The highest premium is placed on the 1981-S Susan B. Anthony Dollar with the Type 2 mint mark.
From 1980-1982, the U.S. Mint briefly featured a new type of packaging for the Proof Set. It was a smaller sized holder, which sealed all coins within a single plastic lens without the separate rings for each coin. This packaging also incorporated a black slide case, which could be used as a display sand. From 1983 onward, the Mint reverted to a design similar to the one which had been from 1968 to 1972. Additionally, the color scheme of the set switched from red, to blue, and finally to purple in 1985.
1980-1989 Proof Sets By Year
- 1980 Proof Set
- 1981 Proof Set
- 1982 Proof Set
- 1983 Proof Set
- 1984 Proof Set
- 1985 Proof Set
- 1986 Proof Set
- 1987 Proof Set
- 1988 Proof Set
- 1989 Proof Set
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