I just bought a bunch of coins at yard sale.

cyberdan

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My usual questions at yard sales is "do you have any jewelry or old coins" brought a response from the lady I have not heard in a long time. She said she had a box full. I expected a cigar box of pocket change. But no, it was a tub you put in a sink to was dishes. Every this was in books so I started looking but then stopped. I told her I only have $86 on me and these are worth a lot more so can she hide them till I come back with more cash. I said I did not want to cheat her. So I went home and grabbed $400 and came back. I only lived a couple of miles. I made an offer and she accepted.

But the reason I am telling this some of the things that were in there I just guessed their value. So here are a couple of questions.

I bought three sealed Mint sets in brown envelopes. I know some of the coins inside are 90%
two 1964 P.C. & one 1962 P.C. (on one envelope is hand written PROOF 1962)
my question is should I open or are they worth more if still sealed?
& what does the P.C. mean?

I also got an open mint set named 1965 - S.S.
I know the half is 40% but what does the S.S. mean?

I also got a 1982 proof set encased in plastic case.
my question is. Is the dime - quarter - half 40% silver because they are stamped 1982 S?
 

Armstrong

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65 66 67 sets were known SMS or special mint sets. They were not quite proof strikes but not the regular either. They have no mint mark unlike other mint sets.
 

l.cutler

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The 1982 S coins are normal copper nickel clad, not silver.
 

srcdco

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Some of your questions have already been answered - the 1982 set is all clad and the 1965 set is a Special Mint Set and only the half is 40% silver. The other sets (1962 and 1964) are proof sets, the P.C. stands for Proof Coins. The dime, quarter, and half are all 90% silver. They have no additional value if they remain sealed. Most people prefer that they be opened so they can inspect the coins for spots and to make sure what's in there is what is supposed to be in there. The flimsy plastic that the coins are in is not a good storage medium. The other thing to look for in those sets are frosted proofs. Unlike today where all coins in the sets are frosted, only the first few from a new set of dies were frosted back then and those command a premium.

Scott
 

cudamark

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The mint issued proof sets came in an official mint hard plastic case and should be kept that way if you ever resell it as a proof set. It can be broken up if some coins are damaged, or, individual coins are to be put into a particular collection group. Mint sets back then came in cellophane. Unless there is a mint error or limited variation in a set, the ones you listed are not all that valuable, so, I hope you didn't pay too much for them, or, you got a lot more than what you listed.
 

xr7ator

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Cudamark. Proof sets did not come in a hard plastic case back in 1962 or 64. Also, mint sets still come in cellophane.

srcdco. Frosted is not the term you were looking for. The term cameo or deep cameo is what you were meaning, imo. ALL mint state coins can have a frosted look.

cyberdan. The only reason to not open the 62 and 64 sets is that you might be able to find a buyer that is hoping for some cameo coins that will pay a premium for the unopened sets.
 

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cyberdan

cyberdan

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cyberdan. The only reason to not open the 62 and 64 sets is that you might be able to find a buyer that is hoping for some cameo coins that will pay a premium for the unopened sets.
I opened them today. They all looked nice, but I was afraid if I sell on feeBay that someone will buy and if what they had was better they would keep mine and return theirs and I would never know if they pulled a fast one.
 

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