US Mint 2010 Proof Set

The United States Mint introduced a new series of coins as a follow-up to the successful 50-State Quarters and last year’s District of Columbia & US Territories Quarters. Dubbed the America the Beautiful Quarters™, these new strikes will also be included within several major numismatic products released by the Mint, including the 2010 United States Mint Proof Set®.

The U.S. Mint released it at 12:00 noon ET, on July 22, 2010. The price for the set is $31.95, plus the standard $4.95 shipping and handling charge.

Last year’s set sold for $29.95, and it included 4 more coins than what will be found in the 2010 set. Previous years’ offerings (2007, 2008) also had 14 coins like this year’s set and sold for $26.95.

This always popular, annual set includes proof versions of all of the circulating coinage issued by the Mint during the year. Accordingly, the fourteen different coins featured in the 2010 Proof Set:

• (4) 2010-S Presidential $1 Coins (Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and Lincoln)
• (1) 2010-S Native American $1 Coin
• (1) 2010-S Kennedy half-dollar
• (1) 2010-S Roosevelt dime
• (1) 2010-S Jefferson nickel
• (1) 2010-S Lincoln cent
• (5) 2010-S America the Beautiful Quarters

All of the coins are struck to a proof finish. The Mint indicates that "proof coins display brilliant backgrounds, with frosted, sculpted foregrounds," adding that they "receive the highest quality strike possible and can be distinguished by their sharpness of detail and brilliant, mirror-like surface." Each is manufactured at the Mint’s facility in San Francisco, and thus bear the ‘S’ mint mark. The coins are then encased within three protective presentation lenses.

No official imagery for 2010 proof quarters are currently available, probably owing to the fact that the Mint only released the final five designs in late March and then their images in mid April.

The Hot Springs National Park Quarter and Yellowstone National Park Quarter have already been released into circulation. The other three quarter-dollars within the set include a Yosemite National Park Quarter, a Grand Canyon National Park Quarter and a Mount Hood National Forest Quarter. The 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters honor the sites within the states of Arkansas, Wyoming, California, Arizona and Oregon.

The US Mint 2010 Proof Set may be purchased directly through the page http://catalog.usmint.gov/. Orders may also be placed using the Mint’s toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).