The United States Mint announced pricing for its upcoming 2018-S Silver Reverse Proof Set. The collectible is one of the agency’s product highlights for 2018.
Developed to recognize the 50th anniversary of regular proof coin production at the San Francisco Mint, the set will cost $54.95.
Reverse proofs are opposite of standard proof coins. They feature mirror-like artwork and inscriptions that contrast against frosted backgrounds. The photo below shows differences between the two finishes.
Standard Silver Proof Sets are annually issued with this year’s release scheduled to launch on April 24 for $49.95. It includes 10 coins — a 1-cent, a 5-cent, a 10-cent, five 25-cents, a 50-cent, and a $1. The five quarters, half-dollar and dime are struck in 90 percent silver and 10% copper.
The 2018-S Silver Reverse Proof Set will have the same 10 coins. It hasn’t been given an exact release date yet with the Mint’s product schedule showing its arrival in "SUMMER 2018."
Update: Its release date is July 23 at noon Eastern Time and it has a mintage limit of 200,000.
Coins in these sets will carry an "S" mint mark to designate their production at the San Francisco Mint.
Collectors will remember that the U.S. Mint at San Francisco also produced a special non-silver 225th anniversary 2017-S Enhanced Uncirculated Set for $29.95. Its sales ended at 210,425.
Last year’s regular 2017 Silver Proof Set is still available at catalog.usmint.gov/coins/silver-coins for $47.95. It has sales of 339,314 through March 4.
Now THIS is the kind of truly imaginative and highly innovative thinking regarding concepts for the production of particularly desirable collector grade coins that if continued – and ideally even expanded upon – cannot but help the U.S. Mint make substantial progress in its ever-challenging quest to maintain a position not just of topical relevance but indeed of establishing itself as the gold standard of being at the very forefront of both numismatic attention and consumer interest.
Old Collector
Good points OC – and it’s shiny too!!! I just got an email from the Mint welcoming me to their Loyalty Program that gives me free shipping thru the end of the year – now that’s what I call marketing!!!!
I am a fan of reverse proof coins. Love the look, more eye appeal to me than a straight proof coin.
Mouse
Mike Smith,
Thanks, Mike! And congrats on achieving/meeting the Loyalty Program standard so early in the year; good for you!
As for marketing bonuses, the free shipping of merchandise one signs up for ordering ahead of time is also a great idea from the Mint. Things are finally happening!
Old Collector
Mouse,
I agree; the reverse proof look is exceptionally attractive and appealing. I’ve been looking forward with great anticipation to the release of this San Francisco reverse proof set since I first heard about it! Yippee! 🙂
Old Collector & Reverse Prospector
Old Collector – it is one sharp looking coin. Definitely a good buy, may have to grab one for myself.
Mouse
Should see an increase in value of the other one-off reverse proofs out there.
Mouse, I would highly recommend it. Any U.S. Mint product that a) seemingly comes out of nowhere and b) is a likely one-off like that is worth having at least one set – and possibly even more – of. As an example, I took a chance on the 2107 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set last year that contained the very low mintage San Francisco American Silver Eagle in it at the original Mint retail of $140 and it’s already gone up to $190-$200-plus and climbing. Now I wish I had also picked up the 2017 Congratulation Set with the same… Read more »
a Bob,
Exactly, and since I’m counting on that, I’ll be in for two. After all, my mama didn’t raise no fool. 🙂
Old Collector
Old collector – Seems to me that the US mint is selectively introducing certain coins with the San Fran mark and are doing well with these coins for collectors. Smart move…now all they have to do is get the New Orleans and Carson City mints active again and see sales sky rocket lol.
Mouse
Mouse, It’s funny, but for some reason – one whose origin and/or cause currently remains elusive to me – I too definitely have a special place in the collector’s part of my heart for anything produced by the San Francisco Mint. I also like your proposal for the re-activation of minting operations at New Orleans and Carson City; that dream move would indeed be a terrific sign of a much needed numismatic revival, not to mention a coup for us collectors of rather epic proportions! However, the possibility of that happening in the realm of practical reality is most unfortunately… Read more »
Old Collector* – Speaking of *Denver*Mint! There’s a few first* that has not minted *yet! Just for the *ASE, alone; the first proof*, *rev*proof, *enhanced*proof, & *burnished, American*Silver*Eagles. They would go over big! Why not & if so, when?
I have noted that every mint except Denver has produced at least one Reverse Proof coin, but hadn’t put together that they have never produced a single proof coin at all.
Joe Brown,
That is a capital idea. Whether a complete series of Denver Mint ASE varietal singles or the entire set all at once…either would be simply fantastic! Didn’t I say you had a real talent for thinking outside the box, and just like that, here you are once again with the proof in the pudding!
Old Collector
i* don’t like to repeat myself, like i* do at my home here, but i* mentioned it some years ago! Nobody gives one!
Joe Brown,
Some people do give one, just not the right people.
Old Collector
I will definitely be buying the set, might get 2 or 3!
The PRICE IS RIGHT!!
The enhanced set is a rare set?
I’d like to see the New Orleans Mint reopen.
Unlikely that the U.S. Mint will expand. It has reduced employee numbers greatly over the past 10 years & uses more robotics than ever. The oldest building in use as a Mint is the Denver Mint from 1906 & they had to install computers hooked up to the coin presses so they don’t all strike coins at the same time because they were causing small cracks in the foundation! (They are controlled to strike a couple seconds apart).
-NumisdudeTX
I will surely pick up a one of these but honestly, I like the enhanced uncirculated designs much more. The reverse proofs are novel and certainly collectible but from an astetic point of view they are lacking so much detail. Take a close look at the picture of the RP dime in this article or at the gold buffalo from a few years ago – there is so little detail in the buffalo that it looks like a blob – IMO.
Robert F. Hall,
I’m with you on that; the Reverse Proof will be a double purchase for me, just like the Enhanced Uncirculated was last year.
No, the Enhanced Uncirculated is not a rare set, but it did come very close to selling out at the Mint. Also, it appears that a lot of the sets are being cannibalized so that their individual coins can instead be sold at a significant premium as graded (slabbed) examples, which should gradually result in there being a smaller population of the original complete sets and as such (hopefully) raise their value.
Old Collector
with a mintage of 200,000- I wouldn’t touch this set with a 10 foot poll. i’ll buy a set off of e bay for 35 dollars a year from now
Seth Riesling,
I think these notions of Mint re-openings are more along the line of wistful numismatic dreams rather than realistically solid hopes, but hey, I guess there’s nothing wrong with wishing it were so.
I really like your revelation regarding the rather precarious condition of the Denver Mint’s structural integrity; what a great story! Not to mention that the idea of using computers to assure that the powerful minting machine strokes will not coincide with each other reminds me of the old mechanically synchronized machine gun and propeller systems in use on WWI era warplanes.
Old Collector
Mike Smith,
You bring up a very good point here. In fact, I find that’s actually one of the most enlightening aspects of sharing our ideas about coin collecting with each other here, that we are constantly reminded not only that we each have our own individual preferences as to what is attractive and appealing to us and what is less so or not at all, but in addition we are informed about and possibly even intrigued by what these personal particulars of interest and tastes in collecting consist of.
Old Collector
Seth – thanks for the info. May be time for me to focus more efforts on Denver mint products. It is only a matter of time before the Us mint (possibly) makes the decision to increase operations at another location and close the Denver doors. Its all dollars and cents.
Mouse
Mouse & Seth,
I’ve long had a sort of “instinctive” preference, even affection, for all things coin-wise coming out of Denver, and now after reading both of your posts regarding this particular Mint I find myself inclined to feel even more that way than before. Thanks so much, both for the important info and the thoughtful input!
Old Collector
I feel the mint is NOT using the authorized .999 to save some $–> They authorized to mint with it..anyway this is a nice set we’ll see what the mintage & HH limits are set @- the USM has done a poor job of late with these #s……. S proof, maybe a $5 fifty year anniversary issue, heck the 1968 set is worth, less thAN $5 [ISSUE $] … A THOUGHT 4 US ALL….
Here’s another idea: a 75th anniversary set for the end of World War 2 with 35% silver composition nickels (and zinc cents too). Maybe the BEP could be convinced to issue North Africa (yellow seal) and Hawaii (brown seal) dollars too.
Chas Barber, I believe you are absolutely correct.The Mint so far has totally (but obviously not very discreetly) been avoiding the whole issue of now having the go-ahead to convert all current “so-called silver” – consider that at 90% “coin/junk” silver the Mint is still even lagging behind the “sterling” silver 92.5% jewelry industry standard – coin products to 99.9% “fine” silver. If the newly approved 99.9% silver content level were applied both to annual silver proof sets and to silver commemoratives I think we would likely see a whole new, much higher level of both collector and investor interest.… Read more »
That would be all*full if all those computers that are hooked up to the *coin*press*machines someday backfires and they all start rapping at the same time, & the *main*shut*off burns out! If i* work there, i* would purr*fur the top floor press room, and not the basement* coin*press room! Hope there spending some coin on *beefing up* the old*joint. At least the top floor coin*press personal have a shot of landing on there feet*: on top of all the stuff that falls in the basement: if they hang*on to ah girder* or column* until the end* and let go for… Read more »
Joe, I just want the sweeper job on the press floor & 1st dibs for take home tra$h…..
Joe Brown & Chas Barber,
I just had a demonic inspiration (one which I am already very much ashamed of and appalled by). First you buy up all the Denver-minted coins you can get ahold of. Once you’ve got the market cornered, you arrange for a “totally accidental” synchronization of the presses. Poof, the Denver Mint goes bye bye forever and you’re left with the most valuable hoard of coinage in the world. Voila’.
Old Collector (& Dark Reflector)
I’ll be getting one of each!
Any word in next years 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing Commerative design?
This is a set I’ll be getting from the mint and then the set graded by PCGS, hopefully 70s, and maybe NGC as well.
But, will the Mint in it’s infinite wisdom be wise enough to bring us the 2018-S Reverse Proof Silver Eagle to go along with the new Reverse Proof Set ?
Although I think, in my humble opinion, that the mintage should be lower, it is a set that I will purchase. And I haven’t made a US Mint purchase since last year.
I am going to buy seven sets because this will be the lowest silver proof set mintage since 1953. I would have liked the mintage to be 50k for the 50th but at 200k I still think it is low enough to be a hit. The big companies that buy will send the coins off to be graded and add a handsome profit to each coin. They will then sale individually at a massive retail price. So individual collectors better buy now and get at least one set at the government issue price instead of aftermarket value. Think about it… Read more »
I will be adding at least two sets to my collection; maybe more !!
According to Mike “Sold Out Limited Edition” Mezack, these will sell out the first day.
Now Sold Out!!