Expert: PAPAJACK - 4/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi-- I have a 1983 five coin uncirculated mint set from the Philadelphia mint.  It
is in its original packaging and has a plastic chip enclosed that identifies the set
and where it was sold from.  Does anyone know how much this is worth?  thanks

ANSWER: Hello Vivien,          

This does sound like a mint set with a token included but there were none made in 1983 at all.

You should take another look at the date.

When you buy an Un-circulated mint set from the government they contain a token from the mint that made them Philadelphia or Denver and are sealed in plastic.

Many of these years are common and sell for less than $10 dollars.

I look forward to hearing from you with confirmation of the date?

Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for your reply.  the date IS 1983, on both the chip as well as the coins.  I
heard that there WERE some sets sold only from branches in 1983, hence my
question of how much this potentially rare set may be worth.  thanks again.

Answer
Hello again Vivian,          

This is a nice find!

I paid less than $20 for my set but that was years ago.

As you found there were indeed issues of single mint sets only, those were sold in envelopes at the gift shop in the Philadelphia and Denver mints.

Not too many were sold and even fewer were saved. Most were opened and separated. If you have a complete 1983 set intact with the envelope you might want an experienced coin person to look at it to judge the grade of the coins.

If the coins are going to grade very high the value the quarter lists from $12 to $35 dollars in the un-circulated grades. The cent and Half Dollar values were negligible. But the Nickel was selling in top grades from $4 to $30 as well. And the Dime was from $7 to $20 in grade MS65.

So if it is the Philadelphia Gift Shop Souvenir Set let me know if you would like me to direct you to a coin person to look at them for free if you want.
I could not estimate how well the strike on the coins is and what state of preservation they are without seeing the coins myself.  

As I stated above many people broke the sets open to sell the single high grade coin but you will have an easier time selling it as a set.

If you are looking for a coin dealer in your area feel free to write in a new question with the zip code for your area.
But please mark your question as a private one.

I do look forward to helping you and await your response.

PapaJack