The official 2005 U.S. Mint Set that includes all coins issued for circulation – from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.  This is the first-ever Mint Set featuring coins with a unique “Satin” finish, and all coins are in matching SP-69 condition.

The 2005 Mint Set includes Uncirculated examples the year’s coins issued for circulation at each U.S. Mint.  It is the ultimate record of America’s coins and this is one of the highest quality sets known to exist.

Each year, the U.S. Mint releases special “Mint Sets” to collectors.  These are limited edition collections of the year’s circulating coins, and each set includes a complete set of all circulating coins issued at every mint. 

As a result, U.S. Mint Sets are the official record of our nation’s coins.  All coins are in original Uncirculated condition and are specially packaged right at the Mint to preserve their high quality. 

In 2005, the U.S. Mint made a radical change to the Mint Set.  Instead of using regular Uncirculated coins, it created special coins exclusively for the Mint Sets.  The coins have a special “Satin” finish, and they are available only in Mint Sets.  No Satin finish coins are released into circulation or are made available individually.  What’s more, the 2005 coins are the first-ever Satin finish coin issued as a set.

Satin Finish coins look different from regular coins because the dies are sandblasted with a fine mixture of sand and glass beads.  They are very distinctive.

The 2005 Mint Set includes a Penny, both commemorative Nickels, Dime, all five State Quarters, Half Dollar, and Dollar from both Mints – for a total of 22 coins.  Philadelphia coins have a “P” mint mark, while Denver coins have a “D” mint mark.

The highlights of the 2005 Mint Set include:
• Buffalo and Ocean Nickels – the final coins in the commemorative Nickel series honoring the Lewis & Clark Expedition.  These coins also have a one-year-only portrait of Jefferson. 
• State Quarters honoring California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, and West Virginia.  Each coin was a one-time-only issue.
• Kennedy Half Dollar.  No Kennedy Half Dollars were released into circulation, so this is a rarely-seen example of the 2005 coin. 
• Sacagawea Golden Dollar.  Like the Kennedy Half Dollars, no Sacagawea Dollars were released into circulation.

Each of the 22 coins has been individually graded and certified as matching Brilliant Uncirculated SP-69 condition.  This is the same as MS-69, but they are called SP-69 to distinguish them from regular Brilliant Uncirculated coins.  Perhaps dozens of original Mint Sets had to be broken up and the coins individually graded to assemble even one 22-coin set in matching SP-69 condition.

All coins are graded on a 70-point scale, with 70 being absolute perfection.  It is virtually impossible to find a coin in perfect “70,” so this SP-69 coin is one of the highest graded sets possible.  In fact, as on November 4, 2005, some grading services have certified as few as two complete sets in SP-69 – and none in SP-70. 

Sold in a deluxe wooden presentation case