2009 Proof Set

The US Mint has just posted the product page for the 2009 Proof Set. This provides collectors with a confirmed price and first glimpse of this year's annual proof set.

The 2009 Proof Set will contain a whopping eighteen different coins. This is an increase of four coins from the prior year. To accommodate the extra coins, the US Mint has added yet another lens (plastic case) for a total of four. The first lens contains the Lincoln Cents, the second contains the quarters, the third contains the Presidential Dollars, and the fourth contains the remaining coins.

The coins included in the set are as follows:

4 - 2009 S Proof Lincoln Cents - Birthplace, Formative Years, Professional Life, Presidency
1 - 2009 S Proof Jefferson Nickel
1 - 2009 S Proof Roosevelt Dime
6 - 2009 S Proof District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters - District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands
1 - 2009 S Kennedy Half Dollar
4 - 2009 S Proof Presidential Dollars - William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor
1 - 2009 S Native American Dollar

The 2009 S Proof Lincoln Cents will be struck with the composition originally used for the first Lincoln Cents issued in 1909. The alloy consists of 95% copper, 3% zinc, and 2% tin. The US Mint has stated that this 95% copper (bronze) composition will be used for all 2009 Lincoln Cents included in annual sets as well as the upcoming 2009 Lincoln Coin & Chronicles Set.

The 2009 Proof Sets are priced at $29.95 and will go on sale June 1, 2009 at 12:00 Noon ET. No ordering limits are indicated on the product page posted on the US Mint's website. You can view the product page here. You can also check out the US Mint's subscription page, which indicates the composition of the Lincoln Cents. (The main product page does not include this information.) The subscription page is now showing information for the 2010 set.

There has definitely been a lot of anticipation for this year's proof set. The main driver has been the inclusion of the 95% copper Lincoln Cents. While the zinc 2009 Lincoln Cents struck for circulation will each have a mintage in the hundreds of millions, the copper versions produced for collectors will have mintages in the low millions.

An interesting side note, the US Mint has already released two separate sets which contain 2009 proof coins. These were the 2009 Presidential Dollar Proof Set containing the four Presidential Dollars and the 2009 District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters Proof Set containing the six quarters. Each set was priced at $14.95. If you purchased them both, you would have received ten proof coins for a total price of $29.90. By waiting for the full 2009 Proof Set to be issued, you get the remaining eight coins for only 5 cents.