Proof silver sets containing silver coins such as the 2011 Silver Proof Set and the 2011 Quarters Silver Proof Set are not a new concept for the United States Mint. In fact, the US Mint first issued a similar set back in 1976 that contained 40% silver proof examples of the Eisenhower Dollar, the Kennedy Half Dollar, and the Washington Quarter.
From that point, the US Mint did not produce silver sets again until 1992 when the Silver Proof Set showed up, which was based on the Mint’s most popular clad coin product, the United States Mint Proof Set. This new set contained the same proof quality examples of the circulating coinage of the United States that the clad version did. However, three of the coins were struck from 90% silver — the Kennedy Half Dollar, the Washington Quarter Dollar and the Roosevelt Dime.
The US Mint continued making these silver sets which contained a total of five coins, three of which were struck from silver, until 1999. That year marked the introduction of the 50 State Quarters® Program and thus changed the number of circulation coins produced by the Mint. Instead of just one version of the quarter dollar released annually, the US Mint was now striking five different versions with a reverse design emblematic of one of the fifty states of the United States of America.
Accordingly, the Mint’s annual Silver Proof Set now contained a total of nine coins, seven of which were struck from the precious metal. These seven included the five 50 State Quarters, the Kennedy Half Dollar and the Roosevelt Dime.
Over the next decade, design changes affected some of the coinage in the silver sets as additions were made, including the Sacagawea Dollar and the Presidential $1 Coins. However, none of these changes directly affected the number of coins composed of the precious metal.
In 2009, the amount of silver coins in the Silver Proof Set increased by one as the D.C. and U.S. Territories Quarters Program saw six new quarter dollars that year instead of the five annual quarters released before. This brought the total of 90% silver coins for the annual set to eight — six quarter dollars, one 50c piece, and 10c piece.
Finally, 2010 saw a reversion back to seven in the silver sets with the introduction of the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program. Once again, the US Mint would be striking only five quarter dollars annually and thus the proof set would only contain seven coins composed of the precious metal — the five America the Beautiful Quarters, the Kennedy Half Dollar and the Roosevelt Dime.
On a related note, the Mint began producing proof sets containing just silver proof versions of the circulating quarters of the year in 2004 when the first United States Mint 50 State Quarters Silver Proof Set debuted. This was mid-way through the popular 50-State Quarters Program and allowed those individuals who were caught up in the quarter mania of the day to obtain the 90% precious metal proof quarters to add to their collection without having to purchase the more expensive larger set.
2011 Silver Proof Set
Continuing an annual tradition that dates back to 1992, the US Mint produced the 2011 United States Mint Silver Proof Set™. This set contains proof quality examples of the circulating coinage from the US Mint for the year. The set includes a total of fourteen coins, seven of which were struck from the white precious metal.
Those seven coins are the Kennedy Half Dollar, Roosevelt Dime and the Gettysburg, Glacier, Olympic, Vicksburg and Chickasaw quarters.
The United States Mint began selling the 2011 Silver Proof Set on January 25, 2011 – earlier than previous versions had been offered in the years leading up to 2011. The set initially was offered to the public for $67.95.
2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set
Included as part of the 2011 United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set™ are proof quality examples of the five America the Beautiful Quarter Dollars issued during the year. These five include the same Gettysburg, Glacier, Olympic, Vicksburg and Chickasaw quarters found within the larger set.
This set can trace its roots directly back to the 2004 50 State Quarters Silver Proof Set which marked the first year in which the Mint produced a silver proof set containing just the quarter dollars issued that year.
The US Mint released this set on April 1, 2011 for $41.95 per set.
