Proof Sets

 DATE  ISSUE      BID      ASK  AVERAGE  PERCENT     IRR
 1936   1.89  3900.00  4295.00  4097.50 216698.9%   12.8%
 1937   1.89  1750.00  1995.00  1872.50  98974.1%   11.6%
 1938   1.89   800.00   895.00   847.50  44741.3%   10.3%
 1939   1.89   760.00   950.00   855.00  45138.1%   10.5%
 1940   1.89   610.00   699.00   654.50  34529.6%   10.2%
 1941   1.89   525.00   649.00   587.00  30958.2%   10.2%
 1942   1.89   535.00   669.00   602.00  31751.9%   10.4%
 1950   2.10   330.00   395.00   362.50  17161.9%   10.9%
 1951   2.10   285.00   325.00   305.00  14423.8%   10.7%
 1952   2.10   145.00   185.00   165.00   7757.1%    9.5%
 1953   2.10   120.00   149.00   134.50   6304.8%    9.3%
 1954   2.10    56.00    69.00    62.50   2876.2%    7.7%
 1955   2.10    56.00    69.00    62.50   2876.2%    7.8%
 1956   2.10    25.00    31.00    28.00   1233.3%    6.1%
 1957   2.10    13.50    17.00    15.25    626.2%    4.7%
 1958   2.10    23.00    30.00    26.50   1161.9%    6.2%
 1959   2.10    16.50    20.00    18.25    769.0%    5.4%
 1960   2.10    10.75    13.00    11.88    465.5%    4.4%
 1961   2.10     8.25    10.00     9.13    334.5%    3.8%
 1962   2.10     8.25    10.00     9.13    334.5%    3.9%
 1963   2.10     8.50    10.00     9.25    340.5%    4.1%
 1964   2.10     7.50     8.00     7.75    269.0%    3.7%
 1968   5.00     4.80     6.25     5.53     10.5%    0.3%
 1969   5.00     4.75     6.25     5.50     10.0%    0.3%
 1970   5.00     8.25    11.95    10.10    102.0%    2.4%
 1971   5.00     4.55     4.95     4.75     -5.0%   -0.2%
 1972   5.00     4.90     5.50     5.20      4.0%    0.1%
 1973   7.00     9.00    10.95     9.98     42.5%    1.3%
 1974   7.00     9.10    10.95    10.03     43.2%    1.4%
 1975   7.00     8.90    10.95     9.93     41.8%    1.4%
 1976   7.00     9.90    11.95    10.93     56.1%    1.9%
 1977   9.00     8.50    10.95     9.73      8.1%    0.3%
 1978   9.00     8.75    10.95     9.85      9.4%    0.4%
 1979   9.00    13.00    15.95    14.48     60.8%    2.3%
 1980  10.00    14.00    15.95    14.98     49.8%    2.0%
 1981  11.00     9.00    12.95    10.98     -0.2%   -0.0%
 1982  11.00     4.75     6.25     5.50    -50.0%   -3.8%
 1983  11.00     5.00     6.95     5.98    -45.7%   -3.5%
 1984  11.00     6.25     8.50     7.38    -33.0%   -2.5%
 1985  11.00     6.00     8.00     7.00    -36.4%   -3.0%
 1986  11.00    30.00    29.95    29.98    172.5%    7.4%
 1987  11.00     4.75     6.95     5.85    -46.8%   -4.7%
 1988  11.00    12.00    14.95    13.48     22.5%    1.7%
 1989  11.00    11.25    13.95    12.60     14.5%    1.2%
 1990  11.00    15.50    18.95    17.23     56.6%    4.6%
 1991  11.00    35.00    39.95    37.48    240.7%   14.6%
 1992  11.00    10.00    12.95    11.48      4.3%    0.5%
 1993  12.50    17.50    19.95    18.73     49.8%    5.9%
 1994  12.50    11.00    13.95    12.48     -0.2%   -0.0%
 1995  12.50    80.00    89.95    84.98    579.8%   46.7%
 1996  12.50     8.25     9.95     9.10    -27.2%   -7.6%
 1997  12.50    30.00    37.95    33.98    171.8%   39.6%
 1998  12.50    18.00    26.95    22.48     79.8%   79.8%
 1999  19.95    15.00    25.95    20.48      2.6%    2.6%
 2000  19.95    20.00    23.95    21.98     10.2%   10.2%
 DATE  ISSUE      BID      ASK  AVERAGE  PERCENT     IRR
Source:

Given the recent higher proof set prices, I redid my analysis from last year.

Bid is the highest buy price, and ask is the lowest sell price I could find in the July 10, 2000 Coin World. I used the average of the two for the "rate of return" calculations

Best Regards,
Bob Johnson

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Noted by Clint Cummins: the above IRR (internal rate of return) is "nominal" (i.e. not adjusted for inflation). A "real" rate of return could be computed by inflating the issue price to current dollars. This would probably reduce the rates of return dramatically on the earliest sets (pre-1954), and make many of the returns negative (i.e. worse than inflation) for the middle years. It wouldn't affect real returns for the 1990s proof sets much, though, since inflation has been quite low in recent years.

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