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Coins - 1985 Mint Set

The 1985 mint set included ten coins, five each from the Denver and Philadelphia mints, and was packaged in an envelope with a brown wood grain finish. The five coins in each pliofilm sleeve were the Kennedy half dollar, Washington quarter, Roosevelt dime, Jefferson nickel and Lincoln penny.  

The US Mint introduced another new envelope for the 1985 mint set, this time with a wood grain look. The obverse images of the five coins in the set show on the front as if they had been tossed randomly onto a piece of wood. In the lower right corner, "United States Mint" is printed in white. In the upper right corner, "1985 Uncirculated Coin Set D and P Mint Marks" identifies the mint set. 

1985 Mint Set Package

1985 Mint Set package 

The paper's wood grain finish continues on the back of the envelope without any additional identifying marks.

1985 Mint Set back of envelope 

The 1985 mint set contained the two pliofilm sleeves holding the uncirculated coins, an insert highlighting the presidents shown on the coins and a card that included the coin specifications. The card also helped cushion the coins in the envelope.

1985 Mint Set opened showing contents 

1985 Mint Set Uncirculated Coins

The six compartments in each pliofilm sleeve of the mint set held five coins and a token identifying the mint. The red-edged pliofilm includes the Denver minted coins with the blue-edged sleeve holding the Philadelphia uncirculated coins.

1985 Mint Set obverse coin images 

The token looks much like a penny. But, the token's obverse image shows "Uncirculated" and "Denver" around the rim with "D" in the middle for the coins minted in Denver. 

1985 Mint Set Denver token 

Similarly, the token in the blue, Philadelphia pliofilm shows "Uncirculated" and "Philadelphia" with "P" in the middle.

1985 Mint Set Philadelphia token 

While the sealed compartments protect the coins from each other and from being touched, the coins are loose and can move freely.  

On the opposite side, the coins' reverse images can be seen through the clear pliofilm.

1985 Mint Set reverse coin images 

Both tokens have the same reverse image which includes the US Mint seal.

1985 Mint Set token reverse  

1985 Mint Set Insert and Certificate of Authenticity

For the 1985 mint set, the US Mint added an insert highlighting the presidents whose images are on the coins.

The front of the insert includes obverse images of the five coins along with pictures of each of the five presidents. The top right corner includes "1985 Uncirculated Coin Set D and P Mint Marks" printed in white on a wood grain background.

1985 Mint Set front of insert 

The inside of insert provides a brief history of each of the coins and describes the portraits shown on the front. 

1985 Mint Set inside of insert

The back of the folded insert shows the Treasury Department's seal for the United States Mint on a wood grain background. 

1985 Mint Set back of insert

The card included in the 1985 mint set shows the specifications of each of the five coins including the artists, the size, the metals and the weight.

1985 Mint Set coin specifications 

Larger images of the 1985 insert show the contents of the insert and the coin specifications with more detail.

1985 Mint Set Coins and Metals

The coins of the 1985 Mint Set contained the following metals:

Penny: copper-plated zinc, 2.5% copper; 97.5% zinc
Nickel: 25% nickel; 75% copper
Dime: 91.67% copper; 8.33% nickel
Quarter: 91.67% copper; 8.33% nickel
Half Dollar: 91.67% copper; 8.33% nickel

Click on Mint Set Population to view the contents of the sets through the years. Take a look at the overall Mint Set page to see how the values compare among the sets.

1985 Mint Set Year - News about Coins and the US Mint

(note: the below links to newspapers open in a new window)

Nothing gained 
Ocala Star-Banner - Apr 17, 1985
The US Mint recently melted counterfeit pennies on which Lincoln did not have a beard. Lesson: A penny shaved is a penny burned.

Canadians sue US Mint 
The Sun - Jun 11, 1985
A Canadian company claims it had the lowest bid on a contract to supply coin blanks to the US Mint. The company claims that the US Mint cancelled their solicitation in return for an agreement by the coinage sub-committee to drop plans to attach a "Buy America" amendment to the Mint's funding bill.

Briefing: Statue of Liberty Coins 
The New York Times - Jul 1, 1985
Congress approved legislation for the mint to produce 500,000 $5 gold coins, 10 million silver dollars and 25 million cupronickel half dollars to commemorate the Statue of Liberty and help fund the restoration of the statue and the immigration museum on Ellis Island. The coins would be legal tender and not medallions.

Unwanted dollars pile up 
The Bulletin - Aug 13, 1985
The US Mint still has 500 million of the Susan B. Anthony dollars that they cannot decide what to do with them. Some suggest coloring them to make them look more different than the quarter. Others think they should be melted. Even though the dollar coin is cheaper for the US Mint to make than the replacing the paper dollar every 18 months, but people prefer carrying and using the paper dollar over the dollar coin.

New US gold coin could sell more than 2 million a year 
The Miami News - Sep 10, 1985
President Reagan challenged James Baker, Treasury Secretary, to research and report within 60 days "on the feasibility of minting an American gold coin." This request follows the sanctions against imports of the South African kruggerand.

The new gold rush
Eugene Register-Guard - Oct 22, 1985
Without waiting on the Treasury Department's findings, Senator James Exon submitted a bill to authorize the US Mint to produce gold coins in various denominations based on weight. However, the coins would be worth much more than their face value due to their gold content.

US to mint, sell gold coins 
The Milwaukee Sentinel - Dec 23, 1985
For US consumers who do not want to buy foreign gold coins, the US Mint will soon produce US gold coins for the first time in 53 years. The House and Senate passed legislation and President Reagan signed it to allow the mint to strike and sell the gold coins.

The 1985 Mint Set Year included news of the Statue of Liberty commemorative coins, unwanted Susan B. Anthony dollar coins and the introduction of new gold coins.

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