Coins - Mint Sets
1980-1989
For the first two years, the 1980s Mint Sets contained thirteen coins. Mint sets were not offered the next two
years, and the remaining years of the 1980s had ten coins each mint set year.
The US Mint corrected the issue of not putting a third dollar in the mint sets for the dollar
coin minted in San Francisco in the 1980 and 1981 mint sets. Each of those mint sets contained thirteen
coins.
Mint sets were not produced in 1982 and 1983, but in 1984, the US Mint dramatically changed their packaging of
the mint sets. For 1984 through 1989, each year's mint sets were packaged differently. For the 1980s years
beginning in 1984, the mint sets included only the one cent, five cent, ten cent, quarter dollar and half
dollar coins with one each from Denver and Philadelphia.
The Mint Sets were packaged in two pliofilm sleeves with coins sealed in their own compartments. The
Philadelphia sleeve had blue edges, and the Denver sleeve had red edges. But in 1981, the blue edges changed from a
turquoise blue to a dark blue reminiscent of the American flag's colors. The red edges appear more vibrant as
well.
For the ten-coin mint sets of 1984 through 1989, each pliofilm sleeve had six compartments with the sixth
containing a metallic token, much like a penny, identifying the "D" for Denver and "P" for Philadelphia coins.
Of particular interest in this time frame, the penny changed composition from the 95% copper and 5% zinc to
copper-plated zinc which included 2.5% copper and 97.5% zinc. The new, lighter zinc penny became available in 1982,
one of the years the mint sets were not produced.
In the early years of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the Mint produced hundreds of millions of the dollar coins to
alleviate the costs of replacing the dollar bill. But, the American public did not particularly care for the new
dollar coin. As a result, the Mint stopped making the dollar coin in 1981 and did not produce it again until
1999.
Click on the individual year links below for more details, including pictures, about the Mint Sets and
their contents.
Year
|
Mints
|
Population
|
Cent |
Nickel |
Dime |
Quarter |
Half |
Dollar |
Total
Coins
|
Face
Value
|
Issue
Price
|
1980
|
pds
|
2,815,066
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
13
|
$4.82
|
$9.00
|
1981
|
pds
|
2,908,145
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
13
|
$4.82
|
$11.00
|
The US Mint did not produce Mint Sets for 1982 and 1983
|
1984
|
pd
|
1,832,857
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
1985
|
pd
|
1,710,571
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
1986
|
pd
|
1,153,536
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
1987
|
pd
|
2,890,758
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
1988
|
pd
|
1,646,204
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
1989
|
pd
|
1,987,915
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
10
|
$1.82
|
$7.00
|
pds = the set included coins from the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints
pd = coins in the set were produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints
|